A Strange Stranger
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Hebrews 1:2 (NKJV)
Growing up on the farm, and now living here in Arnot, I’ve seen more than my fair share of rats and mice. We continue to feed the deer and birds and I’m grateful that the little rodents at least wait until dark to come out and scavenge for food. Our two indoor cats keep them from taking up residence inside. Yes, I know, they have to eat too! Outside is a great enough distance and I can live with that! Susie Colby (All God’s Creatures) has a touching rat story with a good life-lesson.
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I wish I had been a fly on the wall…or a mouse in the corner.
My daughter and husband were sharing a heart-to-heart conversation late one night in our basement. She sat on the stairs, while my husband had swiveled his office chair to face her. What they were discussing remains unknown to me, but it must have been a tender conversation. Suddenly they noticed they were not alone. A small rat sat between them, watching their conversation as if it were a tennis game, turning his head side to side as each spoke.
I became aware of tie situation when after some audible commotion downstairs, my husband loaded a small cardboard box into the car and drove away. Later he recounted the story: He had taken the rat to the beach and released it. As he backed his car away from the log that marked his parking space, shadows of two small ears, like those of a famous mouse, appeared in the headlight beam. That was the last he saw of the rat.
Generally, we are anti-pest, anti-rodent sorts of folks. When we had a mouse invasion, I was quick to get a cat, and another cat sits on my desk as I write this very minute. I asked my husband why so much mercy was shown to this particular rat.
“He seemed friendly—like he wanted to help.” I love that my husband’s interpretation of the small intruder’s appearance was beneficence and that the interpretation led him to an act of mercy too. Certainly, the impact of the Incident of the Big-Eared-Rat, as it came to be called, was positive for our family, serving as a reminder to listen to one another with “big ears.”
Walk of Faith: What opportunities for mercy might emerge today if I assume positive intent when I encounter people and if I listen with my big ears.
Loving Lord, thank You for all of creation—even the rats and mice. Your love and care have no boundaries. Teach us to use our ears more and to listen when You speak to us. AMEN.