Hickory Dickory Dock

We have lived in our home for twenty three years. During those years, we've had the occasional mouse in the ceiling. We've had an occasional mouse in the wall. But to my recollection, I don't think we've ever had a mouse running loose in the house.

That is, not until last night.


My husband and I had just finished watching the latest episode of  "Duck Dynasty" on my laptop, and I was logging off when a flash of gray caught my attention. A not so tiny mouse dashed across our living room floor, stopped abruptly, turned about-face and exited out toward our dining room.

"There's a mouse in our house!"

Upon hearing my cry, my husband came down from our second floor and told me he thought he saw something run past him when he opened the garage door as he was locking up for the night. He looked around briefly and seeing nothing, thought he had imagined it. Not so.

This furry foe was now touring our home. And so the hunt began. As I skittishly tip toed around our main floor, opening doors and turning on lights hoping for a chance glimpse of our new house guest, Randy was downstairs, doing the same. A few minutes later a "found him!" was called up from our lower level. "Jerry" was hiding under our desk. Armed with a broom, I joined Randy in the basement.

When Randy poked the broom under the desk, Jerry made a bee line under the couch. Shrieking and dancing, the two of us took new positions for surveillance (mine happened to be atop the coffee table). Randy and I were a good tag team, but we needed a third partner for sure fire success. I ran upstairs to grab our trusty flashlight. Thinking we had him cornered, Jerry outran us and scurried under the door to our work room. Score one for Jerry!

Our workroom, slash junk room, slash catch all room, had lots of good hiding spots for Jerry. Flashes of the movie, Mouse Hunt, came to mind. Needless to say, we spent the next half hour moving junk, cornering Jerry, losing Jerry and moving more junk. All the while, I managed to find the safest high spot from which to observe.

In the end, the trio of husband, wife and flashlight spelled DOOM for Jerry. We were victorious and poor Jerry lost in a valiant fight to the finish. Alone, it would have been hard to defeat Jerry. As a pair we had a definite advantage. Armed with a beacon of light, we were sure winners.

As Christians, our lives mirror that of last night's game of hide and seek. Alone, we are vulnerable and can be under attack. When we share our walk with other Christians, we can fight a good battle. But when we are armed with the light of truth, Jesus Christ, we cannot be broken. We are sure winners.

The following is a passage read often at weddings to portray the bond of husband and wife whose lives are Christ-centered. These verses from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 are an encouragement for all Christians seeking fellowship with other believers:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."