But the Mouse was SO cute!!!

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my living room watching this scampering movement in our morning glories. On our back patio, Frank and my dad had built this trellised awning to give some plants the support they needed to grow upon it & eventually provide us with much needed shade over the patio side of our house. We bought four morning glory plants (overkill) and planted them, watered them and watched them (like a all untrained vines do) take over our awning and become intertwined to such a degree where NO sunlight gets through and, unless it is a torrential downpour (think Noah and the flood), no rain either.

I do recall my momma telling me never to let vines grow onto your house. Now I know why. Thick vines are the perfect habitat for all sorts of God’s living creatures: birds, spiders (of all varieties and sizes), lizards, snakes, rats and mice. Thick morning glory vines provide the perfect bridge to the roof top and vent holes of my house! The vines are a sort of welcome mat to all these critters to take a vacation in the Hickcox Home.

Grant you, we have a dog in the backyard (who is essentially useless and casually watches the critter activity from his well-shaded patio) and we have two house cats, which are happy to catch anything within their aggressive reach and bring it to us, mostly alive and hideous. If it isn’t within their reach…they chitter and stare at the humungous spider crawling across our ceiling!

Back to what I was watching – there was this scurrying activity from one end of the patio support beam to the other. We had cute little grey and brown mice! The quality isn’t very good, but I managed to take a picture of it!

On Mother’s Day, my parents came over and with bizarre amusement, we watched one mouse (Frank and my dad said it really was a rat), cautiously climb done one of the vines, shelter in the base and then stealthily scamper to Ranger’s dog dish for a free dog food buffet! That was the final straw for Frank. That very day, he put rat poison up in the morning glories to “call” the rats/mice to the enticing bait to kill them.

Today, as I type, no more rats/mice. My “cute” scurrying friends are gone. For me, it is a bit sad as I like small furry creatures that have any semblance to rabbits! I didn’t see the “harm” in living and let live. But, I was wrong. Wild rats/mice can bring all kinds of destruction and sickness to your home, pets and eventually, family.

Isn’t choosing to sin just like how I viewed those seemingly harmless rodents? On the outside, this little sin seems kinda cute and we enjoy toying with it! We go with our emotions or our desires and close our hearts to the counsel and wisdom of our parents. We choose the sin over obedience.

Here is an excerpt from an email I recently wrote to a student confused over dating someone.

So, I know everything is really confusing right now...your heart says one thing and your brain says another. Then your parents are telling you advice...your friends are telling you advice and then I poke my nose into the mix and tell you more advice.

Bottom line...when you are confused and don't know what to do, you should put things on hold and wait it out. Sometimes God is more interested in our ability to wait on Him and not rush into another relationship, situation, etc.

In Proverbs 15:22, God tells us with many counselors our plans will succeed. In another passage it says there is safety in a multitude of counselors.

I Corinthians 14:33 says God is not a God of confusion. And, 2 Timothy 1:7 says God gives us a spirit of peace, love & a sound mind (orderly thinking, not confusing thoughts). Lastly, Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts.

I write all of this because you asked me how you would know what God wanted you to do. My ultimate answer is this: you need to seek the safety of counsel from Godly people in your life, starting first with your parents. And, as you are called to honor your parents by the Lord, you are commanded to obey them. God has given you your parents to protect you, love you and provide a safe, loving atmosphere for you to emulate once you are on your own & married.

Sometimes, we want something (clothes, trip, girl/boy-friend, etc.) so badly we temporarily lose our clearness of thought and push everything aside we know to be Truth for that one thing or person we think we want so badly. We just can’t wait!

Jesus reminds us that He understands when we are tempted like this. And, He asks you to stay faithful, obey His commandments and wait on His timing for the wonderful things He has planned for you. But, waiting is the hardest part!

Debbie shared with me a story of a pastor who’s son really wanted to date this girl. She was a Christian and seemed to have everything this young man was looking for. He asked his dad's advice, and he asked the son to wait two-three years before dating this particular girl. Well, after the time went by, the son STILL really wanted to date this gal. So, he asked his dad again. By this time, the pastor knew a bit more about the gal and knew she was not suitable for his son. So, he told his son that he didn't think it was wise to date this gal and asked him not to date her. Though the son really wanted to, in tears and much heartbreak, he listened to his dad and honored his decision. Just two years later the son met the woman to whom he is happily married to now. His obedience to his father saved him from missing out on the woman he would eventually marry!

Wouldn't you rather wait..cry a boatload of tears...and then to your real joy & amazement, be in the right place at the right time for the right person God has planned to bring into your life? And, in waiting...who's to say it wouldn't be this person after all. What if God is trying to use you now to turn this person’s heart & life back to Him by your refusal to date them now and just be friends?

It is a lot to think about. And, I certainly don't want to confuse you more. But think about this...about a month ago, you were not as confused, more carefree and able to put your energy into school, sports and family issues. Now, with the potential of a relationship with this person...all of your focus and emotional energy is caught up in this one decision. If this was the right thing that God wanted you to do, don't you think it would be more peaceful, easy and less chaotic?

I love you deeply! I truly desire you to be happy and free to live a life that honors God, your parents and your friends. You have such a loving heart and a fierce devotion to your friends and family. Carefully consider the advice from your parents, friends (and hopefully, me) before you take that leap into a relationship.

Guard your heart...save it for the person God has planned for you. Remember, this short period of your life is small compared to the years of happiness you will experience in a marriage to the person God has planned for you. Wouldn't you want your future mate to wait on God for you? Why not do the same?

I believe this student’s heart desires to honor his/her parents and ultimately the Lord. I think the outcome of this situation will turn out for the good!

However, some of you, despite the explicit warnings from God’s Word, still choose to seek your own counsel and not honor or obey your parents.

Like letting those rats nest in my morning glories, you let the choice to disobey or not honor your parents nest in your hearts. It all starts with entertaining the thought of dating that guy or gal who isn’t right for you and is disapproved of by your parents! Let’s look at the consequences of disobeying your parents:

-You break trust with parents
-You feel a sense of anxiousness or fear of being “caught”
-You are in conflict with them, emotional hurricanes wreak havoc at home
-Communication breaks down
-There is strife and disunity in the home
-There is tension when you and your parents are in the same room together
-You shut down your heart to their instruction
-You avoid being home at normal hours when you might have to interact with your parents
-You directly affect your relationship with God – sin is separating you from a right relationship with Him
-You can’t pray or don’t want to or haven’t thought about it in a long time
-You don’t want to read your Bible or you can’t or you haven’t thought about it in a long time
-You may not want to go to church or youth group
-The person you want to date becomes foremost in your thoughts – they become an idol in your heart, which is also sin
-You want to spend more and more time away from home, friends and church family – only to spend time exclusively with that person (again idol worship)
-You damage your friendships, there used to be a balance of time spent with them, now time only for person you are dating (more idol worship)
-You burn bridges
-You heart is hardened and you miss out on all the blessings of a right relationship with God
-As Pastor Keith said, “Sin always leads to trouble.”

Doesn’t seem really worth it, does it? And, yet, some of you still think it is.

What are the consequences of obeying our parents:

-You honor the Lord
-You keep a right relationship with God
-You enjoy worthwhile and quality friendships
-You have the right balance with friends, family & your dating life
-You enjoy group activities
-You are safe from the temptation to take a relationship further than it should go
-You are at peace
-You are joyful (and mostly happy), though at first you may cry a lot because you think this is the right person for you
-Home is a safe harbor for you and not a place to be avoided
-Family is an emotional safe harbor for you
-You have a right relationship with your parents and your honor them
-You further the trust your parents have in you and your ability to make God-honoring decisions in the future
-You grow deeper in your relationship with the Lord and reap a blessing from obeying your parents
-You are open and teachable to your parents’ instruction
-You want to fellowship with other believers (church)
-You desire to pray & read your Bible
-God has the right place—first--in your heart and life
-Bridges are strengthened in your relationships with your parents, close friends and others

Though obeying your parents and honoring their counsel to not date that person now may result in momentary heart-break and sadness, in the end, it leads to peace, safety and a continued right relationship with God.

The consequences of obeying your parents are more beneficial to you and your relationship with God than the alternative.

That guy or gal may be uber cute to you now – but, if your parents do not approve and have asked you not to date him/her – your sin of disobedience to them will cause incalculable damage to you, your relationship with God and all those you truly care about.

If Frank had not put out the poison that killed the cute mice (rats), who knows what ultimate destruction would have befell our pets, our home and inevitably our family? It was not worth it to either of us to “wait and see” how things would turn out down the road. God has given you your parents for a reason. It is always wise to obey them and not “wait and see” how things will turn out by your disobedience.

I love you all & pray for you daily!
C’iao-M