Do you charge at life’s challenges fearless, undaunted; ready to tackle and conquer each new contest with confident vigor?  Or do you approach each new situation with fear and trepidation, cautiously dipping your toe in to see if it is safe?  Our cat was not the former; a fearless hunter or fighter, conquering the neighborhood.  Instead, he was a quiet, timid, lover who would creep onto our laps, curl up and begin to purr contentedly.  If we were reading a newspaper, he would occasionally reach up and tap it with his paw, letting us know that he wanted more petting.  Or, he would quietly get up and move into our arms until his face was snuggled against our neck.  What a wonderful, loving kitty!

The time came for us to move from the only home Mittens had known.  I knew I would have to prepare him for traveling the two hours to our new place of residence.  We bought him a pet carrier and put it in the family room, his place of abode, so he could get use to this new item.  After sniffing it a bit, he ignored it.  We knew we had to get him use to being in the carrier, so we put a blanket, food, and water inside and left the door open.  The food was enticing.  Eventually he got in and ate.  Success!  He slowly seemed to accept the carrier – with the door open.

The next step was to get him use to the car. I put him in with the doors open.  He promptly jumped out.  A few days later, I put him in and closed the doors.  He thoroughly investigated this new environment.  Later, I put him in the car, shut the door, and started the motor.  This elicited a terrified yowl!  After loving reassuring him that everything was fine, we endured the motor for a while and then exited. 

How would he react to the car moving?  I was soon to find out.  I placed Mittens in the car, shut the door, started the motor and backed the car out of the driveway.  The look on his face said he did not like his world moving!  I pulled back in the driveway and parked the car.  That was enough for one day.  The next time we took the car for a short drive.  Mittens seemed to have acclimated.  Whew!  On a final, longer drive, with the exception of a few yowls, all went well.  We were ready to take Mittens with us to our new home!

As I thought about all the steps I took to help our timid cat conquer his fears, I realized how God has done the same for me.  I, too, am timid and afraid of many new ventures.  Yet God made me that way!  The writer of Psalms 139 says that God formed me, with all my complexities and personality, while in my Mother’s womb.  He knew the person He wanted me to be.  And, because He knew and knows me so well, He has worked tenderly and consistently with me.  I fearfully clung to Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me –as God gently guided me step by step, growing me and showing me that He will empower me to do whatever He asks me to do.  I just needed to take His hand and trust Him.  The more I trusted Him, and the more He proved Himself faithful, the more confident I became.  Now my confidence is not in myself, but in my all sufficient, all powerful God who has loved me enough to gently grow me into the potential He sees in me. And, He is still working.

That’s what He wants to do for all of us.  Will you take His hand, trust Him, and allow Him to develop the potential He sees in you?

Praying for growth,

Lisa Veach