“Come on, Zoey. You can do it,” Jenna coaxed.
I looked to see what Zoey could do. Turns out she can jump up on the bed. At least Jenna says she can. Zoey herself is not too sure.
In September 2018, Zoey was hospitalized for 3 days with kidney disease. She came home so weak that we positioned chairs to help her climb up on things. Now she is strong enough to fight off four people as they try to draw blood! Yet she is still scared to jump.
Not always of course. Sometimes she hops right up to get what she wants (food, toys, petting). But other times she overthinks it. She forgets who she is. She forgets what she is. If she overthinks in the middle of a jump, she falls back down. And because she hesitates, she fails enough to worry her. Thus the on-going encouragement.
What doesn’t happen, though, is scolding and blaming. No one expresses disgust, contempt or frustration toward an anxious cat. We just love and reassure her.
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The Bible is full of self-doubting people. Moses worried he wasn’t articulate and asked God to pick someone else. God gave him Aaron as a spokesman.
The prophet Jeremiah thought he was too young. God promised to guide and supply the words.
Peter, after courageously getting out of the boat, looked at the waves and was terrified. Jesus reached out at once to rescue him.
Jesus Himself asked to be released from the cross: God experiencing human fear. An angel came to strengthen Him as He chose obedience.
Moses, Jeremiah and Peter also chose obedience and discovered that with God, they could.
Fear says, “I can’t;” and implies, “God can’t.” But God doesn’t scold, blame or look with contempt; He meets their needs to facilitate obedience. Same as He does for us, and as we did for Zoey (remember those well-placed chairs?).
So if broken people can be gentle, patient and encouraging with a cat, then surely God will be gentle, patient and encouraging with us for as long as it takes; until we are finally able to make that leap of faith.
He will care for you as a shepherd tends his flock,
gathering the weak lambs and taking them in his arms.
He carries them close to his heart and gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:11 The Passion Translation (TPT)