Fast forward to today. I walked into the church only to see that the bugger had somehow eaten all the bait from the traps without them activating . . . AGAIN! This was the second time the little twerp had managed it. Somehow, he could clean all the peanut butter off the catch without it so much as twitching! As if this was not enough, he would further mock me by leaving his little "gifts" all around for me to clean up. So yes, I was not happy as I stormed into the kitchen to get more traps out from under the sink. But as I bent down, my eyes locked on something in the drain and I realized I wouldn't need additional traps after all. The stupid mouse was in the sink.
He was sitting listlessly right on the drain plug, looking at me. I halfway expected him to dart off again, so I readied myself to give chase. However, when he didn't move I decided to take a closer look and realized to my surprise that the little spud was trapped! He had likely fallen in in the dark while trying to the candy. . . I mean, the health food I keep on the nearby counter. Then he found he couldn't get out because the sink is very deep and made of a slick acrylic. It appears he did give it a valiant try though. There were scratches everywhere from where he tried to claw his way to freedom. He must have tried over and over to get out, exhausting himself in the process. Then when he realized it was hopeless, he sat there in a growing pile of his own waste, resigned for whatever would come next. When I found him, he was so dehydrated and weak that he could barely move. If nothing was done, he would not make it much longer and the sink would accomplish what a fleet of mouse traps failed to do.
Standing there, I had a decision to make. What do I do with this mouse?
Some might have let him die. After all, mice are vermin. They are simple animals who take what is not theirs while spreading disease and other problems to others. Yet, standing there I could not help but think, aren't humans this way as well? Aren't we also a broken race prone to taking and devouring things relentlessly while spreading various social sicknesses and issues across the world? We sure are. So how much really separated me from this mouse? Not a lot in my view. Of course, we are different physically, mentally and spiritually. But in the end, we are both two entities trying to survive and prosper in this crazy life. And I know if I was trapped, I would be desperate for help . So I decided to take mercy on the mouse. I got a box, tossed in a few pieces of cheese and ushered the bedraggled rodent into it with a piece of plastic. Then I drove about a mile out into the country and tossed him out into some grass so he could have a fresh shot at life.
Driving back, I think I felt some of what God might feel when God deals with humanity. For how often do we end up like mice trapped in a sink? How many times are we trying to do something, or going about our own business when suddenly we fall and find ourselves trapped in place we can't escape? So many people feel this way when they are wracked by sickness, pain, stress and loneliness. Heck, if you want to go all evangelical on this entry, this illustration is the perfect metaphor for how humans are trapped by sin! Whatever the case, we seek release. We seek freedom and pray for God to lift us out to give us another shot. And God does over and over, because that's what the Ultimate Love always does for trapped humanity.
As for me, I will take a profound lesson from such a little mouse. Saint Francis of Assisi once said,“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” Essentially, what Francis is saying is how we deal with the least of God's creatures affects how we deal with other humans. For the most part, we can continue to do what we have always done and play the game of give and take while hoping for the best outcome. However, when the rules of the game are completely out of whack; when those around us is at their most vulnerable, that is where we must stand up and show mercy as God showed mercy to us. This lesson is just as valid for a mouse as it is for a human being. It has changed how I consider the world today, and I pray it changes your view as well.
There are so many people trapped in giant sinks of their own out there. So let's go help God get a giant box to fish them out, shall we? Hoping you are having a blessed Advent Season, my friends.
