God, The Cat, And Other Beings Who Ignore My Schedule

Winnie the Cat JANE WILLAN PHOTO

There’s a cat in my house who refuses to cooperate with the laws of time.

Every morning, I get up early—coffee brewing, sermon notes or my next chapter novel ideas spread out, schedule neatly planned. And every morning, my cat, Winnie, looks at me with the serene indifference of one who answers to no clock but her own. I can’t rush her breakfast. I can’t hurry her out of my favorite chair. I can’t persuade her that 5:30 a.m. is not an appropriate time to begin her daily zoomies.

I, on the other hand, am ruled by calendars, google alarms, and to-do lists. My day is divided into tidy blocks of purpose. Hers is arranged around mysterious feline impulses that appear to have no pattern other than “not when Jane wants it.”

And yet—she is rarely late for what matters.

She knows exactly when to leap into my lap, just as my mind starts looping with worry about the plot point or the sermon that refuses to land. She knows when to nap in the sunlight, and when to stretch and wander the house as if inspecting the kingdom. She knows when to rest. I, meanwhile, schedule my rest like an inconvenient errand.

Sometimes I look at her and think: she trusts something I don’t.

Because Winnie never doubts that the world will continue to turn without her intervention. She doesn’t pace in front of her water bowl worrying about whether I’ll fill it. She doesn’t compose mental spreadsheets of her responsibilities. She just… exists. Fully. Presently. Secure in the unseen rhythms that hold her life together.

And that, I suspect, is where God comes in.

The more I try to manage every minute, the more I realize I’m not in charge of much at all. People cancel. Meetings run long. Plans dissolve like sugar in tea. I can either let my stress skyrocket—or remember that perhaps the universe does not hinge on my efficiency.

When Scripture says, “Be still, and know that I am God,” I sometimes imagine God looking a bit like Winnie: calm, patient, unbothered by my flurry of activity. Not lazy, but at peace. Confident that everything will unfold when it’s meant to.

Perhaps faith isn’t just believing God can act. It’s trusting God’s timing when God doesn’t move according to my agenda. It’s resting in the uncomfortable truth that not every prayer or project will arrive “on schedule.” Some things need to ripen. Some things, like cats, will come to you only when they’re ready.

And if God’s schedule seems to be running late in your life, maybe take a cue from Winnie: find a patch of sunlight, breathe, and wait. Divine timing, like a cat, always shows up eventually—just never when you think it will.

Jane Willan, pastor of Plantsville Congregational Church, is the author of the Sister Agatha Mystery series. Her latest novel, The Widow’s Walk, comes out October 21.

The Southington Outsider is open to publishing weekend reflection essays by members of Southington's religious communities. Please write to editor@southingtonoutsider.org if interested.