Learning to live with differences

After hitting the back space button many times, I just have to come out and say it.  I'm difficult to live with, and I have difficulty with people who are different than me.  My survival mode most of the time is to shut myself away and just carry on with my daily life.  But you know, that is not what we as Christians are called to do.  We are called to be separate from the world, but we are also called to be salt in the world, to show the world the light of Christ.  I think my salt shaker has been a little closed lately but that's for another post.

So if you know me and don't know that I'm a dog lover then you don't know me.  I prefer dogs, but I have a soft spot for any lost creature.  (there's the beginning of another post as well)  About 2 months ago, I went for a quick walk with my nephew and dogs and found a kitten up by the highway.  I brought her back home with me, because I didn't want her to get ran over.  The dogs are both wanting a piece of her as I'm walking back home with her.  She was very friendly and I intended to only keep her long enough to find her real owners (she's a very friendly cat) or find her another home.  Well, to make a long story short, my dog Qia decided to adopt her.  I don't know what happened but sometime shortly after I found her, Qia and Luci became fast friends.  

I could really learn a lesson from Qia.  If she can learn to be friends with a cat, I should be able to do the same (with the cat and other people as well).  I generally try to be a friendly person, but I don't try to love people as I should.  It is something I really need to work on...

(Coco when Luci first showed up - more of my type of reaction, she has since learned to live in harmony with her)