Gaining Perspective from a Clean Dead Mouse

After coffee and an hour of writing, I washed a load of laundry yesterday. Later, as I pulled the clean clothes out to toss them in the dryer, a grey mass caught my eye. I ignored it at first but couldn't process what I'd seen. When I peered into the bottom of my washer again, I knew why... and desperately needed emotional support.

A drowned mouse lay on its side, complete with its squirmy tail extended for easy identification. 

No kidding. In a clean load of laundry. Photographic evidence is available upon request.

Don was busy so I called Sam. He didn't answer so I called my Mom. She was watching my nephew jump from an airplane at Fort Benning but suggested I get thick gloves for the extraction so I wouldn't have to actually feel the slimy (but clean) creature.

Before tackling the dead-mouse-in-washer, I began a stealth investigation. And in time, discovered a plausible explanation:

Since a loosely wrapped piece of birthday cake had been sitting on the counter, I suspect the mouse ate his fill, fell asleep, and was tucked in two dish towels (laying next to the cake) that I tossed in the load at the last minute. I can't know for sure, but if that's the case, I have to admit, I'm very thankful I found a drowned mouse in my clean load of laundry rather than an alive mouse on my kitchen counter. 

Yes, I'm still a little creeped out. But seeing things in a new way helped. The altered viewpoint calmed my heightened emotional status and allowed me to extract the creature... All. By. Myself.

Get it? Our outlook, assessment, and viewpoint matter.  

So tilt your head for a minute. Gaze from an upside down position.

Because while I can't fully explain why suffering occurs in this world, I've been struck lately by the gift that is ours through the comfort of the Holy Spirit... those quiet whispers in our souls that remind us He's near. 

According to scripture, the Holy Spirit descended only after Jesus died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. Think about it. Before the cross and ascension, the Holy Spirit didn't invade lives the way He does today. Even Jesus said, 

"It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you... I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and will tell you what is to come." (John 16: 7 & 12 - 13).  

Even as I've grieved the last two weeks (and throughout the last twenty years!), I've experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the assurance that He is with me, and constant reminders that His love is stronger than death.

While I would prefer the suffering fade, I've been struck anew by the thought that those gentle, quiet reassurances are available only because of the cross. A great price was paid so that God's presence could be real in our suffering. 

And here I pause. 

Because I take His presence for granted.  

And even after writing these words, I'm certain I'll take it for granted again.

But I hope not. I hope I'll stand in awe that the great story teller made a way for hope to reign in darkness, for love to flow in the face of rejection, and for comfort to fill us in times of great sorrow. 

Perspective. It's everything. A way has been made to deal with Mice and Men.
 
Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here.  




photo credit: coffee via photopin (license)