Hey there!
I just wanted to share with you an experience I had over the summer. I had just woken up, when my mom came to my room and told me that she needed help because she could hear a kitten meowing under the front hood of her car! She didn’t have any time left to rescue it, because she was going to be late for work. So she asked if I could help.
I rushed to change my clothes and went outside to assess the situation. I couldn’t hear a kitten yet, but if my mom said she did, I was sure it was in there somewhere. After figuring out how to pop the hood, I lifted it open, and to my surprise, there was a cute little kitten sitting right at the top near the engine! It caught me by surprise, and before I could muster the courage to grab it and take him out, the little kitten saw me, turned around, and crawled down into the engine. Nooo! My opportunity was missed.
Determined to help rescue this kitten, I began to attempt other ways to get it out. One of the first things I tried was rocking the car a little by pushing up against the trunk, back and forth. That didn’t work. Then, I tried to lure the kitten out of the car by tying a piece of ham on a string and leaving it on the top of the engine, with the hood open. I hoped that if the kitten smelled it, he would come out again to the surface and escape. Later on, I even tried tuna… yet no sign of Mr. kitten.
The funny thing was, I noticed that I could only hear the kitten cry when I would step away. Often, as soon as I entered the house and closed the door, a few minutes later I would hear a desperate, loud meow for help. But when I would open the door and come outside near the car, the kitten would almost immediately stop. This seemed interesting because, at least it seemed to me, that the kitten was not actually stuck – it just thought it was. It knew how to get to the top of the engine; and with the hood wide open, it would be able to easily escape. He had a way out, but was too afraid to try again. Although he was asking for help, when help came, he was too afraid to receive it.
I wonder how many times we’ve also acted in a similar way. When we need help regarding a particular situation, we may pray asking God for help; but when the help comes, we may not always receive it or listen to it. Perhaps the answer came in a different way than we expected; and instead of listening or obeying, we walk in a different direction. We do what we think is best. Or perhaps, we may feel too afraid to do what we know will benefit us. Instead of listening to our doubts and fears, it is important for us to learn to trust God and His direction for our lives.
Have you ever felt this way before? I know I have. Something that God has been teaching me is the importance of being humble and sharing my burdens with others. This may not always be easy, especially when it means we have to share something that is personal to us. But in doing so, it allows us to receive the emotional healing we so desperately need.
I hope this might be encouraging to you today. 🙂
P. S. After hours of searching for the kitten, I stopped hearing it cry and assumed it escaped while I wasn’t outside looking. I am hopeful and confident of this because I put a camera down the engine in several areas to see if I could find it, and there was no kitten in sight. Also, I believe I may have spotted it a few days later with his mother a siblings. Phew! So happy, he must’ve found a way out! Thanks for reading. ❤️
Photo Credit: Photo by Rittish Jarodia. Thank you for this cute, captivating photo!
https://unsplash.com/photos/white-and-brown-cat-on-blue-textile-H3G4eOHqY1g