The Seemingly Impossible, Possible!

"They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination."~Nehemiah 6:9-10


Over the past few months, my husband and I have been studying the Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was quite an interesting man in the Bible. He was able to do things that seemed impossible, but he found possible through God. The lessons in this book of the Bible are endless, and so each time we read and reread, we find a new treasure nestled in scripture.


I thought of Nehemiah yesterday morning. I'm an early riser, and as I sat at my computer, I heard the vertical patio blinds behind me tap together. I thought it was Rosie, our family cat, but she was no where in sight. (She weighs over 14 pounds, so you can't miss her.)  About five minutes later, I heard the noise again, but still turned and saw no movement of any kind. 


What happened next couldn't be made up unless, you're a very talented writer. Across the floor faster than a child on a slip n' slide came a field mouse right past me. I should let you know that I am deathly afraid of mice. I screamed and my pulse rate doubled in a matter of seconds. The field mouse began a very strange configuration doing figure eights across the floor repeatedly; first going behind a couch in our family room, and then back through the kitchen around the table by the patio door. I didn't know what to do. He wouldn't stop.


Living next to the woods in an older house lends favor to mice finding the tiniest holes to come in and want to make themselves at home. Normally, the only mice I see are two or three we catch in traps during the winter. My husband is always the faithful trap cleaner, so I don't deal with the problem. But, there I stood screaming and standing on a chair with a mouse doing figure eights over and over again.


My first instinct, was to pray, "Lord, please help me figure this out." So, I prayed. I then called Rosie who had been sleeping on the job, and she came immediately. She seemed as stunned as I did watching the mouse go back and forth over and over again. I had hoped she would grab the mouse and end the problem, but, instead she just watched. So there we stood gawking at the mouse with an occasional scream to add to the scene.


And then, I came up with a plan. I opened the patio door about 3 inches wide, and as Rosie stood on one side of the table near the door, I placed myself on the opposite side hoping that somehow the mouse would consider going out the door instead of running right past me. It seemed like an impossible plan, but it was all I could come up with at that moment.


Well, seconds later, the mouse came between us on the figure eight course it had been traveling. It didn't know what to do as I stood in its path. It tried jumping up on the wall and came to realize that it wasn't able to climb. Rosie took a step closer to it as I closed in from the other side, and what happened next was absolutely unbelievable. The mouse dashed out the patio door onto the deck and ran for its life!


Sometimes things happen in our lives unexpectedly, and our first reaction is to believe we don't have the strength, courage, or knowledge to deal with it. Now granted a mouse in the house isn't a very serious problem, but there were valuable lessons for me to soak up from this experience. I found that I could overcome the fear of dealing with mice when the job fell on my shoulders. I learned that I could come up with creative solutions in the midst of chaos. Most of all, I was reminded that God is there for me to go to anytime that I don't know what to do. 


Nehemiah had great things to accomplish for God's people, but he counted on God to guide him one step and one day at a time. Most would have thought that his goals were impossible, but they soon learned that Nehemiah was counting on God as God was counting on Nehemiah, and the once thought impossible had become possible before their very eyes.


So, whether our problems are small or seem impossible, it's important to remember that with God, we navigate our way through them. I couldn't pray the mouse away, but I could pray for the Way to guide me. I found out that I'm stronger than I thought I was, and maybe, I'm a little less afraid of mice today than I was yesterday. 


Heavenly Father,


You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life that provides us with all we need to handle whatever comes our way. Whether the situation be small or overwhelming, help us to learn that leaning on you will help us tap into strength we may not yet know we have within us.


Amen.