We were swimming at a neighbor’s farm pond when we noticed one of his sons carrying something small, black, and fuzzy to the water’s edge. Naturally, we wanted to know what he had. It was a newly hatched bantam rooster. He was planning to drown the little chick.
“Bantam roosters are nothing but a noisy nuisance,” he said. “They are sneaky barnyard bullies, and I don’t want to waste good chicken feed on him.”
The little chick cheeped forlornly like it knew it was condemned to die and was pleading for mercy.
My brother, sister, and I came to instant agreement. “Don’t kill it! Let us have it!”
“Gladly,” said the farmer’s son as he dumped the chick on the beach. “But I predict you’ll be sorry.”
Chicky caused problems almost immediately. We fixed a nice box for him, but he was very unhappy and loudly registered his displeasure. We tried unsuccessfully to comfort him, but his constant cheeping got on everybody’s nerves.
Mom tried carrying Chicky in her apron pocket. He was quieter but when he leaped out, narrowly missing a hot oven, Mom said, “You kids need to find a better home for him.”
Mama Cat just had kittens in a box on the back porch. On impulse, we put Chicky in her box. We didn’t know what she would do with him. We thought he might like her warmth and snuggle down. Or she might eat him. Either way, he would finally be quiet!
Mama Cat knew Chicky was different but since he needed a mother, she adopted him. Their relationship was rocky from the start.
Since Mama Cat groomed her kittens with her tongue, she attempted to groom Chicky, too. Apparently, a cat licking him awakened his survival instincts. He would run around the box like she actually had bitten off his head! Mama Cat was not a quitter. She eventually caught him, held him down, and thoroughly bathed him.
Mama Cat won that time but there would be battles ahead.
When the kittens were asleep, Mama Cat stepped out of the box to stretch and eat. Chicky followed cheeping. Seeing Chicky was out of the nest, she jumped back into the box. Chicky followed. They went back and forth like this several times. Try as she might, Mama Cat simply couldn’t convince Chicky to stay in the box and act like a kitten. Chicky probably couldn’t figure out why Mama Cat didn’t want him to follow her.
Chickens mature faster than kittens and he rapidly lost his fluff and grew feathers. Now when Mama Cat tried to groom him, Chicky retaliated with a sharp peck. The final straw for Mama Cat was when about 50 times a day Chicky hopped up between her ears to flap and crow.
Like Chicky, you may have someone in your life who doesn’t understand what you are going through. They can’t comprehend your pain, frustration, fears, and disappointments. They may not realize the amount of fortitude it takes for you to live another day.
Or you may be like Mama Cat—doing the best your limitations will allow, but it’s not acknowledged or appreciated.
Here are three steps you can take that may lessen the tension and uncertainty you face with people who don’t understand your disability.
- Don’t expect sympathy. If you are waiting for others to sympathize with your suffering, you will be waiting for a long time. People are busy in their own world. It’s not that they don’t care, they simply are busy.
- Cherish the ones who visit and help you. Some people are grouchy all the time and then questions why no one wants to help or visit. You may be in pain but put on as happy a face as you can for your guests. When someone does something for you, say please and thank you.
- Ask God to give you courage to face whatever is ahead. Like the old Negro spiritual goes, “Nobody knows the trouble I see. Nobody knows like Jesus.” He is the one who sticks closer than a brother; the one who will never leave you or forsake you. He will carry you through.