Earlier today, my daughter thought she heard a mouse under her bed. It was ironic, because the exterminator had been there only an hour earlier and saw no problems. That should have reassured us, as should the fact we have two chronically hungry cats. Nevertheless, there we were, fretting about a possible mouse under the bed.
Picture two grown women, rubbing their chins and nervously eyeing a perfectly innocent bed. My daughter kicked it a few times from her desk chair, with her feet safely off the floor in case anything scampered out. Nothing happened. I listened intently for any sign of squeaking or scratching. No sounds except the gentle hum of the air-conditioning unit. One of us was just going to have to take a peek.
“You look,” I said.
“No, you look.”
“But it’s not my bed.”
“But you’re the mom.”
I could just ignore it, but if it were a mouse I’d need to get the exterminator back promptly to prevent a houseful.
With a brave sigh, I knelt down on the floor. I cautiously raised the dust ruffle and saw two eyes peering back at me. I startled slightly, until I realized the eyes belonged to one of those previously mentioned hungry cats. Tiger never goes under that bed, but he must have sought refuge when the exterminator was there.
My daughter and I had a good laugh and were quite grateful there was no mouse. Later, though, I thought about the whole thing. I am not afraid of mice. I live in the country where mice and spiders and snakes are plentiful. So, what was the big deal about looking under the bed? A mouse is not dangerous, no matter what my brain was trying to convince me. On one level, I knew this, but on another subconscious one, I doubted. What if the little creature attacked my ankles? What if it tried to scratch my eyes out? What if it gave me rabies? And mice don’t even transmit rabies!
It turns out, I wasn’t really afraid of the mouse. I wasn’t even afraid of the unknown. I was afraid of all the scary things my imagination invented.
Right now, I think we’re all a bit afraid. Covid 19, political battles, violence; it seems each day the news provides more details to scare us. Although sometimes our fear is based on legitimate realities, just as often it’s based on possibilities our minds dream up. We’re not really afraid of the unknown; we’re afraid of imagined. We constantly envision the worst, and although we say we trust God’s goodness, we always hold back a little, always want a back-up plan.
Pretty big waste of energy, don’t you think? No matter how hard we try, we will never know the future. We will never devise enough back up plans. Let’s give our weary, worried souls a break today. God knows the unknown, and He can handle it.
Be not afraid, I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you (Isaiah 41:10).
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I would have been afraid to look under the bed, too. Isn’t life funny when God gives us lessons to learn in the simple moments? You are right. God knows the unknown and He can handle it. Amen.
Amen!!
As my 95 year old mom is now on hospice, I find it easy to find “mice under the bed” (knowing full well we have three cats who are not shy!) Last night was a bit rough – mom was really anxious, picking at the sheets, continually asking me if she was “O.K.” But instead of looking for the worst, I’m understanding the changes and the obvious and am purposefully being grateful for what we have. Those mice can only get as big as our imaginations allow. Thanks for another great post, Colleen.
Mary, I am sorry to hear about your mom’s declining health, but I am glad you have this time with her. “Purposefully” approaching life is such a good way to do it. It helps chase away the scary mice and embrace the beautiful blessings. Thanks for sharing. Prayers coming for you and your whole family!
So beautifully written and funny, too! I felt that while I was reading your words I was looking directly into a mirror. We’re all fearful these days with what we see and hear and the unknown outcome. By God’s will it is in his hands. He certainly can handle it and we’re not to be afraid.
Thank you for this cute story with a powerful conclusion.
Thanks for reading, Barbara, and I’m glad you saw the humor in it. It still makes me smile when I remember the conversation with my daughter about who should look 🙂
Stay well!