I lived through a time when the chaos and negativity surrounding my world had become so strong I was just going through the motions, trying not to let Satan steal my inner peace. I was running on a hectic schedule already when my husband burst through the door announcing he had found a newborn kitten who had been trapped in the pole barn with it’s mother–momma had died. I asked what he wanted me to do about it and he indicated he thought I should try to save it. I took a long, frustrated breath–this guy who claims to hate cats wants me to mother one!

I took the tiny calico kitten, certain it was a female because they almost always are. I was shocked to find it was a male–nearly unheard of. A rare find indeed. I asked God why. “With everything I already have going on, why do you want me to care for this kitten? We have way more cats than we want right now anyway.” He said, “Because your heart is turning cold.” Bam! That statement was like a bomb blast inside me as the thought became a realization.

God wanted to stop me from the danger of myself. He used a helpless little kitten named Hansl, a Hebrew name meaning “Gift from God”. Hansl went everywhere with me, even to church. He was too small to leave alone. Everyone wanted to see him, hold him, swoon over him as he brought a smile to every face that saw him. He brought hope and compassion back into my life. 

I didn’t know how to mother such a young kitten. We prayed for him to survive but he only made it three weeks. I know that his name was truly fitting and he accomplished God’s purpose. The morning he died, the cat-hater man and this cold-hearted woman held that kitty while he died and we cried. He truly was a gift from God.

“ And I will give them unity of heart. ‘I will put a new spirit among you.’ I will remove from their bodies the hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11:19)

Do you see areas in your life where your own heart is turning cold, where you are blocking everything out and going through the motions of everyday life longing to be out of the chaos? God can and will use the chaos to keep you tender if you’ll let him.