NOT YET

October 29, 2025

My wife, Debbie, and I have a cat that has suddenly showed up outside our camper over the last few weeks. It is an adorable Calico and turns out it is one of the sweetest cats I have ever come across.

Of course, Deb and I immediately fell in love with this cat and decided it was our responsibility to care for it.

It appeared the cat, who we named Chloe, had a respiratory cold and her eyes were crusted over. We were also sure she had fleas and ear mites having lived outside. This past week, we took Chloe to the vet to be checked out.

She did need antibiotics for a respiratory cold and drops for her eyes, along with medicine to get rid of the fleas and ear mites, but there was another surprise. The vet seemed to think Chloe might be pregnant.

We decided we would take her back to the vet in a week to make sure she was healed of colds and fleas before bringing her inside our camper and introducing her to our two cats, Bruce and Gracie.

The last two weeks I have done nothing but worry about this cat. Many nights I look out the window, and she is sitting on the steps, looking patiently at the door for us to come out to feed and love on her. The other night, it was storming, raining hard, and worried about her, I got up at 3 a.m. and sat on the top step, door opened, holding her for thirty minutes, letting her know she is loved.

I see her out the window constantly alert throughout the night, looking over her shoulder, to the right and the left, wary of any predator that might try to attack her.

What strikes me is that she has no idea she is about to win the lottery. She is about to be brought inside — bathed, brushed, fed, cared for, and showed attention and love. If she has kittens, they will be found good homes where they can grow up with a family who cares for them.

She is getting a glimpse each day that she is loved. When we open the door and feed her, give her medicine, put drops in her eyes, talk softly to her, and sit holding her on our laps as she falls asleep, she has an inkling that we are someone who cares for her. But truly, she has no idea how loved she is or what awaits her around the bend.

And I realize — that’s exactly how it is with God and us.

We really have no idea what is waiting for us around the corner. A lot of times we want things now, and God says, “No, not yet…” Just like we are saying to Chloe, “Not yet. We can’t bring you inside while you’re sick. We can’t bring you in with fleas. We’re not ready yet, but we are preparing the way.”

God is preparing the way for us too. Often, we want what’s next now, but God is saying, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).

He is saying, “Be patient. Keep warm. Know you are loved, but it’s not time yet. It’s not time yet for what is to come.  Soon! Be patient!”

Chloe doesn’t understand the process, but she trusts that we are caring for her. In the same way, we may not understand what God is doing behind the scenes, but we can trust that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

We may feel like we’re sitting in the cold, looking at the door, wondering why God hasn’t opened it yet. But the truth is — He hasn’t forgotten us. He’s preparing our next steps, writing our story, and getting everything ready for when the door finally opens.

And when it does, we’ll look back and realize the waiting wasn’t wasted — it was preparation.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

When life feels like waiting on the doorstep — cold, uncertain, and longing for what’s next — remember Chloe. God hasn’t forgotten you. He’s not withholding out of cruelty but preparing out of love. The “not yet” moments are not the absence of His goodness; they are the evidence of His care.

In time, He will open the door, and you’ll step into the next chapter He has been writing just for you.