What Am I Feeding?

                I  told Mother jokingly that T. Tommy, the big tomcat that adopted us, was dropped off as an answer to her request. She longed for a strong, fierce tomcat. T. Tommy fit the bill. He insisted on staying with us. As Dad would say, “He’s a sensible cat.” He often seemed to understand my words to him.

T. Tommy resting - My sister gave him
the name as I tried to run him off.

                The last two weeks have tested T. Tommy’s tenacity, strength and resilience. A wild, large cat appeared on the farm to agitate our cats who we keep for rodent control. The vicious, feral cat inflicted a wound on one of T. Tommy’s front legs, but he refused to let me look at it which belied his usually mild and loving manner with humans.

                The lateness in the day eliminated the consultation with a veterinarian. What could I do? I began lining the bottom of a crate with an empty feed sack. Then I placed on the discarded feed sack old clothes recycled specifically for times exactly like this day. I prayed silently for wisdom because T. Tommy wouldn’t let me lift him into the prepared crate. I spoke to the injured cat about the cozy crate. To my surprise, he slowly approached the crate and climbed sinto it.

                T. Tommy improved greatly by the next morning. He ate heartily along with our other cats. Then I spied the perpetrator awaiting my departure from their feeding area. I determined the course I needed to take. I must be sure never to have food available to the predatory “varmint,” the term my grandpa would use for the wild tomcat.

                This week I found a correlation between my effort to protect our cats from the encroaching trespasser and words I have accepted into my mind. Just as I deliberately chose to take every step possible to not feed the aggressive cat, so I have found the need to not feed my fears.

                My mother quoted Matthew 10:16 upon hearing the guidelines for minimizing the spread of COVID-19. These are the words I heard her say, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. She may have been stretching its application, but I know she meant be wise in the decision to minimize contact which at this point in time will render you “harmless” to other people. Abiding by this recommendation strengthened our living out of the Golden Rule –…Treat people the same way you want them to treat you… Matthew 7:12 NASB.

                Here are some scriptures that have nourished us spiritually, mentally, and emotionally this week.

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:9-10

Don’t we want His will carried out here in our midst?

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

What a wonderful promise to rely on! I went to Him in prayer, He heard, and delivered me from fear. This verse does not in any way imply I was delivered from the situation. Instead, He delivered from all fears.

Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. Psalm 112:1

Fearing the Lord is a healthy fear, much like good parents are respected and revered by their children. The God of the Bible is respected and reverenced because of who He is and the power He has. The psalmist finds his greatest joy in obeying the Lord.

He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:7

This verse has strengthened my faith and trust in God to lead us into the uncertainty of the future. The psalmist states emphatically he will not fear or anticipate bad news because he has centered his heart on trusting the Lord.

May we feed on God’s Word and not our fears. Immediately, when fears begin to creep stealthily into our minds, may we cease to feed those fears just as I left nothing for the feral cat to feed on. Instead, as I fed our little rodent eradicators like T. Tommy, so may we feed our minds on God’s precious promises and receive nourishment for our souls, empowering us to fight against the evil fears that seek to torment our minds.