A Mouse & A Cookie
Robert Harwell
Finish this sentence; “If you give a mouse a cookie,__________________________.”
I loved reading that book as a kid! Still do, actually, but now to my own child. It’s a simple, fun, and cute read with great illustrations. It’s funny, though, because I catch myself quoting it to my wife in certain situations, probably not in the best, loving way...
Me: “Hey babe, I got you a brownie.”
Wife: “Aw, thank you!”
Wife: “Could you get me a glass of milk to go with it?”
Me: “Yes.”
Wife: “Oh, and can you grab me a napkin too?”
Me: “....Sure.”
Wife: “Could you also grab me a straw for the milk?”
Me: “Dang! If you give a mouse a cookie!”
Silly example, I know. My wife doesn’t actually drink milk with a straw. Similar scenarios like these have played out multiple times in our household. Gotta love it when you go to do something “nice” with a “servant heart” and then you’re tested to go the extra mile! It’s a silly example, but it's left an impactful thought… Am I willing to go the extra mile?
I loved reading that book as a kid! Still do, actually, but now to my own child. It’s a simple, fun, and cute read with great illustrations. It’s funny, though, because I catch myself quoting it to my wife in certain situations, probably not in the best, loving way...
Me: “Hey babe, I got you a brownie.”
Wife: “Aw, thank you!”
Wife: “Could you get me a glass of milk to go with it?”
Me: “Yes.”
Wife: “Oh, and can you grab me a napkin too?”
Me: “....Sure.”
Wife: “Could you also grab me a straw for the milk?”
Me: “Dang! If you give a mouse a cookie!”
Silly example, I know. My wife doesn’t actually drink milk with a straw. Similar scenarios like these have played out multiple times in our household. Gotta love it when you go to do something “nice” with a “servant heart” and then you’re tested to go the extra mile! It’s a silly example, but it's left an impactful thought… Am I willing to go the extra mile?
For the most part, we enjoy being nice and serving others... to an certain extent. But as a Christ follower, what are we called to do, or who are we called to be? We can look to Jesus for that answer. We can really look no further than John 13, where Jesus washes His disciples’ feet. I mean come on… those fellas didn’t have fresh Nike shoes, but rather sandals, which you can imagine led to very dirty, very stinky feet. Would you want to be handling those? Nah! But Jesus did. And we’re to be like Him.
I remember a time I picked up someone from the side of the road to give them a ride back into town. It was in the middle of summer, this person had been outside most of the day, sweating in the clothes they probably had been wearing for days in a row, no shower… you get the point. Sometimes I can be a clean freak, not wanting things to get dirty or nasty. Seeing this person in the state they were in… I’ll admit there was a cringe. Then the classic WWJD thought hit me upside the head… JESUS. What would He do? I just couldn’t refuse picking them up. The result? A gospel conversation happened!
I don’t say all of that to gloat or even to hand out guilt. You can take a look back at a previous blog to know that I’m by no means perfect when it comes to compassion! I share all that to simply share JESUS. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t my thought, it really wasn’t even my actions. If it had been, that person would have stayed on the side of the street and my car would have stayed clean and smelled fresh.
Jesus calls His children to follow Him, to be like Him. To be like Him is to love and serve those around us. Not to check off our “good deed list” or to receive social media praise or to make ourselves known. It’s all about JESUS. Making His name known and seeing His Kingdom expand!
Let’s love well. Let’s serve well. Let’s go the extra mile.
If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. Give him a straw too.
I remember a time I picked up someone from the side of the road to give them a ride back into town. It was in the middle of summer, this person had been outside most of the day, sweating in the clothes they probably had been wearing for days in a row, no shower… you get the point. Sometimes I can be a clean freak, not wanting things to get dirty or nasty. Seeing this person in the state they were in… I’ll admit there was a cringe. Then the classic WWJD thought hit me upside the head… JESUS. What would He do? I just couldn’t refuse picking them up. The result? A gospel conversation happened!
I don’t say all of that to gloat or even to hand out guilt. You can take a look back at a previous blog to know that I’m by no means perfect when it comes to compassion! I share all that to simply share JESUS. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t my thought, it really wasn’t even my actions. If it had been, that person would have stayed on the side of the street and my car would have stayed clean and smelled fresh.
Jesus calls His children to follow Him, to be like Him. To be like Him is to love and serve those around us. Not to check off our “good deed list” or to receive social media praise or to make ourselves known. It’s all about JESUS. Making His name known and seeing His Kingdom expand!
Let’s love well. Let’s serve well. Let’s go the extra mile.
If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. Give him a straw too.
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1 Comment
So good.
This book is a favorite in our house. Such a great analogy to go above and beyond in loving and serving.