These crisp mornings have caused our kitties to be extra frisky. I love stepping outside and watching them streak by, jump on a random object, then high tail it around the corner. They are hilarious.

            One morning, I stood beside the car watching the cats chase then tackle each other when I heard a tiny peeping. I looked around, thinking a baby bird had fallen out of its nest, but I couldn’t find the source.

            “Mama, look,” Daniel pointed, “a baby mouse.”

            I followed his finger directly to the source of the squeaking. Just as I locked eyes on the tiny mouse, Daniel scooted his shoe in front of him and the mouse climbed right on top and onto his pant leg. Giggles ensued as he shook gently, trying to avoid a mouse inside his pants. Carefully, I eased the mouse off his shoe with my foot and the little critter climbed right onto my shoe.

            We enjoyed playing with the little guy for a few minutes until we left for school, but I wondered why that tiny mouse was so willing to interact with humans. Did his mother die and abandon him? Was he lost? Did he have a disease? He seemed frantic, desperate to find a direction of any kind. If he was lost, that would explain the many times he weaved back and forth in circles.

            In all honesty, that mouse was a lot like us when our worlds are turned upside down. We dip and dart aimlessly, desperate for something steady to hold onto. We are weak in ways that are unfamiliar and sadly, we often find consolation in things, people, and places we normally wouldn’t. Instead of a stranger’s foot, maybe we head to the local bar. Instead of climbing a pant leg, we run to the arms of a stranger, even though it will ruin everything we’ve built. And instead of running in circles, we run ourselves ragged trying to carry all the weight without taking it to Jesus.

            Are you a lost mouse right now? Do you feel out of sorts? Out of your normal? Is your anxiety through the roof? Do you feel the need to run away and never come back?

            Be careful little mouse, that you don’t do something in haste that will determine your future. Slow down, be still, and talk through it with a trusted friend and with Jesus. Just because you’re temporarily lost doesn’t mean you won’t find your way home.