The Parable of the Lost Rat
May 17, 2008
You're familiar with the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Lost Sheep, and the Lost Son, right? How about the Parable of the Lost Rat? It's a new one we "wrote" just last night.
We had our regular Friday night "Movie Night," and after it was over the kids got the rats out to play. Everything was going fine. Everyone was happy. Then I heard Elizabeth say in a very small voice, "Mom remind me to never let the rats go onto the couch again."
I looked up from what I was doing to see my daughter in tears.
She told me Allison had gotten stuck in the couch.
Really. In the couch.
Apparently she chewed a little hole and made her way to the insides. Moving between the cushions must have gotten "old" and she felt she needed new territory. What else is there for a rat to do but chew holes and climb around?
As Elizabeth and I stood by the couch, we could hear Allison moving and just looked at each other - wondering how to free our little critter. Elizabeth was crying and I could tell she was worried. To be honest, I was a concerned, too. I had visions of poor little Allison never finding her way out; of me needing to cut her out of the couch. In spite of my true feeling, I tried to present a calm, confident facade in order to not further upset my daughter. I prayed out loud, "Jesus, we really need to find this little rat," and I suggested we tip the couch over to see if we could reach her that way. I thought maybe the movement would cause her to "surface" in a new place.
With the couch on its "face," we looked through an opening in the bottom.
No luck.
So Elizabeth lay on the floor and tried another angle. Suddenly there was hope as she called, "Mom, I can see her! Get me a Cheerio!"
I ran to the cupboard and grabbed some Cheerios to give Elizabeth and, it worked! Allison poked her head out of the hole and Elizabeth held the Cheerio - just out of her reach. As Allison moved forward to claim her prize, Elizabeth grabbed her and brought her the rest of the way out.
With the rat safely in her cage, Elizabeth stood up, looked at me, and let the tears flow. I just hugged her. That's all I could do. Nothing more to do or say, just hold my little girl - who is almost as big as me - in my arms and let her emotions do their thing. Though it may sound strange, that was a very sweet moment. Allison was safely out of the couch and Elizabeth was free to let her emotions go. I was so glad to be able to hold her in that moment.
Later, when I was sitting on her bed saying good-night, Elizabeth told me, "I could tell Allison was afraid tonight, too. But I think God let her get into the couch to remind us we can trust Him." I smiled at her and replied, "I think you're right, Honey. He sure took care of her, didn't He?"
It was a perfect picture of His care for us. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations which seem impossible. We think, I'm never going to make it out of here. I'm afraid and lost. I don't know what to do!
But God knows, and He cares for us. Maybe He tips the couch. Maybe He leads us out with a Cheerio. Whatever He does - it's perfect - and we are reminded we can trust Him.
You're familiar with the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Lost Sheep, and the Lost Son, right? How about the Parable of the Lost Rat? It's a new one we "wrote" just last night.
We had our regular Friday night "Movie Night," and after it was over the kids got the rats out to play. Everything was going fine. Everyone was happy. Then I heard Elizabeth say in a very small voice, "Mom remind me to never let the rats go onto the couch again."
I looked up from what I was doing to see my daughter in tears.
She told me Allison had gotten stuck in the couch.
Really. In the couch.
Apparently she chewed a little hole and made her way to the insides. Moving between the cushions must have gotten "old" and she felt she needed new territory. What else is there for a rat to do but chew holes and climb around?
As Elizabeth and I stood by the couch, we could hear Allison moving and just looked at each other - wondering how to free our little critter. Elizabeth was crying and I could tell she was worried. To be honest, I was a concerned, too. I had visions of poor little Allison never finding her way out; of me needing to cut her out of the couch. In spite of my true feeling, I tried to present a calm, confident facade in order to not further upset my daughter. I prayed out loud, "Jesus, we really need to find this little rat," and I suggested we tip the couch over to see if we could reach her that way. I thought maybe the movement would cause her to "surface" in a new place.
With the couch on its "face," we looked through an opening in the bottom.
No luck.
So Elizabeth lay on the floor and tried another angle. Suddenly there was hope as she called, "Mom, I can see her! Get me a Cheerio!"
I ran to the cupboard and grabbed some Cheerios to give Elizabeth and, it worked! Allison poked her head out of the hole and Elizabeth held the Cheerio - just out of her reach. As Allison moved forward to claim her prize, Elizabeth grabbed her and brought her the rest of the way out.
With the rat safely in her cage, Elizabeth stood up, looked at me, and let the tears flow. I just hugged her. That's all I could do. Nothing more to do or say, just hold my little girl - who is almost as big as me - in my arms and let her emotions do their thing. Though it may sound strange, that was a very sweet moment. Allison was safely out of the couch and Elizabeth was free to let her emotions go. I was so glad to be able to hold her in that moment.
Later, when I was sitting on her bed saying good-night, Elizabeth told me, "I could tell Allison was afraid tonight, too. But I think God let her get into the couch to remind us we can trust Him." I smiled at her and replied, "I think you're right, Honey. He sure took care of her, didn't He?"
It was a perfect picture of His care for us. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations which seem impossible. We think, I'm never going to make it out of here. I'm afraid and lost. I don't know what to do!
But God knows, and He cares for us. Maybe He tips the couch. Maybe He leads us out with a Cheerio. Whatever He does - it's perfect - and we are reminded we can trust Him.
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