Our home had something she was not used to…a dog. A big dog. A big, rambunctious, lovable, goofy dog who wanted to play with Abby in the worst way. Copper didn’t mean to be intimidating or scary, he just wanted to play.

Abby, however, was having none of it. She spent the first two days hiding behind the washing machine, making friends with the dust bunnies. I finally pulled her out and managed to get her into the main room of the basement where she immediately ran behind our daybed. She remained behind the daybed, or in between the daybed and trundle bed underneath, for the next four months.

My daughter and I did everything we knew to help her feel more comfortable. We closed all the doors to the room so the dog couldn’t get close to her. We brought the food, water and litter box close by so she wouldn’t have to go far from her hidey hole. We pulled her out from between the beds and held her in our laps gently petting her until she could stand it no longer and escaped back to her spot. We spent time in the basement talking softly to her while we did other things so she could get used to the sound of our voices.

Nothing seemed to help.

I wanted to hold her and comfort her. I wanted to protect her and meet all of her needs. I wanted her to be happy and healthy. I wanted to love her and for her to love me.

But, she was terrified and wanted nothing to do with me.

In desperation I texted my friend and told her we were not the family for Abby. I hated for Abby to spend all of her time squished between a daybed and trundle bed. That was no way for a cat to live. All of us were sad and miserable. We began to search for another home for Abby.

We posted on Facebook, we asked friends if they wanted a cat or knew someone who wanted a cat. No one responded. Not one.

But then, something amazing happened. Abby learned the sound of Copper’s crate being locked. When she heard the rattle of the door, she knew he was being locked up for the night and he couldn’t come near her. She began to roam the house at night. Then she began to run upstairs to join the rest of us as soon as she heard the sound. She even began to climb on our laps for pets and snuggles in the evening. But as soon as morning came and the dog emerged from his crate, she ran back to her hiding spot for the rest of the day.

Still, it was progress and I was hopeful.

A couple months later Abby started venturing out in the daytime. She discovered if I was near and the dog came close to her, I would tell Copper to leave her alone and he obeyed. She began to stay still when he would come close instead of run away. One day he approached her and she stood her ground. When he tried to sniff her, she began batting wildly at him and hissing like a swarm of bees. Copper stood there and didn’t react at all. He just let her hit him over and over. She finally quit and ran for higher ground but watched him curiously after that.

The day she sniffed him while he slept was a day of celebration for us. Finally, she was comfortable in our home and she knew she was part of the family. Nothing was going to hurt her.

One day the Lord showed me that I was like Abby. I had been afraid of him my whole life. I believed lies about him and was scared to death of him. I hid in my hidey hole trying to protect myself from everything bad that could happen.

He showed me he wanted to hold me and comfort me. He wanted to protect me and meet all of my needs. He wanted me to be happy and healthy. He wanted to love me and for me to love him.

It took a lot of time but I learned I could trust him. I learned I wasn’t going to be attacked by a big scary dog and I didn’t need to hide anymore. I learned I liked to spend time with him and to let him comfort and reassure me. I learned he loved me.

How about you? Do you hide from God because you are scared? Do you try to protect yourself instead of letting God protect you? Do you truly know in your heart , not just your head, that he loves you and wants to take care of you and meet your every need?

No matter how long you’ve been hiding, he will never, ever give up on you. He is patient, kind and compassionate. He will wait for you. Let him love you and soon you will learn to love him back.

He knows you are worth the wait.