Tallulah Box Story by Melane Sibley

Today's post is a special one, courtesy of Team C4C's Chief Financial Officer, Melane Sibley. You'll be blessed by this every day story with eternal significance! ~Shelley

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

So I may be a future cat lady, the evidence is here – that’s for sure!  But now that THAT cat is out of the bag, we can move on.  True confessions, right?

I needed to drive my new kitten to the vet a while back.  I was doing all of the proper “mommy” things of course.  I put her in the carrier box, buckled her in, shifted her box in the seat so that she could see me, you know, all that jazz.  While getting into the car and shutting the door, I heard her crying out.  I spoke to her, and she immediately stopped crying.  I could hear her sniffing for me through the few little holes in the carrier box.  So I stuck my finger into one of them so that she would know where I was.  She came over to my finger and rubbed it with the side of her face, so appreciative, and comforted that I was there with her.  She knew this, even though she really couldn’t see me.  She then lay down and rested, waiting for us to reach our destination.  I did not hear another peep from her.

While I’m driving, I’m trying to imagine what her current view must be.  Let’s think about this.  She knows she’s moving, going somewhere.  But she doesn’t know where.  What kind of view can she get from a quarter sized hole in this box?  Is there any indication where she is going when all she could possibly see is my dashboard?  No, no indication at all, but what does she do?  Instead of panicking, crying, or fretting, she lies down and goes to sleep.  Resting in the fact that her “mommy” is with her, trusting the fact that I would never hurt her.  Knowing that I could see the whole picture and trusting that I would care for her and protect her.

That’s when the ton of bricks came crashing down on me.  How many times has my view in life been about the size of a quarter, in whatever my current circumstance may have been at that time?  How many times had I fretted, worried, and yes cried because I didn’t know where I was going?  How many times had I refused, REFUSED to look for my Heavenly Father or to listen for His voice so that I would be reminded that He was there, He could see the whole picture, and that He would never do anything to hurt me?  That He would do everything to protect me, while I was getting to where He wanted me to be.

I know this seems like a simple analogy, but this reminded me that God is my parent, my Daddy.  And while He never promised that this life would be easy, He DID promise that He would never leave me.

So next time I find myself with the perspective about the size of a quarter, when the storm is swirling around me; I plan to sit still, listen for His voice, look for His presence, and take a cat nap while He, safely guides me to where He needs me to be.

Melane Sibley is a self-employed bookkeeper.  She is a board member, and the CFO of Church 4 Chicks.  She is a mother of 7 (okay two are actually kids the rest are 4 cats and 1 dog).  She has been married to her best friend Scott for 21 years, attends Tapestry Community Church, and is a huge UGA fan.  Go Dawgs!  A native Georgian, “Hey Y’all”, she loves fabric and quilting.  You can connect with her at melane@msbookkeeper.net.