Years ago I bought a Hallmark card that I thought was funny in its lighthearted treatment of life’s troubles. The front of the card has a fluffy little kitten sitting happily and seemingly unaware of a huge, spike-collared, big-fanged dog right behind her. Other cats are running desperately for safety while she sits content. The front of the card says, “If you are calm and collected while others are losing their heads…” On the inside the sentence continues, “maybe you don’t understand the situation.”
As an accomplished worrier, I have spent years laughing at the silliness of that smiling feline as I identified with the scaredy cats who obviously were smarter and more aware. In my mind, that happy kitty was ridiculous in her ignorance.
Fast forward to now. Karl and I have been doing a Bible study on Ephesians. Something new has begun to emerge for me in this study. Three verses from Ephesians have spoken to my heart and prompted me to begin seeing things another way:
(2:14) For [Jesus] himself is our peace.
(4:1b) I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
(6:13b) So that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.
Let me explain: If Jesus is my peace, then I can sit comfortably at His feet and not worry. He has my back as well as my heart. Because of this peace, then, I can walk, gratefully and humbly, each day and do what I’m called to do with the reassurance that when hard times happen or I encounter evil, I will be equipped to deal with it.
With this new outlook, my funny greeting card came to mind and I saw it with an entirely different perspective. Today, I look at that happy, contented, and peaceful cat and think she knows it all. She’s secure in the knowledge that Someone fierce and mighty has her back. Because she is safe in His vigilant care, she can look out at her world with a smile and with hope, sitting in confidence and joy.
It occurs to me that this card needs a new punch line, one that reflects what Paul is trying to teach us in Ephesians and one that my heart, tired of a lifetime of useless worry is trying to grasp: “If you are calm and collected while others are losing their heads…. Maybe you finally understand the True situation.”
