Out On A Limb!

For two days we have been searching for our cat. We have stood outside calling her and shaking her food jar. Usually the shaking of the food jar causes her to sprint toward her food dish. But for the last two days nothing has worked. My husband and I were starting to get worried.

If you know us then you know that we have not had the best luck with pets. We have been through two dogs, a cat and two rabbits. Oh, yes and there were some fish in there but I can't remember how many. Let me clarify that "been through" means they had to go live with other families because they were just not the right fit for us. But then we found Cali and well she was just perfect for us.

She came up to me one Wednesday night at church and she seemed to just be begging for a home. So we brought her home with us. She is an outside cat and is the sweetest thing ever. She sleeps by our front door most days and we just love her.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a fox in our backyard. I was a little alarmed because we live in a subdivision and you usually don't see foxes in your back yard. We do back up to some woods so my husband said he was probably just passing through. Well, the next week our children were outside playing and the fox chases our cat out of the woods into our yard.

You should have seen it. My husband had just gotten in from work and was still in his dress pants and button down shirt. He runs and grabs his shot gun and dashes out into the yard. I started laughing because it is not everyday that you see a man in dress clothes running out tote'n a camo shot gun. The fox got away unharmed.

So when our sweet Cali could not be found for two days we started to wonder if the fox had well, gotten her.

We were sad this morning when we got up for school and turned on the outside lights and Cali was still not there. For some reason, my husband and I had decided that this was the day. Either she would come home or we would have to accept the fact that she was gone.

I get the kids out the door for school and then the phone rings. I figured it was my husband saying one of the kids had forgotten something. It was my husband, but he was telling me to come outside quickly because they had found Cali. She was stuck up in a tree across the street from our house. My son spotted her when they were pulling out of the driveway. My job was to keep an eye on her while my husband took the kids to school. Then he would come back to rescue her.

As I got close to her, I felt so sorry for her. She was shaking and crying and wanting to move but paralyzed with fear. She was stuck out on a tiny little limb alone.

As I stood under the tree looking up at her, God began to speak to my heart. There are so many women out there in a similar situation. They are cold, lonely, scared and paralyzed by fear. We walk past them every day. It may be the woman beside me in the grocery store aisle. Or the woman in front of me in the car pool line. Or the woman behind me in the check out line. Or it may be you.

My prayer is that God will give me eyes today to see them; to hear their cry for help. I know the One that rescues and He stands ready with outstretched arms. May I be His arms and hands today to reach out to those that are crying for help.

Ladies, we all have a kinsman-redeemer and His name is Jesus Christ. He longs to save and rescue you from whatever is holding you captive. I pray that you will pursue Him today. Believe me He will pursue you back!