Mr. B was the CEO at a very large company. One day, he called a meeting. Had all of his people together. He said that we have a wonderful company here, we’re growing, expanding and things are going well. But I have noticed that some of us are getting a little slack. Some of us come in a little late. Some leave a little early. Some spending too much time on coffee breaks. Some spend too much time on lunch breaks. I recognize that a lot of that is my fault that I have not set the kind of example that I should have been setting. So in the future you can absolutely count on this, I’m going come in a little early; I’m going to stay a little late. I’m going to restrict all personal phone calls. None of them. I’m not going to do anything while I’m on the job except be ON-THE-JOB. I will take shorter coffee breaks, shorter lunch breaks. He really made the commitment. It was quite a little speech and he was very serious about it.

But you know that sometimes in the excitement of the moment, we make those speeches and then over a period of time we kind of forget them and that’s what happened. About three weeks later, Mr. B was at a luncheon at the country club when he became engrossed in a business conversation and forgot about the time. Then all of a sudden he looked at his watch and said oh my goodness; I’m due back at the office in ten minutes. 

He hopped up and made a mad dash to the parking lot. Hopped in his automobile, scratched off, burning rubber, doing about 90 miles an hour down the freeway. Then the long arm of the law entered the picture. Gave him a ticket. Mr. B was absolutely furious. He said this is ridiculous; here I am, a peaceful, taxpaying, law-abiding citizen, minding my own business. I was going a little fast, I admit that. But what these guys ought to be doing is out looking for the robbers, the murderers, the rapist. Those really bad guys. Leave us peaceful people alone. Oh, he was really upset and by time he got to the office he was quite late. And he did what management has done in some cases since the beginning of time. You know, when they get their hand caught in the cookie jar, they say lookie yonder instead of look here. 

So in a loud voice he called for his sales manager. And everyone could hear him as he said what I want to know is did you close the deal on the Armstrong account? The sales manager kind of ducked his head and said, Mr. B, I don’t know what happened on that deal. I thought I had it, I thought it was all wrapped up and was signed, sealed and delivered. But, at the last moment something happened and it came unglued. Well if you think Mr. B was upset before, you should see him now. He was absolutely furious.

He said this is ridiculous. You’ve been my sales manager here for 15 years and I’ve depended on you to bring in business and now we have the chance to get the biggest account of them all and what do you do? You blow it. Well, let me tell you something friend. Just because you’ve been here 15 years doesn’t mean you’ve got a lifetime contract. I want that business replaced. We needed that to build the expansion that we needed to do and here you’ve lost the biggest opportunity we’ve ever had. You replace that business, or I’m going to replace you! Oh, he was upset.

But if you think he was upset, you ought of seen the sales manager. He goes storming out of his office. He slammed the door behind him muttering under his breath; this is ridiculous. I’ve been here 15 years and I’m the one that’s brought in all the business. If it hadn’t been for me, this company would have gone down the tube years and years ago. And now, just because I’ve missed one lousily sale, he uses a cheap trick, he threatens to fire me. This is NOT fair. Oh, he was upset.

He called his secretary in and said, you know those five letters I gave you this morning; have you gotten those out or have you been fooling around, making excuses not getting your job done? She said no, don’t you remember, you said to me that the Heidiger account took precedence over everything else and that’s what I’ve been working on. He said don’t give me anymore lousy excuses. I told you I wanted those letters out and I’m going to tell you right now, if you can’t get them out, I’ll get someone who can! Just because you’ve been here 7 years does not mean you’ve got a lifetime contract. Oh, he was really upset.

But if you think he was upset, you should have seen that secretary. She goes storming out of his office saying this is ridiculous. For 7 years I’ve been running this company. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for me, they’d this would have gone down the tube years and years ago. And now, just because I can’t do two things at once, he uses that cheap, lousy trick, threatening to fire me. And him fire me as much as I know about him? Who is he kidding? Oh, she was really upset! 

She went out to the switchboard operator’s desk and said I’ve got these letters and I want you get them out. Now, I know ordinarily this is not your job but you don’t do anything anyhow but sit out here and occasionally answer the telephone. I want these letters out and if you can’t get them out, I’ll get somebody who can. Oh, she was upset! 

But if you think she was upset, you should have seen that switchboard operator. She said this is ridiculous; they don’t do anything in the back but gossip, drink coffee, and talk on the telephone. Every once and a while, they get a little bit of work out. But when they get behind, they come out here and put it on my desk and say, now you’ve got to get this out. And I’m the only one who does anything around here. If it hadn’t been for me, they’d this would have gone out of business years and years ago. Oh, she was really upset! But she got the letters out.

She got home, she was still furious, walks through the front door and first thing she saw was her son lying there in the floor watching television. The second thing she saw was a big ole rip right across the seat of his breeches. She says, son how many times do I have to tell you, when you come home from school put your play clothes on. Mother has a hard enough time as it is working and sending you through school. Now since you’ve been disobedient, upstairs right now, there’s going to be no supper for you tonight and no television for the next three weeks. Oh, she was really upset. 

But if you think she was upset, you should’ve seen that little boy. He hopped up, running out of the room saying this is ridiculous. I was doing something for my own mother; she doesn’t even give me a chance to explain this. It’s not fair! He was upset! Then about that time, his tomcat walked right in front of him. Which was a mistake. The boy reaches down gives the tomcat a big ole boot and says now you get out of here.  You probably been up to some no good yourself.

Now here’s my question: Wouldn’t have been much better if Mr. B had just gone directly over from the country club to that switchboard operator’s house and kicked that cat himself and left all those other people out it?

Now I’ve got a very important question for you: whose cat have you been kicking, lately? Or have been letting somebody else kick your cat? You see the truth is; we live in a negative, cat-kicking world.  It’s all around us. Do you respond which is positive or do you react which is negative? If you take medicine, your body either responds or reacts. Do you react to negative situations, in a negative way or do you understand that it has nothing to do with you. Respond is positive; react is negative. 

Have you ever gotten your head bit off having done nothing to deserve it? You need to understand that it probably has nothing to do with you. Somebody has been kicking their cat long before you got involved. Think about this: it’s whether you respond or react that determines how far you go in life. The most successful person you know and the most unsuccessful person you know has a lot in common. Everybody has setbacks, despondent moments, defeat, and disappointment. But the successful people respond to the setbacks and the negative people in life instead of reacting. This is how one positive thought can bring about many good things and one negative implant can all together gets negative results.

We find negative attitudes in the Bible. Cain had a negative attitude. In Genesis 4:3-7; “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Likewise we’re instructed to have a positive attitude in the Bible. Proverbs 15:30 tells us. “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.” This works kind of like a computer. If you want to change the output, you’ve got to change the input. You put the good stuff in; you get the good stuff out. In Galatians 6:7-10; “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” As in Matthew 7:12; “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Luke 6:27-29 says: “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.” Every choice you make and how you treat other people can have a positive or a negative impact on other people.

If you want a classic case of "kicking the cat" read the final chapters in the Gospels of how a person who had not done one single thing wrong in his entire life was bearing the brunt of the world's pent up sinfulness.

How do you think Jesus felt when he was manhandled from the garden and taken before Pilate? He could have called upon legions of angels to come to his assistance, but he didn't.

How do you think Jesus felt when he was deserted by his friends at that terrible hour?

And how did he feel when one of his best friends, Peter, forcibly denied ever knowing him? He could have cursed his fair weathered friends, but he didn't. He did nothing more than turn and look at Peter. The impact of Peter's own cowardliness crushed him like a sledgehammer, reducing him to a quivering, slobbering wreck.

How did Jesus feel when the soldiers pierced his scalp with the crown of thorns? The pain would have been indescribable. Jesus said nothing.

How did Jesus react when he was accused time after time of false charges? He maintained his dignity.

How did Jesus feel towards the soldiers who taunted him as he hung from the cross in unceasing agony? He prayed to his Father: "Forgive them, they don't know what they are doing".

That's how Jesus handled people who "kick the cat". He saw through the horror of the moment. He took the full brunt of our failures and neutralized them by replacing sinfulness with righteousness, hatred with love, misunderstanding with understanding, callousness with kindness.

What happened next is simply unbelievable, but it is in the Bible for all to read. It says "When the captain (of the guard) saw what had happened, he honored God: 'This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!' All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home."

Jesus completely turned the tables. While they were "kicking the cat", he was doing what St Paul described as "loving extravagantly". 1 Corinthians 13 states: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

So, the next time someone thinks you would make a good "cat to kick", turn it in to an opportunity to neutralize their hatefulness with lovingness. Don't think of it as a dis-appointment but as a His-appointment.

                                       Adapted from a story by Zig Ziglar