The Saga of the Mouse

 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

-Matthew 19:26

Last month I wrote about the humane traps we have in several places to catch and release the mice that have taken up abode in our basement, garage, and attic.  The mouse saga continues.......

One night last week I awoke to creaking/crackling sounds overhead.  It was quite loud so I didn't think it could possibly be a little mouse in the attic making that racket.  But when Ken went on his morning rounds of the traps he found one in the attic traps.  He placed the trap in the little cardboard box I keep in the garage to transport them to the state park then checked the trap we keep in the garage.  About two hours later I was dressed and ready to move the mouse to its new abode.  When I got to the garage I noticed there was a mouse in the trap that Ken had already checked and found empty.  That was strange.  They usually only come out at night.

I'm glad I decided to peek into the box before taking it up to the park because I discovered  this. . . .

Plus, the trap was empty!  Did the mouse chew his escape in the two hours he spent in the box?  Or was the noise I heard during the night the mouse chewing this hole and Ken just hadn't noticed it before?  In any case, the mouse WAS in the trap when Ken put it in the box.  We imagine it must have reached through the hole and pulled the trap door inward, climbed out, pushed open the lid on the box, smelled the peanut butter in the trap on the floor, and got himself trapped all over again!

As I wrote about it in my journal I thought, "Is that not just like us?!"  We are set free by Jesus Christ but then we're lured back into captivity by worldly enticements.  As I continued to write in my journal I realized that the movie we'd watched the night before was my "peanut butter."  Too often idealistic lives are portrayed in the movies we watch or by YouTube vloggers who only present idyllic lifestyles and we find ourselves lured away from being content with our own lives.  We lose the peace that Christ offers us when we realize that God loves us and wants what's best for us.  Have you ever wanted something, gotten it, then came to find it wasn't good for you?  I have!  

By living in Christ and trusting Him with every area of your life you will not lose the peace He gives.  As Alan Cohen says in his book The Mystical Messiah, "Either God is in charge of the universe, or God is not.  Either God is everywhere, or God is nowhere.  The idea of a partial God is meaningless.  There are no spaces that God has left vacant.  We must adopt the innocent trust of a little child who depends on her parents to nurture and protect her."

There are so many scriptures that tell us we must love God with all of our being,  be single-minded, and  fear and love cannot exist in the same space.  When we rest in His love we will not go seeking for what the world offers.  The mouse did not realize he was about to gain a greater freedom in the great outdoors where food is plentiful and life much more interesting than an attic!  He was to be returned to where he truly belonged, but instead did not trust his changed circumstance to give him what he thought he needed.  

Remember the saga of the mouse and trust that God is working all things for your good!

Father, even the little creatures in your Kingdom have lessons to teach us!  You cannot be divided from your Creation.  May I always see You in everything.

Link to scripture:  Matthew 19:14

Take Action:  Love Jesus More Than You Love Anything