The Church Mouse
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. 'What food might this contain?' The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mouse trap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.'There is a mouse trap in the house! There is a mouse trap in the house!' The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, 'Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence tome. I cannot be bothered by it.' The mouse turned to the pig and told him, 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!' The pig sympathized, but said, 'I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.' The mouse turned to the cow and said, 'There is a mouse trap in the house! There is a mouse trap in the house!' The cow said, 'Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose.' So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mouse trap-- alone.That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farm yard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for allof them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. REMEMBER: EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN AN OTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY; OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON. One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend. Amen.
As the Church we should never think that someone else's problem is not ours. When someone is in need or is in trouble we should never turn our back on them. Jesus said in Luke 6:27-35 that we should even help out our enemies if they are in need because that is what shows true love. Also in Galatians 6:1 talks about restoring someone who was overtaken in a fault because you can also be overtaken in a fault. Now I know that this scripture is talking about being tempted in a fault but I feel the same rule applies for helping someone in need. All of us have been through problems and issues. How many of us didn't get the support that we needed? How many of us gave support but did not get it in return? Now I understand that there are many users and abusers out there looking for someone to take advantage of. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about hearing a persons cry for help. I'm talking about someone who has a problem and is asking for help. That is the time for the folks to engage especially Church. (Sad to say but many times people who the church calls worldy are there more than church folks)There are many ways we can engage; by a word of encouragement, it could be financial, it could be advice and also comfort. It could be something as little as taking care of someone child for a time (That one's for you Janet). People look for this when they are in trouble.
This is why most people come to church. So why does so many leave the church?
A big reason is because the lack of support. People end up relying on the church organization for support instead of building the relationship with the people. The church ends up putting there focus on other things like bringing in new members and attendance. Now I understand that there are two sides to this but there is one resolution. As individuals we need to walk as the Church. With that comes building relationships and friendships which bring support in times of need. Not support from the church organization but the people. And not just the people we like but even as Jesus said; our enemies. That's the real Church.
Now I know that I made a few different points. The first one is never thinking that someone else's problem will not affect you directly because eventually it will. The second is helping someone in need in whatever capacity you can even if this person is someone you can't stand to be around (I know that's a tough one). Last but not least is that this is a big part of being the Church is. It's about relationships and friendships coming together to support, encourage and provide for each other when needed. This is what it's all about. This is a big part of how to represent Christ. You never know when you might be that mouse. I know that I have been a mouse a time or two.