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That's Not a Rat!

Perhaps you have heard a church mouse. But this was no mouse, despite the fact that it was loose in the church. This was a rat. Or, at least, so I thought. 
Is that glue on his fur?

The infestation was noticed a couple of weeks ago. 3 men with brooms were unable to stop it. An innocent child noticed it on a Wednesday night. Then a lot more children noticed it on a Sunday morning, while it waved its little arms and arrogantly pumped its chest, as if to say, 'Come and get some!'

Taking up the challenge, one man stepped up to solve the eliminate the problem. Much to the chagrin of ladies everywhere, 'eliminate' was used like the mafia might use the term. Unfortunately for that one man, he was not just battling a rodent. He was battling the prayers of my 7-year old daughter, lover of all God's creatures, no matter how vermin-like they may be. 

I knew we were all in trouble when she named him Frank. Frank the Rat. Tears flowed as I explained why Frank had to go. 

But as it turned out, Frank was going nowhere. Thanking us for the peanut butter left on a trap, Frank continued to live large and taunt us all. Actually, it's a good thing he did, because Frank the Rat turned out to be Chocolate Chip, the pet Gerbil of one of our preschool teachers. 

Like most things, it got me thinking.

Chocolate Chip, back where he belongs.
Don't let people tell you who and what you are.
We were hunting a rat void of emotion, because he was a rat. But Frank was not a rat and was not about to go down like a rat. I think I may have noticed him once, throwing the rat trap in my direction as if to say, 'Is that all you got?!?'

Misnamed and misunderstood, Frank...er....Chocolate Chip kept doing his thing, living as God intended. He was undeterred by the actions of those around him. 

Don't ever stop fighting for life.
You probably can't see it in the picture, but our gerbil friend was covered in glue from the trap. I don't know how he overcame, but the fact is that he did. 

For us, life can mean so many things. Not just life here, but eternal life. Not just breathing, but living the peace and joy as God intended. Not just our life, but those of everyone around us as well. Life!

Don't ever doubt the power of prayer.
Especially when it comes from the lips of a believing 7-year old girl. 
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