We once had a tomcat that stayed with us, well, actually we had a few tomcats (and tabbies) but this one was ‘special’. Like other cats that came, he was a stray which somehow found his way to our house. And because Mummy never had the heart to turn them away, she fed him along with the rest. I guess he must be happy with the food and attention he was getting as he decided to stay on.
One day, he came back with his front right leg injured. Abah took him to the vet who declared that the leg must be amputated as it could not be saved. And so the tomcat came back a few days later minus his front leg, amputated all the way to where the limb started (there was no stump where the leg once was). He went on to live a relatively long life with his three legs although I’m sure it must have annoyed him that he could not move as fast as before, had to struggle to climb fences (if we saw him, we’d open the gate for him) and limited other climbing and bird-chasing activities. He did, however, seem to ‘resent’ Abah after that and pointedly showed it too by slinking away whenever Abah came into his peripheral vision or even if he as much as sensed Abah’s presence; I guess he probably felt and held Abah responsible for the loss of his leg - instead of the driver who hit him.
The amazing dog below reminded me of that cat (which is now in cat heaven). And I’m amazed, with the resilience and spirit demonstrated by the dog. The few lessons that we can learn from the dog (and my cat) that I can think of at the top of my mind are as follows:
- What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
- Never give up, even if it means doing something you’ve never done before.
- Persevere, persevere, and persevere!
- Adapt yourself to changing circumstances.
- We all (all creatures) have amazing capacity to bounce back. I’ve read of many human stories which tell of their amazing resilience, patience, strength and perseverance when tested.
True, no one likes challenges and think we can’t face the challenges but we can. God knows we can and hence He tests us and He will test those He loves. It’s up to us how we rise to the challenges of His tests: whether we face them alone or with the help of family and friends, whether we be patient and accept the tests or be angry with the test, or whether we just throw our hands and give up without trying.
I believe we owe it to ourselves and God to accept and face the tests He gives us.
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