Time

They were surrounded by the pride of lions. Everywhere they turned, a huge cat was waiting to pounce. She withdrew to the protected space within the house, pulling those she loved with her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her precious baby stalking toward the giant beast. He froze in place as the nostrils of the lioness tested the air, determining the scent.

Her heart in her throat, she silently slid open the glass door, dashing toward her cat, scooping him up as she pivoted and ran back toward safety. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it would explode. As she slid the door closed behind her, the giant cat leaped toward them, hitting the glass door, bouncing back to the ground.

She clutched her cat in her arms, as he reached out to gently stroke her face with his paw. Thanking her for his rescue, he softly licked her cheek as he kneaded her throat with his paws. Gentle mews reached her ears as she . . . "cat quit licking me . . . what in the world?"

She woke to deep vibrations rumbling through the body of her cat as he sat on her chest. Rubbing his face against her jaw he pushed her head to the side. Moving closer and closer, she finally moved him from her chest as she rose to greet the new day.

"Pill, you woke me up!" He crawled into her arms and surrendered to the sheer joy of belly rubs and the adoration of his human. Reaching out with his paw he stroked her cheek. She couldn't resist and buried her face into his soft fur and listened to the melody of his contented purr. As he snuggled into her arms, he abandoned all pretense of aloofness and filled his heart with her love.

"I need to get up little boy. I don't have time to cuddle you right now." She rose, walked across the room, dropping him onto the bed as she went. He followed her from the room and through the house as she dispensed with her morning routine. Wrapping himself around her ankles, she reached down to stroke his fur. "I need my feet to walk, Pill."

He allowed her to move on, but quickly caught up and paced himself right beside her. As she moved into the kitchen, fixing breakfast, he jumped onto a chair, and waited, watching, piercing her with his gaze. Stoking him as she passed, he took the opportunity and jumped onto her shoulders. "Pill, I don't have time. Now get down and stay down."

Setting him on the floor once again, she finished preparing her meal and went to set down. The cat quickly leapt onto her lap, fitting himself back to his rightful place once more. "Pill, I really don't have time." His purrs and relaxed body melted into her lap as he possessed her once again.

"All right little boy; I give up." Stoking his fur, memories of the dream returned. The fear and anguish she had felt returned once more. Yet he remained. His calm spirit soothed her as the dream once again became real. She remembered the panic of the threat; the fierce pride of his willingness to protect her; the determination to rescue him, and the heart-pounding rush of having escaped danger. In those few short moments she had experience a lifetime of emotions.

Realizing that she had been holding on to her fears and worries, her dream had helped her release some of what she held within her--afraid to acknowledge or even express. Her sweet cat had helped her face her fear, and through his willingness to sacrifice himself to protect her, she realized she didn't have to remain paralyzed . . . unmoving . . . frozen in time and space.

There was a time and a place for everything. It was time to move forward . . . to face her fear. The words of Ecclesiastes came to her mind:

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

It was time . . . time to move on with her life . . . time to let go of her worries. It was time to trust God for the grace and love she had always found to be the reality of her life. And so she moved forward into the day . . . into the promise of fulfillment to come.

God of endless time, it is so easy to become impatient with the pace of life as it happens. Our fears strangle and immobilize us so that we lose sight of you working in our lives. You are always faithful, moving in our lives, but we want what we want right now. Help us, faithful loving God to see your movement in our lives, to trust you that even though this may not be the season in which we want to dwell, that you are gently guiding us to the place we need to be. Help us to remember your faithfulness and goodness, and to trust that you will protect us--even from ourselves. Help us, O God, to find your peace. So be it. Amen.