Resisting Our Rescue

A few years ago my wife and I left our church offices and headed out to lunch.  We had not driven very far down State Street when Phyllis said, “Darrell there is a kitten in the middle of the road, stop the car and get it.”  I retorted “stop the car, we’re in the street and traffic is moving.”  Well, you know arguments are never won when you are dealing with a head strong woman who happens to be an animal lover.  I stopped the car got out and walked over to the tiny piece of fur.  It was very evident that this little critter was fearful, traumatized, and most of all lost.  No doubt it was saying to itself, “How in the world did I wind up here.”  When I reached down to pick it up suddenly it began to hiss and show its tiny set of claws.  I remembered saying, “I’m trying to save you little rascal, don’t fight me.”  Why would a little kitten resist salvation in the midst of a hopeless situation?  Maybe it was because of its animal instinct--be careful who you trust; the hand that reaches for you may bring hurt instead of help. Or possibly it was because fear had driven it to believe that the future would not be any more favorable than its present circumstances. Better still, we cannot rule out the thought that this small, weak and vulnerable piece of flesh felt if given enough time, it could work itself out of the mess.  This all sounds so familiar when we think about ourselves.  How many times have we faced similar experiences? When it happens we allow our minds to lead us into thinking that somehow God is trying to harm rather than help us and that we are better off left alone.  Things just might improve if we fight back. This little kitten finally acquiesced and yielded to my hand.  Should we not do the same?  From eternity past and present our heavenly Father has always stopped in the midst of sinful traffic endeavoring to save us. You talk about “old things passing away and all things becoming new,” it happened that day in the middle of the street when one tiny cat stopped fighting and allowed itself to be rescued. It came under the care of my wife who gave it a permanent home and continual loving care.  God wishes to do the same for us. Stop resisting! Go ahead and let His hand rescue you!