Zoe Needs Help
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
As we age, our depth perception changes. It’s not only human eyes, but also all living creatures. Let me also add that what was once a fun romp in the park, today would definitely end in a 911 call. Life slows down and we need a little more TLC. Marianne Campbell (All God’s Creatures) shares a story that will warm your heart.
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Our cat, Zoe, trotted into the bedroom and prepared to leap up on the bed for her afternoon nap. As she’d done thousands of times before, she sized up the height of the bed and the distance of her jump. Then with dainty steps, she positioned herself for the spring.
Splat! She ended up clinging ungracefully to the edge of the bed. Poor Zoe. At fourteen years old, she wasn’t a kitten anymore, and her legs simply didn’t have the strength they once had. She seemed embarrassed or maybe discouraged, and she slid down the side of the bed, claws skipping over the coverlet and began to slink away.
“Aw, poor kitty,” I said, picking her up. “You’re not as spry as you used to be, but you’re still my precious kitty.” Then I gently placed her on the bed and scratched her behind the ears until she purred.
As I pondered my aging pet, I thought, This is just how God deals with me in my life. All the times I go for something and come up short or completely miss, God is there to pick me up, comfort me, set me on the right path, and give me something to make me smile. In fact, what He gives me is always something better than what I was going for in the first place. He reminds me that He loves me in spite of my failures. When I am weak, He is strong and in control, the God who is able to raise me up.
Zoe wasn’t thinking of me when she made her failed leap, but I was nearby and happy to help her, just as God, my Father in heaven is also near to me and all believers, ready to help, ready to forgive, ready to save.
If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer—His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable. —John Newton
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me into my golden years. You have always been there. You have always protected, guided, comforted, and talked with me. I am blessed and grateful. You have raised me up again and again. Thank You! AMEN.