It’s hard to embarrass a cat. They just don’t seem to have a sense of shame.

If they’ve done something naughty, like shredded the fabric on your expensive couch with their claws, they’re not actually sorry about it. They’re just ticked off that you’re making such a big fuss about it.

Cats seem to lack the ability to be repentant.

Dogs, on the other hand, can definitely feel and show contrition.

Just take a look at the plethora of “dog-shaming” videos online.

Dog owners upload clips in which they confront their mutts with the evidence of their misdeeds. The owners come home to garbage-strewn rooms, destroyed furniture, and chewed-up shoes. The disaster area is documented on video, and then the camera pans to the dog…

The results are often hilarious.

The mutt slinks off with its tail between its legs, or else sits there looking sheepish and trying not to meet their owner’s eyes. The pooch might even try to hide in a cupboard.

Yes, dogs know when they’ve done something wrong.

The question is, do we?

Are we quick to ask God’s forgiveness when we sin, or do we justify our behaviour to ourselves and continue in our disobedience?

Do we “keep short accounts” with God, or do we go long periods without confessing to Him our misdeeds?

A sure sign of the process of sanctification in a believer’s life is an increased sensitivity to the presence of sin in their life.

This process got short-circuited for a while in the life of King David in the Bible.

His indifference to his slide into moral transgressions resulted not only in his adultery with Bathsheba, but in arranging for her husband Uriah to be killed at the battlefront.

Disturbingly, David took no steps to repent to God for quite some time. It was only after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan that he admitted his guilt and asked God for forgiveness.

Psalm 51 concerns this shameful time in David’s life. Here are some selections from it:

“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love,
Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sin.
Wash me clean from my guilt, purify me from my sin;
For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.”

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.”

“Create in me a clean heart, O God;
Renew a loyal spirit within me.”

“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit;
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

David finally got it right. Once he admitted that he’d sinned, his repentance was absolute and unequivocal.

If I may put it this way, David became a bit less like a cat and a bit more like a dog. He owned up to his failings, and was then able to joyfully sing of God’s forgiveness.

And so can we.

We might not like to admit it, but there’s a little bit of “cat” in all of us!

© 2025 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.