The last 2 months of my life have been challenging healthwise. Seven weeks ago, I had an outpatient procedure performed on my abdomen. It was an elective procedure that would ultimately improve my health. The healing process has gone well, but I was told to rest and heal. Then, 5 weeks ago, I was hit between the eyes with an upper respiratory virus. It started with eye irritation, moving quickly to laryngitis, and then on to my ears and sinuses. My ears were so plugged up that it resulted in a muffled ability to hear anything. I eventually headed to urgent care for help. Thankfully, I tested negative for all the possible culprits, such as COVID, influenza, etc. I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory virus with the potential of a bacterial infection in my ears and sinuses. I was prescribed an antibiotic to combat any bacterial component of this virus. So, off to the pharmacy, we headed. Paul ran into the store, picked up what I needed, and we quickly headed home.
Interestingly enough, within these last 7 weeks, Paul and I have also been dealing with a ninja mouse. That’s right, a ninja mouse! This seemingly wise mouse has successfully avoided every trap we set for him/her. Do you remember playing that childhood board game Mousetrap? Well, we have been playing our own “reality” version. Unlike the board game, we would move the traps around to different locations but could never catch our “Stewart Little.” Then, after some time, we began wondering if the mouse had chosen to vacate our home. Nope! It came back again and again. Our frustration level was running high. How could this rodent be so into our game? After some thought, we decided to put a large sticky trap in our kitchen underneath a baker’s rack. It was a dark, out-of-the-way location for a trap. We would check the trap regularly for several days, but once again, we found nothing.
Upon arriving home from my urgent care visit and pharmacy pick-up, we opened our back door to find our youngest dog, Jackson, frantically running around the house in a total state of panic. After trying to calm him down, we realized that the sticky pad we placed under the baker’s rack was now glued to his front left leg. We also noticed that our hidden warrior of a mouse had succumbed to the trap. Yep, not only was the trap stuck to Jackson, but the deceased mouse was also a part of the package. Jackson also managed to get massive amounts of sticky stuff around his mouth, and he used his teeth to get the sticky mess off his leg. Consequently, there were pieces of sticky pad on our carpet and wood floor. What was a 100% total disaster.
After attempting to clean up the glutinous glob of a mess, I began putting together the events of the day. After my reconstruction of the crime scene, it didn’t take long to know that a spiritual lesson was about to be deposited in my heart. As I’ve shared before in my blogs and podcasts, the Holy Spirit teaches me things through everyday events. And this occasion would be no exception.
Paul and I deduced that the mouse had landed on that trap shortly before or after we left for my urgent care visit. Jackson (Australian cattle dog) either heard or smelled the mouse on the pad. His curiosity got the best of him and enticed him to begin pawing at the trapped mouse. He had no idea of the danger lurking ahead. As he persistently pawed and clawed his way under the baker’s rack, he finally got his reward, only to realize that he would be getting a lot more than he expected. You know what? Sometimes, our walk with God is a lot like Jackson’s intense desire for the mouse. We paw, claw, and basically do whatever it takes to get what we want. Our heavenly Father may even put roadblocks in our path to warn us, but as humans, we take our big “know-it-all” foot and kick the roadblocks to the curb. We dismiss God’s direction for our life and take charge of our own path. Sadly, the decision to ignore God’s way and pursue our own desires always leads us to a place where we are entangled in the sticky trap of the enemy.
Does it all end there? Is there no hope for those of us who get off course? Absolutely not! My heart immediately thought about the life of King David. He certainly was a man who struggled with making wrong decisions. And yet, the Bible states that David was a man after God’s own heart! David, the author of Psalm 103, was most likely older in years. He wrote this psalm as he reflected on his younger, more immature years with God. Personally, I was particularly drawn to verses 8-17:
“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him.”
Even though we make poor choices, “For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.” You see, our Heavenly Father understands. He only asks us to acknowledge and confess our sins, our wrongdoings, and our stubborn ways to Him. He then promises to forgive us, AND He removes our sins as far as the East is from the West. This is nothing short of shouting material!! Friend, if you find yourself in the middle of a sticky situation, cry out to Jesus. He is patiently waiting to come to your rescue.
