“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it
separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9
NLT
Have you ever watched an authentic game of ‘cat and mouse’,
an actual cat catching an actual mouse?
I have a few indoor / outdoor cats.
We also live in a house that is about 100 years old. Due to this, I have witnessed several mice
meet their end. When I got up this
morning, I was watching one of our kittens playing, I looked closer when he began
to growl at the other kitten. He had a
dead mouse clutched tightly in his jaws!
He backed away from intruder kitty and began to play again, flipping it
into the air – batting it across the floor – he was having a ball with this
dead mouse – GROSS! But… it made me
think of ‘the human condition’ so to speak.
We will latch onto something: some offense or mistake another made
towards us, a mistake we have made ourselves and can’t stop thinking about, or
maybe a piece of gossip, or even something we are proud of. There are so many things that distract us
from the Lord. Okay, how does this
relate to a cat playing with a dead mouse?
Is the mouse any more caught, is the cat doing anything worthwhile? The cat misses the chase, the cat wants to
continue the exciting pursuit, so he releases the mouse to let it run away – it
doesn’t run, it’s dead – so he bats it across the floor and pounces in
imitation of the earlier chase.
Just let
it go…. It is dead, over, finished, continuing to play
with it and dwell on it is not doing anyone any good – it can even make us
growl at our family and closest friends.
Thinking or dwelling on something for to long is like a dead mouse that is stinking
up your house and rotting your relationship with God. Forgive, ask forgiveness, refocus on God,
give your problems to him, let him help you, and stop playing with a decaying carcass!
Think of how you feel inside when you can’t
stop thinking about something – is it good, is it positive, is it bringing you
closer to God, is it helping anyone?
More than likely it is not. When
something gets into my mind and won’t go away, it is usually eating me up
inside – making me hate myself – making me think I am not good enough and can’t
do anything right ---- all arrows and squirrels of Satan taking your focus off
God. These thoughts are rotting away my
direction and purpose, they are interfering with God’s perfect plan for my
life. I am sure it is the same for many
of you too.
So that presents the big question...how? Just how do I stop dwelling on these things? How do I get rid of the dead mouse? Maybe these will help answer that question:
Matthew 11:28 - 30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For
my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Psalms 46:1 1God is our refuge and strength, always ready
to help in times of trouble. (2 So we will not fear...)
John 14:1
"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in
me." (this is Jesus talking)
Psalm 37:5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him
and he will help you.
Hebrews 13:6 So we can
say with confidence, ‘God is my helper, so I will have no fear. What harm can
mere people do to me?’
Romans 12:14 Bless those that
persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray
that God will bless them.
Psalm 55:22 Give your
burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and
fall.
Colossians 3:13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and
forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t
worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all
he has done. Then you will experience
God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as
you live in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 4:4 Don’t sin by
letting anger control you. Think about
it overnight and remain silent.
Psalm 50:15 Then call on
me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a strong refuge when
trouble comes. He is close to those who
trust in him.
Psalm 40:1,2 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry. He
lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied
me as I walked along.
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a strong refuge when
trouble comes. He is close to those who
trust in him.
In short – here are some quotes my brother-in-law had
written on their fridge years ago:
NO GOD
= NO PEACE, KNOW GOD = KNOW PEACE
and
LET GO,
LET GOD
Hey... just pray!
Thank you Angie!!! Well put and I love the analogy! I like the idea of just being in today and living with what this day will bring instead of living in the past. This is one of my biggest struggles! I appreciate and value your words and will refer to the verses often! Thank you for being one of God's tools!
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