Who Do You Run To?

LIGHTNING

One morning, my son Michael came running into my room. “Lightning has escaped. He’s gone, I looked everywhere.” Lightning was Michael’s first pet, a gerbil. As for myself, I wasn’t too thrilled. You see to me he looked liked a small rat with a long tail. But this would be a good lesson in responsibility for my 8 yr old son or so I thought. Little did I realize God was going to use Lightning to enlighten me.

“Don’t worry Mike, he’ll show up.” We’ll find him today after school. I am sure he’s just playing hide n seek. That afternoon after school, Mike came running in the house, “Did you find Lightening?” he said. No, actually I haven’t even looked, but he’ll show up. Day 2 rolls around and still no sign of Lightening. Finally I suggested he go look in the crawl space maybe he went in there. A few minutes later he came running up the stairs.

He’s there all right. I saw some holes chewed in the side of a box. We looked all over the crawl space and we still didn’t see him. Mom what if he dies? What if he doesn’t have enough food? What if he’s thirsty? I could see the concern written all over his face. Don’t worry I’m sure he will appear soon I said. The next morning, as I was walking out the door to go to work, I spotted him. There he was in the middle of the laundry room staring at me. Won’t Michael be happy if I could catch him and put him in his cage, I thought to myself. The problem with that is I would have to actually touch the rat, I mean gerbil.

Well a mom will do almost anything for her child. This was the pre-business casual so I have a suit on with my high heels and I get down on my knees and start moving very slowly, edging my way close to Lightning, talking in a quiet voice so not to startle him. When I’m only about a foot from him I tried to catch him with my hands, but he was way too fast. He ran away but then stopped about 8 ft away. So I tried again to get him, but no luck. Realizing I am now going to be late to work I finally gave up put my hands on my hips and said “Lightning, you are so stupid, I am trying to catch you so I can save your life, make your life better. I have everything that you need and you keep running away.” And then the Lord spoke to me, not audibly but he clearly put this thought in my mind “You are just like him.”