Mice mazes and cheese

James 1:2-5

          There is a man named Bob that I used to pray with regularly. It was part of a weekly program where we reviewed the Sunday readings and discussed them. One of the many gifts he gave me was a pearl about issues we may have with our faith. He was speaking more of rubrics and dogmas but he'd say that if something was troubling you and causing your faith (in Jesus) to faulter, put that issue aside. Let it be.  At some point you can come back to it when you may understand that it is really unimportant or you may discover the true answer. By no means should a single issue keep you away from the knowledge that God loves you.

           Have you ever seen a mouse in a maze? They often place a piece of cheese on the other side of the wall from the mouse. The mouse can smell it but can't quite figure  out he has to go sideways, right or left to get the cheese. It's as if the mouse is so mezmerized by the thought of the cheese, it can't think stright.

           How often  are we like the mouse or get fixated on some issue in our lives? It may indeed be a big issue that we don't understand. It may be the death of a loved one. It may be a senseless death we've heard of. It may be an article of faith we simply can't grasp. Sometimes we say "I don't understand" so much we loose our faith or forget what is truly important. It may seem silly but the most important thing to know and perhaps say (and repeat) is "Jesus loves me".

         I would not want to minimize the problems we encounter in life. I do know that whatever we are going through, we do need to KNOW that God loves us and is with us always. If we can move something of  concern into proper focus, we can more easily move forwward in faith ( and life ).

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.