Where’s Junebug?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

MEEOOOW . . .

“Junebug! Where are you?” Dave called out as he, his wife, Brooke, and their daughters searched the house for the orange tabby cat they had rescued several years earlier.

Another muffled meow came from the family room. But there was no sign of the cat. Sawyer and Finn, the two male cats they had kept from Junebug’s litter, joined the search by calling out to their mother.

Dave looked under the sofa.

Brooke peered behind the bookcase.

Thirteen-year-old Madelyn took all the blankets out of the large basket that Junebug would occasionally nap in.

And eleven-year-old Ainsley shimmied under the coffee table.

No sign of Junebug.

Meeooow . . .

“The sound seems to be coming from here,” Dave said, pointing to an air vent opening in the floor. The family now noticed that the cover to the air vent was lying haphazardly to the side.

Junebug had been playing with the loose cover all week. Dave thought he had secured it the night before, but clearly it had not been fastened well enough for their curious and determined cat. Brooke ran to get a flashlight, but even after shining the light in, they couldn’t see Junebug. Sawyer and Finn meowed into the opening. Junebug meowed back.

Afraid that the younger cats would jump in too, Madelyn and Ainsley scooped them up and took them to another room.

Dave and Brooke took turns lowering their arms into the opening, hoping to feel their fluffy cat. They only felt the walls of the air duct. And with no way to access the ductwork from below, there was little they could do but wait for Junebug to find her way out.

“Let’s give her a little while to figure things out,” Dave suggested. “And if she can’t get out, then we’ll call someone . . .” he added, uncertainly.

Truth be told, he wasn’t sure how the air ducts were connected, what kind of labyrinth Junebug would have to navigate, or if she would even be able to retrace her steps. But while Sawyer and Finn were isolated, Dave quickly pulled all the other vent covers off to give Junebug several different exit options.

Dave could hear meowing and scratching below his feet, but Junebug wasn’t visible.

That night Dave slept on the sofa in the family room to be there if Junebug emerged in the quiet of the night.

But there was no sign of Junebug when morning dawned. As Dave drove to work, he contemplated what to do next. Call an HVAC company? A wildlife rescue organization? A spelunker? Why couldn’t Junebug have climbed a tree!

When Dave got home that evening, Brooke and the girls reported that Junebug was still trapped and calling for help. Sawyer and Finn—who had been relegated to the second floor—were as agitated as the humans in the house.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa again,” Dave said, after assuring his family that he would call an animal rescue professional in the morning.

“Okay, Junebug,” Dave talked into the hole in the floor. “It’s time to come out. You can do it, girl. Just follow my voice and come out.” Dave sprinkled a few of the tabby’s favorite treats near each vent opening. “Or follow your nose. Just please come out.”

Dave waited for several minutes, hoping to hear a meow, a scratch, a hairball being coughed up—anything.

Silence.

Dave eventually lay down on the sofa and fell asleep, murmuring, “Junebug, just follow my voice.”

A few hours later he was jolted awake when something pounced on his chest.

Junebug!

The prodigal cat dug her claws into Dave’s T-shirt and meowed pitifully. A tremble shuddered through her body.

“You’re safe, girl,” Dave soothed. “You found your way out. But please don’t ever do that again!”

While Dave and Brooke wanted to believe Junebug had learned her lesson and would not be diving into any more air ducts, they spent the weekend replacing all the downstairs air vent covers with ones that screwed into place. Dave had learned a lesson from Junebug’s adventure too: Never underestimate a determined cat.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

Can you think of a time in your life when you have felt lost and unsure of which path to take? What did you do? Did you ask God to lead you? If so, how did he guide you in the right direction? And if not, would you consider asking him to do that today?

Paws & Pray

Father, I am so inclined to lean on my own limited understanding instead of trusting you and asking for help and guidance. Please help me to rely on you more to direct my steps and protect me from making risky decisions.