Day 4 of 40 Days of Story: When is the last time you saved a cat?
Typically in the first five minutes of a movie the protagonist does something that makes us root for her or him. Then we’re in.
Screenwriter Blake Synder calls it the Save the Cat moment. So…when it comes to your story—the desire you want to focus on in this season—what’s something you did that took courage to move toward it, took a little effort to pause, climb a tree and handle the furry, fussy beast that it is?
If nothing comes to mind, that’s ok. Perhaps today—now—is the perfect time to Save the Cat in your story. 🐱 Let’s do this!!! 🎉🎉🎉
I knew when we resigned our small church, that would be the end. We did both for a year and it was exhausting and unfair to the church.
I knew that leadership would not give these precious people another chance. We worked as hard as we could for as long as we could. We were small but mighty, but it is hard to appreciate that when you only look at numbers.
We had done life together for 13 years. We did baby dedications, baptisms, weddings, and unfortunately… too many funerals.
I took several months of nudging by the Holy Spirit to close this chapter and use that time to focus on the global ministry He laid in my lap. My tenacity held me back from instant surrender. There has to be one more thing to try. ; )
How do you preach a last sermon when all of the members are disbursing? Could I even maintain enough to preach what God put on my heart? That sermon is the last time I preached. Those words keep rolling around in my spirit.
Do they feel like I failed them as their pastor? Did I fail God? The ones that are there could see and understand, but did I fail those dear saints whose legacy I hoped to prolong after their passing?
Walking away from the church meant walking away from our home. We have lived in the parsonage for 13 years. Where will we live? Where will we go? From security to uncertainty. This is the journey of God dependence that we are on.
New and exciting days are ahead in my new position! God has promoted me beyond what I could have asked or imagined. Please Lord take the grief and turn it into joy so I am fully present in my new place.
I am no hero… just a person in transition. A transition that is probably taking longer than it should
What a gift it is to get a greater glimpse of your journey, Anita. It sounds like it’s been such an intense journey of courage and contribution, great loss and surprising gain. Thanks so much for sharing!
Tamara- so sorry to have delayed the process this week. My step-father has had a few strokes so I’ve been at the hospital for the past five days. Today, there is help from others and I can hardly wait to get back to this incredible journey of discovery. Here’s my “Save a Cat” story.
Crazy Warrior Women We are
Several years ago, I got to be a hero and step in on behalf of my friend and her daughter at a time when everyone else was stepping away, turning blind eyes on a gross injustice for fear of being discovered siding against a corrupt leader. It was my own memories that moved me to act on their behalf. They flashed like lightning in my mind, reminders of the time when I walked in her daughter’s shoes, the young abused wife.
I saw the prejudice of it all, I knew that betrayal first hand, so I stood their ground and fought their case against a blind organization and an unsuspecting abuser. Like a crazy warrior woman, fearless in all the ways I wish someone would have fought for me once upon a time, we went to battle. My part in their story gave us both a second chance, that of yanking back the reins and calling out not only the abuser but also those who seek to hide their hateful deeds. I confronted twisted tales woven for a massive coverup with truths revealed during unofficial counseling sessions. You see, because of my own experiences twenty years prior, I knew how this story would go, a quiet little slap on the hand in the back room, only to be excused publicly as a mix-up. But as an eye-witness, I was able to communicate exactly what was required to conquer that good ol’ boy system called, “The cover-up.”
But this story doesn’t end with my “Saved the Cat” moment. It actually begins there. My short-lived heroism became my friend’s platform for the next eight years and counting. Though she suffered great loss in defense of her daughter, that of friends, family and an entire community of once dearly beloved people, she went from being a simple sword-bearer like me to become her version of bigger, badder, crazy warrior-woman. Standing against abuse and organizational injustices have ushered in new-found freedoms for my friend. Each morning she awakes and suits up in search of those who have been wrongly accused and/or suffering abuses of all the varieties. Her goal is loftier than mine. I still stand to defend one abused woman at a time, but my friend, she’s out there building an entire army of us crazy warrior women. And that’s an entirely different level of heroism. Therefore, even though I started out as her hero, she, in turn, has become mine.
Lora, what an extraordinary story. Thank you so much for sharing! I’m sorry for the delay…I’ve been sick for the past 10 days and am just regaining energy…but I’m so grateful you’re engaging the blog. What a gift. Thanks again!