AUGUST 31, Romans 8:28

Scott came into the living room carrying Snowflake, who purred and snuggled comfortably in his arms. “I am so glad you let me keep this kitten, even though we already have two cats,” he told his parents. “Snowflake is the only one that will let me pick her up and carry her anywhere I go.” He sat down on the sofa, and Snowflake curled beside him. “See? She will just rest here, nice and quiet beside me, as long as I want her to.”

Mom smiled at them. “Well, Scott,” she said, “I guess that is because you have been so gentle with her ever since she was tiny.”

“I know.” answered Scott, “I treat Jemimah the same way but if I pick her up, she howls and cries the whole time I hold her. She’s so nervous and jittery. She just waits for a chance to run off.” Dad nodded. “She is that way with all of us,” he said.

“Maybe that’s because she had a deprived ‘kittenhood’ before we got her,” suggested Mom. “She was not treated well when she was little, and I do not think she ever got over it. We have taken good care of her all the years we have had her, but she has never learned to trust us completely.”

“And that Tangerine!” added Scott. “I will never try to pick him up! I do not want to be scratched!”

Dad put his newspaper down. “These three cats remind me of the ways people react to God’s ‘picking them up’ and placing them where He wants them,” he said slowly. “Think about it - which one do you think you are like?” Scott looked at Snowflake, still lying peacefully beside him, and grinned. “I hope I am like Snowflake,” he decided, “content to be wherever God puts me.”

Mom nodded. “That is how we should be, but I am afraid that, once in a while, we react like Jemimah - faithless and nervous about everything that happens or like Tangerine - too full of ourselves.”

“We can all pray for grace to be content where God has placed us,” said Dad with a smile. “We are happy as we trust Him in both the pleasant periods of our lives and in the difficult circumstances we must face.”

Thought: Has God placed you in a difficult spot - such as a broken home, a class you do not enjoy?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help to trust in You whenever I face difficult circumstances. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.