I had to usher Mom into the house, both of us on the verge of hysterics as we listened to the sound of one of our kittens crying out for help from atop a tree.
It was only a matter of time when one of our two kittens, about 6 months old, would discover how exciting it would be to climb a tree as well as how difficult it would be to get down.
At one point he was dangling by a thread, his shrill meow piercing our hearts. I thought for sure he was going to plummet, and that’s when I brought Mom inside. In the house, she paced praying “God don’t take him, please don’t take him.”
For a good hour and a half we all stood at the base of the tree trying to encourage our mischievous cat. Poor Sawyer would attempt to crawl down, but in a moment of terror he would scramble back up to a spot where he could rest his tired limbs.
The branches weren’t big enough for someone to climb, and no ladder we had could reach. Not even the fire department would come to our aid, telling us that the cat would eventually climb down. My head hurt from wanting to cry, hearing his frightened meows and not being able to help him.
Praying all the while, I had already given the situation to God. This wasn’t the first time one of our cats had survived a tree scare. But I couldn’t help but ask God, “Where are you? Are you going to help?” There were only two options for Sawyer: he could climb down, or he could fall and possibly die.
Mom uttered a tearful “Praise the Lord” over and over again. The woman has an untouchable faith, but after having tragically lost two of our cats in the fall, the struggle to trust God in this circumstance was very real.
I started to brace myself for the worst, that we would be burying another family member and Skipper, the sister kitten, would be all alone. “I’m not gonna lie, God; if he dies, I will be so angry with you.” I could already foresee the fight I would have to overcome to trust God again.
I even found myself thinking of the book of Job. How he must have felt. This was just a cat, one of our four to be exact. If God chose to take away another pet, should that really shake my faith in Him when Job lost his family, servants, and livelihood?
Throughout the whole ordeal, God ministered to my heart asking “Do you trust me? No matter the outcome?” I know in my heart that our Father is faithful and in control. Painful circumstances don’t change that fact. They merely provide hope and comfort when there are no answers.
Sawyer eventually eased his way back down, praise God! But for the rest of the day I pondered on what God had been showing me that awful morning.
Helpless situations remind us of our dependence on the Father. He is our constant in times of trouble and times of joy. The future holds both blessings and pain, we can’t escape that. What we can come to grips with is that our God is with us through it all so long as we choose to see Him.
God bless!
-LJM
Hebrews 10:23
Leah Jordan Meahl 