On a cold day in early spring, I watched a scrawny, white cat dart in and out of the woods. I’m sure she had often been cold and scared. But when she discovered a dish of milk on my neighbor’s porch, the kitty ventured closer and became less fearful.

In early summer, she chose a shady spot at the corner of Miss Opal’s yard to give birth to four white kittens.

Miss Opal turned a garbage can on its side, put an old quilt inside, and placed an umbrella over the entrance so the felines would have shelter from spring showers. We watched the kittens evolve from squinty-eyed, mouselike balls of fur to playful, wide-awake kittens scampering about, putting on a lively show while Mother Kitty looked on proudly.

My grandchildren and I visited their garbage can shelter, petting the kittens and praising the mother. That little family touched our hearts.

After a while, Miss Opal became concerned about the responsibility of caring for the family of five and decided to give some kittens away. One morning, a woman came in a yellow car, scooped up two kittens, and drove away. Mother Kitty chased the yellow car for a block, and then she returned to the garbage can shelter and mourned for her babies.

Watching such grief was too much for Miss Opal to bear; she reclaimed those kittens and returned them to the garbage can shelter. Again, Mother Kitty was content.

Then one day, when Miss Opal went to feed the cats, she suffered a stroke and fell while trying to dish out the food. When she was taken to the hospital, her family decided that new arrangements must be made for the kitties. One phone call brought the lady in the yellow car who planned to take Mother Kitty with her babies to a safe home.

Carefully, each kitten was placed in a box as Mother Kitty watched with fearful eyes. When the lady took a step toward Mother Kitty, she ran. We desperately tried to capture that frantic feline. Later, I caught Mother Kitty and held her tight, but when the Yellow Car Lady walked closer, Mother Kitty dug her claws into my arms so sharply I dropped her, and she dashed back into the woods.

How could we explain our best intentions to a flighty cat? How could she understand that the lady with the yellow car was offering her and her babies a better life?

Later, when I went next door to feed a lonely Mother Kitty, she crouched low in the grass, looking up at me with fearful eyes, ready to run if I moved too close. I told her I was sorry she had lost her babies, but she didn’t understand what I was saying.

I’ve seen people wander through this world just like that cat. They’ve been cold and scared and kicked around. With fearful eyes, they struggle to fend for themselves. And I’ve seen God reach down to touch their lives, but they turned away and ran back to their old garbage can shelters. Maybe, they didn’t understand what God was saying.

Jesus said: “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10)

Virginia Dawkins is the author of Stepping Stones: Steps from Shackles to Freedom, available at Amazon.