Standing Guard


Ezekial 19:2

“Eeaahhhhh!” came the distant cry.
“Did you hear that?” I asked the denful of sprawling kids.
“No. I’m sure it was nothing,” Alexis mumbled, not looking up from her knitting. Since the baby was playing on the floor next to me, he was ruled out as a possibility, and there was no way the new kittens could make that sort of cry. Besides, they were tucked away in the safety of my closet behind my wedding dress. Minutes passed before the second cry rang out, and this time the kids heard it. “EEEAAAHHH!”

Leaping from their chairs, the whole room scrambled to check on the kittens. Upon swinging open my closet door, our neighbor’s giant cat bolted out of the room as if his tail was on fire. Cat hair floated to the ground. Mama Cat’s hair stood straight up, and her eyes were like saucers. King, the neighbor’s immense male cat, had been locked in the closet with Mama Cat and her kittens. His hair stuck to her claws and lay in tufts all over the carpet. The kittens huddled together in the corner against the wall. How King got into our house and sniffed out the new little family will remain a mystery, but he will never try that again. Our small Mama Cat became the ferocious protector, courageously guarding her babies, thrashing and tearing away at King’s fur. King was dethroned. There will be a new respect for Mama Cat when she goes back outside to play.

Animals instinctively guard their young at all costs. What has happened to us as a human race? Where are our claws? If we don’t love and protect our children, who will? Are we foolish enough to think they will be safely cared for by the smooth-talking wolf? All mothers could learn from Mama Cat. There is a time for everything. Don’t be afraid to use your claws if the situation calls for it.

(Taken from Live, Love, Laugh and Laundry?)


Challenge: Do your children feel like they can trust you? Provide a safe environment emotionally for your children by not belittling their emotions or laughing at their dreams. Protect them from would-be emotional predators by allowing them to trust your confidence.