In the past few years I have had the delight of spending copious amounts of time teaching, playing and learning a plethora of games geared for the 5 and under crowd. I have viewed hours of commercial free 'G' rated entertainment and read countless volumes of children's literature. In the course of my emergence into 'Parenthood: 2001', I've had the occasion to be profoundly moved into action by a simple but profound truth.
"If you give a mouse a cookie..."
You see, last summer my granddaughters school sent a lengthy list of suggested reading material to share with our child before school started in the fall. Several classics were well represented: 'Harold and the Purple Crayon', 'Madeline', 'Caps for Sale' the 'Curious George' series, and 'Corduroy' was actually required...really!
One series included on the list was the "If You Give..." books by Laure Joffe Numeroff. The original story in the set is called
The story goes something like this,
"If you give a mouse a cookie,
he's going to ask for a glass of milk.
When you give him the milk,
he'll probably ask you for a straw.
When he's finished, he'll ask for a napkin.
Then he'll want to look in the in the mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache.
When he looks in the mirror....."
I think you get the picture....quite the shaggy dog story.
I don't want to spoil the ending but ultimately the story ends up back at the beginning,
with the mouse seeing the refrigerator, which causes him to want more milk
aaaand...
"chances are if he ask for a glass of milk....
he's going to want a cookie to go with it"
The story goes full circle and ultimately whoever befriends this mouse might be
exhausted AND exasperated by days end...
and this mouse...
he could become a full time job!
I can
sooo relate.
How many times do I encounter a situation, a group or person in need and
- turn the other way
- claim no time, money or leading to help
- pretend my bad ear didn't get the whole message
- just decide it was not my business, my problem or better yet, not my area of giftedness?
The needs are everywhere, we run into them at every turn.
If we...
Volunteer at a local shelter, hospice, nursing home, Sunday School,
a blanket ministry (you fill in the blank)
Should we donate....
Time, Talent, Money or Possessions
We might...
Get to know
...really know our neighbors....maybe even those that are
not so easy to know much less
like.
We are not called to do the easy things, but the hard ones.
Matthew 5: 43-48
If we
consciously look for
opportunities to share all that we have, all that HE has given us...
chances are very good MORE will be needed or expected.
Wow! This little bit of helping could turn into a whole lot of....dare I say it?
WORK!!
Work that might cut into our well deserved down time with family, friends or...TV!
"Come on" we say, "this is for someone else to do...it's their calling...their ministry....their
thing"
As my insightful daughter in love Elizabeth often points out,
"Who can truly say we
deserve anything?"
You know what...We Don't! Not ONE thing!
and...
Jesus said,
"I have food to eat you know nothing about."
The disciples were puzzled.
"Who could have brought him food?"
Jesus said, "The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn't you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I'm telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what's right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It's harvest time!
"The Harvester isn't waiting. He's taking his pay, gathering in this grain that's ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant. That's the truth of the saying, 'This one sows, that one harvests.' I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others." John 4:32-38
All too often harvesting requires us to 'give a mouse a cookie'.
God used this powerful little parable to make me realize it's time to step up and step out.
My prayer is that we open up, earnestly seek God, ask Him to send every mouse, moose, pig or neighbor for us to love as He loves each one of us. May we be up to our eyeballs in the blessed harvest God has prepared.
How bout you?
You in on giving that mouse a cookie?
Portions of the preceding post were copied from one written about a month before the first 15 hand tied fleece blanket were made and delivered, nearly 3 years ago. Besides numbers, not too much has changed, except perhaps a greater desire to "Give a..."
For less than $10 you can wrap your neighbor in home-spun blessings of love and
hope through the simple gift of a hand-knotted blanket. Message us for details in making a tax deductible donation for this year’s blanket projects including some of the following:
