Scaredy Cat
He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8
Many times, during my 71 years, I have been called a scaredy cat—or worse. The most recent has been here in Arnot with my choice of not driving in the snow. At the touchdown of the first flake, I begin to get feel anxious. If snow starts sticking to the roads, I consider myself homebound. Virginia Ruth (All God’s Creatures) shares a test of patience with us.
*****
My friend Lisa recently adopted Presley, a kitty that had been found by a dumpster, abandoned along with other cats. When she brought him home from the shelter, he bolted out of the cat carrier and disappeared into the basement.
“Presley, psst. Come here.” Lisa told me she used her most gentle voice as well as treats to coax him out of the basement. But nothing that first day tempted him to emerge.
It took Presley about eight days to come up the stairs and engage with Lisa. Each day she called him and left treats on the steps. Each day he cautiously walked up a few stairs, took the treat, and swiftly returned below yet every day he came a little farther. It was over the eight-day period with Lisa providing nutrients and love that Presley finally found the courage to come upstairs and stay.
Recently God has been calling me up the stairs to a new situation: my husband and I will be moving to a new location, partly for practical family reasons and partly because we heard God’s “Psst, I have something for you.” Some days I am ready to travel those steps, and other times I swiftly retreat to our familiar situation. Like Presley, I have experienced an up-and-down-stairs drama—on one hand I’m scared because I do not have a clear-cut path to where we are headed, and other times, I trust God because He has gone before us.
Lisa’s calling and provision of safety for Presley reminds me that the Creator of all things wants only the best for me. God promises that He will never leave nor forsake us. He is calling me to follow Him and trust His leading, knowing that stepping out in faith can lead me to a new situation that’s even better than the one I left behind.
Heavenly Father, thank You for calling us. Please give us the desire and strength to continue to trust You and to move closer. Teach us to answer Your call without hesitation. AMEN.