MOM missed not having a pet after our dog, Honey, passed away. But a pet is a lot of responsibility, and Mom wasn't sure if she wanted another one. So she began to pray, asking God to help her decide.

The next day a neighbor boy came to the door with a kitten he had found. When he asked if we would take it, Mom said "Yes," because she felt that God was answering her prayer. And that was how Missy came to us.

With her white face and little black patch over one eye, she had a jaunty, saucy look. Her feet and lower legs were white, and the rest of her was black.

Missy loved to go with us to our farm where we spent our holidays. She would race through the farmhouse, streaking up and down the stairs. She also loved to play outside, and sometimes she would not come in at night.

One night when Missy did not come in, Mom went out early the next morning to find her. When she discovered Missy, the cat was not at all herself. Her face was scratched, and she seemed to be in a daze. She was not interested in her food. Then Mom noticed that Missy was not even aware that she needed to use her little box. Both Mom and Dad felt she needed to be in a place where she could be taken care of properly, so Dad drove her to the veterinarian. Later, Mom called him to see how Missy was doing.

The vet told her that he thought Missy had probably been hit by a car or had had a run-in with a large animal. Her hindquarters were severely injured. He was very kind, but he didn't want us to get our hopes up that she would be normal again.

When Mom hung up the phone, she remembered how Missy had come to our family as a result of prayer. She knew that God doesn't give us something good and then take it away. But because she was very concerned, she asked a friend to help her pray.

Her friend reminded her of a time when a man the Bible talks about was in trouble. Elisha and his helper were in great danger, and his servant became very afraid. But Elisha had been praying to see God's goodness right where the danger seemed to be. Through his prayer for his helper, they were both able to see God's presence with them in the form of "horses and chariots of fire" (see II Kings 6:15-17).

To Mom, that meant that God's strong, true, loving thoughts are more powerful than any accident or injury. Mom realized that she would have to be very quiet inside and listen for good thoughts from God instead of feeling afraid. She thought about how God, who is Love, is always controlling and caring for His creation, which included Missy.

Another helpful thought she had comes from Science and Health: "The universe reflects God. There is but one creator and one creation." It goes on, "This creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are embraced in the infinite Mind and forever reflected" (pp. 502-503). That reassured Mom in three ways: that Missy is a spiritual idea, that God was embracing her and keeping her safe, and that His love couldn't be interrupted.

Mom also realized that while it was fun to think of Missy as our very own kitten, Missy was really one of God's perfect spiritual ideas. Everything that made Missy lovable — her playfulness, quickness, grace, alertness, even her independence — were qualities of God that Missy reflected. So Missy's real self could no more be hurt than could God.

A few days later, the vet told Mom that something remarkable had happened. Missy was now taking care of herself, using her litter box when she needed to, and eating well. "We didn't do anything," he said, and added that Missy could come home. Mom knew God had healed Missy, and she was very grateful.

Missy is still up to her old tricks, racing up the stairs in our old farmhouse, or lounging in the tall grass under the big shade trees. We have always loved Missy, but our love seems bigger and better now, because it has no fear in it. We know how much God loves and cares for her, too, and that has made all the difference.