The Trap

A couple of times a year we have some pesky visitors that like to invade our house. Sure enough a couple of weeks ago, I moved some boxes in the kitchen to reveal some fresh mouse droppings. 😕 I sighed, mainly because I can’t be bothered with the whole process of setting traps around the house. I should say right now this blog might be a bit sadistic to some, so if you don’t approve of catching and killing mice then I suggest you don’t read on 🙈.

I looked out the traps we've used over the previous years (I’ve found the cheap wooden traditional traps to be the best thing!) and I began looking through my baking drawer to find something nice and sticky to stick on the traps. I found a packet of chocolate rolos and cut one in half. I stuck a piece on each of the traps and left them in place. One sits underneath our kitchen sink, but the other one, I place next to a hole in the floor that leads down to our basement. This is where they like to come up into the kitchen.

I should say that catching mice is my job. Calum hates them and rats, especially rats! I was once heading to bed one night, when he and Nathanael shouted me back down to catch a live mouse that was running around the kitchen. They were both hiding behind the breakfast bar peering round to see if they could see it.😂 I had to get a bowl and see if I could corner it and catch it, to let it go outside. We have had many laughs over their reaction to mice.

Calum is usually downstairs in the morning before me and the first thing I’ll always ask him is, ‘were there any mice?’ For the first week, to my annoyance there were no mice at all! Every morning when I checked the traps, the chocolate rolo was gone and the trap was still set! I’d put another piece of rolo on the trap and leave it, the next morning the same thing happened again. Occasionally, the trap would have gone off, but the rolo would be gone and the trap would be empty! I was really not impressed and began updating everyone on my mouse problem, much to the amusement/annoyance of my children. I thought this mouse is going to be some size by the time we catch it!

Eventually after a week I caught a mouse. 😁 I disposed of it and re-set the trap again. Sure enough the same thing happened again, a few more days passed and every morning the trap was empty, no rolo and sometimes it had been set off, but caught nothing. I decided to set two more traps around the hole that comes up from the basement. I wasn’t going to be beaten. Afterall, I was almost at the end of a packet of rolos!! The next morning the traps had caught two mice. As the mice came up from the basement, 3 traps had faced them, covered in gooey, chocolate, irresistible delight. It obviously did the trick as this time they were caught!

I do feel sorry for the mice, I really don't mind them. It’s just the germs they can spread and damage they can do around the house that I really don’t like. They look so tiny and innocent as I release them from the trap and into a bag for the bin. The poor little creatures don’t know what has hit them. We try to entice them, tempt them with sugary goodies. Something that will appeal to them, lead them into a false sense of security. Then BANG, (eventually in my case) the trap goes off and catches them, killing them almost instantly.

I can’t help but think how often we are faced with similar traps today. Temptations usually appear harmless and attractive. Think of the poor mouse, the sugary treat looks so good and appealing. You could even say that the mouse would think it was good for it. It’s food, it’s nutritious. We can be the same too. Things that can be argued as harmless fun, can often lead to problems and lifetime issues. We can even try and convince ourselves that they can be good for us. I’m sure if you ask any drug addict if they ever intended on spending a wasted life addicted to drugs when they were first enticed to experiment with drugs, their answer would be no! An innocent, tantalizing experience that felt so good has often led to a lifetime of entrapment. You just need to see all the addicts that are daily tied to a visit at their local chemist. They are so tightly caught in an evil trap that they are sadly unable to think of a life beyond themselves and their addiction.

There are many different issues that can be looked on in the same way. Alcohol, gambling, food or sex. For different people these things can be a massive snare in their life too. To some they are simple pleasures, but to others they can completely ruin lives.

In society today, the addition of ready access to technology can cause anyone to be caught up in the sticky web of sin because of temptation in the palm of your hand. Conversations can take place via screens that would never take place if it were to happen face to face. People are easily lulled into a false sense of security, that because it is on a screen then it doesn’t really matter the same. Nasty cruel comments can be made, sexualy promiscuous photographs shared, videos and images viewed and behaviour exhibited that would never be displayed ‘in real life’. A song we often sing to the children, which I’m sure many people know of, has the verse “oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the father up above, is looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see.’ It’s easy to think that there is no trap, it’s all just rewarding treats. But these things can be stuck in your mind for the rest of your life, leaving you feeling unfulfilled, dirty and damaged. Also whoever you are exchanging these types of messages and images with, will always see you through these eyes too. You may be able to hide your behaviour behind a screen from all your family and friends around you, but don’t be fooled. God in heaven can still see you.

We can often come across something that is really tempting. Something that we know isn’t good for us. It can be many things and be different for each person. It can be something simple. If you are on a diet and you decide to just have a tiny piece of a chocolate bar, after all, a tiny piece isn’t going to do you any harm. The next thing you know you've eaten the whole bar and are currently lying down as you feel sick! 😰 We can encourage a relationship that we know isn’t a wise one. Telling a little tiny lie, that in the end is going to involve a huge big lie to cover it up. Going some place that you know you shouldn’t, but you tell yourself it will only be this once, but deep down you know it won't be. The devil likes to tempt us into situations that will result in our destruction. Before you know it you are trapped. Quite often I find when I have caught a mouse, it’s mouth is still wrapped around the piece of food that attracted it to the trap in the first place.

The bible say in Psalm 119:9

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word.”

The answer is simple. Keep yourself right in God’s eyes. Read your bible and know what God would want you to be doing. If alarm bells are ringing in your head then it's usually a sign that you shouldn't be doing it. It would be really silly if I put some mouldy stale food on the trap to try an catch my mice. It wouldn't work as it wouldn't be appealing to the mice. It's the same when we are tempted into something sinful. It only works if we allow it to be appealing to us. The bible says in Mattew 6:13

"And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."

We are encouraged to pray and ask God to help us not give into temptation. He will help us to resist. That doesn't mean we should put ourselves in situations, where we know we will be tempted and then pray about it. We should avoid those situations if we can. In the past we have had this conversation with our children about something they have been told not to do. It isn’t about getting as close to the line without crossing it. It’s about staying away from the line completely. You don’t see how close to the fire you can get without getting burned! If I’m on a diet then I don’t bake any cakes and traybakes. I know I won’t be able to resist any!

So how can we do this

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6