Watching animals is one of my favorite calming, pastimes. We have 4 kittens at the barn, just getting brave enough to venture out of the feed room and into the vast expanse of universe called “the alley way”. One of the kittens made the delighted discovery that an older chick, (which to the kitten must have looked like a giant bird) would run from him. It’s gotta be a great boost to ones’ confidence when something twice your size fears you!
The kitten was having a blast maneuvering the chicken around a bale of hay. While this was going on, another kitten much smaller in size, was bravely making its debut venturing outside the feed room, just in time to get chili rolled by a crazed chicken squawking in terror as it fled the barn. The poor little kitten left scratch marks in the concrete as it fled back to the safety of the furthest, darkest corner of the feed room! What a rude response at its first attempt to venture out into life.
While I felt for the kitten, I couldn’t help but chuckle all morning over its humor. We know what the kitten doesn’t, it will grow larger, overcome the emotional set back and in time not even notice the things that before sent it reeling in fear back to its dark corner. The truth is, venturing out into life is NOT safe! But THE most dangerous thing any of us could do after life “chili rolls” us, is to retreat to our dark corners and wave the white flag! Life is to be LIVED…and we can’t live it if we’re waiting for the insurance policy that guarantees we won’t lose, get hurt, be freight trained, etc. If that little kitten was to never venture out again and it remained in that dark corner, it would never grow healthy, never be strong, and never experience the joys that life has to offer, all for the sake of “safety”. Same with us. Life doesn’t come with its insurance policy that promises we will never lose, never be hurt and never get chili rolled by a crazed chicken. But if we don’t step back out from our place of retreat, it’s an automatic guarantee that we’ll be crippled. Isn’t it kinda amazing that sometimes what’s dangerous is actually healthy and what looks safe is actually a death trap?
So, maybe you can relate to that kitten right now. You had high hopes and they were dashed. You stepped out after mustering up the best of your courage and you got freight trained. You gave something your very best shot and you were side swiped by something that equates to that of a crazed chicken mucking out the kitten. OK…so you’re in your dark corner right now…clear away the feathers…tell God how you feel…ask Jesus to give you renewed hope and courage…then step back out. What matters is not how great you become, but that you simply…become! Before you know it, you’re going to be so strong…you’ll be eating chicken for SUPPER!!