He’s Got This

We have a cat, his name’s Hot Rod, and he’s a handsome fellow with sparkling blue eyes and a white and tan coat. We took him into our family about 4 years ago. As the runt of the litter, neglected by his mom, born in the wild as a barn cat, it was quite an adjustment for him to move in with us; and to learn that he could trust us. He’s come a long way from when we first met him though. Unlike before, now he’ll cuddle up beside you and let you pet him. One thing that hasn’t changed, besides his fear of being held, is his longing to be outside. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, I don’t blame him for wanting fresh air, soft grass, and chirpy birds; but there’s also fast cars, coyotes, and rough street cats waiting outside of our door. So, when he escaped yesterday, I first thought about the good things he might be experiencing, I could see him frolicking in the sun and pouncing at birds; but then as the day went on, I began to think about all the bad things that could be happening. Was he alive, was he lost, was he hurt? So, I prayed, because nothing is too big or small for God. As the morning turned into afternoon I began to worry, and every time that worrying popped up, I would pray and plead again that God would help him to find his way home. Eventually the sun began moving closer to the horizon, and I had to accept that I couldn’t keep worrying about what might have happened to him. I just had to trust God with the outcome and let it go. I know this is easier to do in certain situations more than others. I know when the risk of loss is greater, and the prayers seem to go on for days with no answer in sight, it’s hard to keep believing that God’s got this; but the decision to trust God is still a choice. And I made the choice to trust God yesterday and encouraged my kids to do the same. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves when things go awry that God loves us and he hears us; like when life happens, when there is free will, when God’s doing more than we can see, or when time is needed for things to work out. Yesterday was 100% a result of free will, that cat wanted out, really bad. I can do everything in my power to keep him inside, but I can’t make him want to stay there. A cat wants what a cat wants, and the cat got what he wanted. So, I had to surrender what I wanted to find the peace I needed…I had no clue if Hot Rod was going to come back or when, but in the middle of it I trusted God to take care of us all. And, when I least expected it, as the sun’s rays shown the last light of day, our beloved Hot Rod found his way home to our back porch. He was hungry and ready for some shelter; and I thanked God for looking after him during his adventures.

Through this whole ordeal I was reminded that prayer and surrender go hand in hand, and if I would begin my praying with surrendering, I can have peace in the waiting. Whatever your prayers are today, God’s with you and he’s taking care of you; there’s no doubt about that; nothing can separate us from his love. How we feel until the answers show up is directly correlated with our surrender and trust in God; trusting his timing over our own, surrendering to his plan over our own, and believing his ways are better than our own. Sometimes we have to keep reminding ourselves that God sees everything from his all-knowing eternal perspective. My prayer for everyone who stumbles on this page is peace. I pray that your heart and mind would be at ease as you give God your worries and concerns; may every trouble fade away as his love holds you close. You’re not alone, your problems matter to God, no matter how grand or insignificant your cares may seem, God cares about them all. If he cares to know the number of hairs on your head, how much more would he care about your heart…

God’s got this.