We live in the country, and our home has a large carport adjacent to it. One Sunday morning, when I was coming out of our home, getting ready to go to church, I saw something at the end of the carport floor, just before the driveway. As I got closer, I discovered that two tiny little kittens, about 4 weeks old, were sleeping there on the pavement, curved around each other to keep warm. Both of them were black. I was just a few steps away, and when they realized there was somebody near them, they fled. I started putting some cat food behind the garbage bin so they could feel safe while they would be eating. They did come back, and as I watched out for them, I saw that they had discovered the food. I put food and water there every day, and gradually, ever so gradually, I placed the dishes a little further away from the garbage bin so I could see them better. One of them had some white from the nose down while the other was all black.
After a few weeks, the black one had become more trusting, and one day, when the connecting door between the carport and the office was open, he walked in to start exploring. Soon, he found the cat food in the bathroom, and from that point on, he came to eat inside and he eventually got to where we had him in our home. We called him “Darky”, because he was dark, but not truly all black, he had an area around his neck that had some white hair mixed in for a while. That eventually disappeared.
Darky's brother was completely different. He had made a little bit of progress along with Darky, and since I had been able to pet Darky, I gently petted his brother's back one day. He let me so I got more dearing and tried to pick him up. Wow! What a wild beast! He bit me and clawed me all over my hand, over and over again until I let go and then he ran. My hand was all bloody and it was sore. I didn't hold it against him, he had been so scared! But I was shocked! I never expected such an aggressive reaction! Darky's brother never learned to trust us. He never made it inside. We didn't see him for a few days, and we wondered what had happened to him. One night, my husband came home and told me that the kitten had been hit by a car, and was laying on a nearby side street dead. What a pity! He could have had a good life with us. We had food and water gelore to offer and a good home, but he couldn't bring himself to open up and trust us. Now, at merely 6 weeks old, all his chances were gone.
Both of these little kittens had been dealt a hard blow very young in life. Someone had dumped them on our property during the night and left them, without shelter and food. We figure that whoever did this, had seen that we had cats, and they figured that these babies would be taken care of.. Nonetheless, it was cruel to do this, and the kittens had to face their new circumstances, either with fear or confidence. Initial fear was normal, but as they were shown love, one would expect that they would both have taken it from there, and adjusted to their new environment. They were each given the same opportunity and yet, one prospered and the other perished, why? Many people would say that animals have no wills, no choice in anything. In my opinion, they choose to trust or not to trust, to stay or not to stay. Cage animals don't have the freedom to come and go but they still can decide to trust or not to trust their master; to respond gently to him or aggressively..
In a more elaborated way, the same situation occurs with people. We all have been wounded and hurt over time. Some of us choose to build an insulating wall and become bitter about everything, and some choose to reach out in spite of the hurt, and they build bridges instead of walls.
Christ is a prime example of the second type. He chose to come, knowing what He would face. His lot here on earth, was far from an easy one, and although He was scorned and mocked, He reached out in love.. He chose to embrace instead of pull away. As hard as it is, we as Christians, are called to do the same. The attitude of the heart determines the course of action, as well as the consequences, good or bad, stemming from the choice made. Given equal opportunity, some people remain fearful and defensive, and forfeit many blessings by remaining closed, or by reaching out aggressively, trying to destroy others because they have been wounded.
