One day last week, we left for school as we do every other day. The boys turned off the lights in each room and I locked the doors. I dropped them off at school and went about my day.

After school pick-up at the end of the day, we checked the mail and drove the bumpy dirt road to our house. I unlocked the back door and we all toted our handfuls into the living room. There was movement in the recliner. We froze.

“Poofy! You scared me,” Carter reached for the white and black cat. “How did you get in here?

“Meow.” Poofy arched her back in a waking up manner. She yawned and squinted at Carter.

“She must have snuck in here this morning before we left,” Carter said.

“No. Not possible. She was on the porch when we pulled off. Somebody’s been here.”

My insides jerked at the thought of someone else being in the house while we were gone.

I made my way through every room. Checked the front door and all the windows. Nothing seemed out of place. When I opened my bedroom door, motion drew my eyes. The floor length curtain in front of the French doors waved. I never went out this door because the latch was hard to catch, so I never checked it either. Sure enough, the door was cracked open a cat’s width and I remembered David used the door the day before.

“Poofy, you snuck in this door and have been sleeping in that chair all day, haven’t you?”

The cat yawned and looked at me from Carter’s arms contentedly.

“Mama, Poofy’s never this nice to me.”

“Well, normally Poofy sleeps with one eye open on the front porch. I bet she caught up on weeks of lost sleep today since she knew how safe she was in the house.”

What I Learned

And as those words left my lips, the lesson emerged. Poofy knew the house was safe. She found her spot in the recliner and hid from the rest of the world. Life as a cat was filled with short naps. Unknown predators. Lots of distractions. Poofy was always on go. Ready to run and hide at the faintest unknown sound. If I had the chance to catch more than a few minutes sleep at one time, I’d take it too.

Then why don’t I? I have a safe refuge I can rest with every single day. I can find that perfect spot and hide from the rest of the world. The unknowns of the world so often consume. Distractions pull me off course. I am always on the go and running in multiple directions.

Like Poofy, I need to set aside time every day and hide in the safe presence of my Father. Quick refills in the car or short recharges at meals keep me functional, but unless I completely pull away from everyone, everything, and all distractions I will never be able to completely let my guard down. True rest and recharge require me to seek that time out and take full advantage of the moment. Being fully present. And distraction free.

When was the last time you sneaked into that safe place and truly rested?  Make some time. There’s nothing sweeter.