The Open Door

I was emailed an Associated Press story yesterday that was absolutely incredible. I told Janice about it and she confirmed that the story was true and actually saw it reported on television.

The Associated Press reported on January 10, 2006 about a man in Fort Sumner, New Mexico who caught a mouse in his home over the weekend. He decided the best way to get rid of the mouse was to throw it in a pile of leaves he was burning in his yard.

The mouse’s tail caught on fire, but the little guy refused to meet his fate in a burning leaf pile. Instead, he did what any poor creature in pain would have done – he headed for home. In other words, he ran back into the house, setting the dwelling on fire and burning it to the ground. No humans were injured. There is still no word from the mouse.

When I read this amazing story, I thought what any preacher might think – this has got to be a great illustration, but what could it be? The email I received suggested that “sometimes our actions cause us more grief than satisfaction.” That is certainly a true statement.

I thought, “This could become a famous adage like ‘People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,’ or ‘A rolling stone gathers no moss.’” Here’s a possibility – “A burning mouse can destroy a very large house.” This one may be better – “A burning mouse returns to his master’s house.”

Clearly, a lesson to be learned is that if we fail to deal with a problem forthrightly, it will come home to roost and may destroy us. When Jesus encountered the moneychangers in the temple, He didn’t vacillate; He went to the source of the problem and threw it out of the “House of Prayer.”

Jesus never minced words. He always said what He meant and meant what He said. If he encountered evil, He dealt with it head on. Jesus was full of love and grace, and He always treated people fairly, but He never winked at disobedience or blatant sin of any kind. I would add that neither should we.

If there is a mouse in the house, remove it and remove all possibility of its returning. Failure to deal with such matters forthrightly can result in the entire house being burned to the ground!