Well, I wasn’t a happy camper last week when I discovered mice not only in the garage, but in the house. It’s not surprising that it happened this time of year, when the nights start getting cooler, but up until now we’ve managed to stay pretty much mice free in this house. Thankfully.  We lived in an old mobile home for the first 10 years of our marriage, which had plenty of places the little critters could sneak in.  They were regular unwelcome roomies, and I still have vivid memories of hearing them running around at night especially, and even climbing up the curtains.  EEEEEEKK! 

We keep cats because we like them, but also to have a rodent patrol.  Unfortunately our old ones seem to be retired from their duties, and the new kittens haven’t quite gotten the hang of it yet.  Our house is usually sealed up quite well, but obviously there was something that had been breached. Besides the obvious solution of setting out traps in the necessary locations, we began to search for where there might be a gap in the venting or walls.  Apparently those sneaky guys only need a dime-sized hole to get through, so it doesn’t take much! We knew there was a small space in our overhead garage doors, but we also found the screen partially off the air exchanger vent opening under the front deck.  That was quickly remedied.  Some waterline work had been done from the garage into the downstairs ceiling, which was not fully enclosed, and it was evident the mice had come through one of those spots, as they left a trail of insulation and droppings on the floor below.  Again, those were sealed up and hopefully that will prevent more infiltrators to the house.  Just two were caught in the coldroom trap, and so far there are no signs of others. Two still makes a big mess!   Several were caught in the garage and workshop, so we’ll have to see if we’ve stymied their efforts to get in there. 

So this whole episode brought to mind the scripture that tells us to not give the enemy a foothold.  (Ephesians 4:27)  I realize there is a vast difference between a mouse finding a small opening and the enemy of our souls finding a little place from which to launch an attack against us, but that is just what it reminded me of.  We need to be so very vigilant in what we allow into our lives, careful to follow God’s instructions about wearing His spiritual armour, and obedient to do what His word says about guarding our hearts, renewing our minds, and keeping ourselves pure.  God has equipped us, His Spirit empowers us, and His word protects us, but we desperately need to walk in the light, draw nigh to God, and pray for His wisdom and strength, because as it says in 1 Peter 5:8 , “the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  The word tells us he is crafty, deceitful and can even appear as an angel of light.  He has a way of spotting our weaknesses and exploiting them, which is exactly why we need to be careful about letting there be little “cracks in our armour”.  The first part of the same verse instructs us to “Stay alert and be watchful”.  We cannot be complacent, and we need to maintain the integrity of  every entry point into our hearts and lives.  There is a lot more at stake than just a rodent problem.  The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy, so we don’t want to give him the smallest of opportunities to infiltrate our minds and gain ground.  Instead, we want to allow the Lord to reign in every area of our lives, and show us where we need to “shore up” our defences, repair the breaches and fortify the areas of our lives where it is needed.  The sooner this happens, the less opportunity there is for damage to be done or a trail of evidence to be seen. 

So…a little mouse told me….be aware of the small gaps, and be vigilant in guarding your heart, mind....... and home!