Pull up a chair and sit for a bit while I tell you story about a little mouse called Gus. Gus didn’t have much growing up. He came from a family of 30 brothers and 30 sisters so sometimes resources were stretched thin. So thin in fact, that there were times when Gus would have to go hungry. Our poor little mouse was stuck in this very situation one fateful night. He was so hungry that he had gone out in search of food only to find that during his quest, the snow had fallen and blanketed everything in sight. He was cold, lonely, and hungry and in his haste, he had lost his bearings and his way home. Gus ran from alley to alley searching for a smell that seemed familiar to him so he could find his way back to his family’s nest. The snow was so thick that he didn’t recognize anything at all. Even the garbage that littered the ground between the buildings gave off no odor. Poor Gus flopped down on the corner of an exposed concrete stoop and began to cry. In his sorrow, he didn’t notice the cat peeking at him from the window. The twinkle of Christmas lights radiated to the snow drifts outside, and cast the cat’s shadow on the ground. Gus still paid no mind to the feline who watched him so intently until the door creaked open and a furry tail wrapped around his middle. “Whatcha doing out here, mister?” a scratchy voice boomed from the larger of the pair. “C-C-Cat!” squeaked Gus to the top of his lungs. Before he could run, the furball scooped him up in its mouth and carried him inside. Gus just froze in that big cat’s mouth. He knew surely this had to be the end of his days. “Better off dead than always hungry I suppose,” thought the mouse. As he heaved his last sighs and steeled himself for the death he knew would come, the cat spat him out in front of a warm fire. A beautiful tree sparkled with lights and shined different colors all over the room. The reflection of the surfaces danced over his face and Gus looked around in wonder. “Where have you taken me? Is..Is this Heaven?” asked the mouse. The cat became to laugh so hard that he hacked up a hairball! “No silly! This isn’t Heaven! I don’t think they have hairballs in Heaven. At least, I don’t think so,” he replied. “Then why did you bring me here? Are you going to eat me?” squeaked Gus. “Eat you? Why would I do a thing like that? My owners keep me in all the food and catnip I want! No offense friend, but you just don’t look like you would taste all that great. You know. All that fur and all.” The cat screwed up his face like he had eaten a sour lemon to demonstrate, and surprisingly Gus laughed. “Well, if you aren’t going to have me for dinner, then what am I here for?” questioned the mouse. “Hold on there, partner. First of all, what’s your name and what in the world were you doing out in the cold? Don’t you know it’s snowing out there?” said the cat. “My…my name is Gus. I come from a big family and we don’t have any food. I was so hungry that I left my nest to find to something to eat. There’s a bunch of us so food doesn’t go very far. The little kids eat first, then the older kids, and then the adults. Sometimes it doesn’t even make to us big kids. I was hoping I would find something good to eat that would last a long time so we could eat for a few days,” whimpered Gus. Big wet tears started flowing down the little mouse’s cheeks, and he began sobbing heavily again. “Not only did I not find any food, but I got lost too! I can’t find my way home in all the snow!” “Don’t cry little guy! My name is Boots. My owners named me that on account of my little white feet. My mama owner says it looks like I’m wearing boots all the time,” boasted the cat. Gus finally stopped his blubbering to get a good look at his new friend. Boots was a fine feline with big green eyes, solid gray fur, and sure enough, four white paws. “Well Boots, you sure are a handsome fellow,” said the mouse. “Well, thank you Gus. How nice of you to say. Now. I think we can solve both of your dilemmas here, but first let’s get you warmed up by the fire and something in your belly. Last I checked, mice eat cheese, don’t they? Or is that just something they made up on the TV?” asked Boots as he pawed open the fridge door. Up he climbed to the second shelf and nudged open the drawer there. He snatched up a small package, and plopped himself back down in front of Gus. Using his front paws, he pushed the door towards the open drawer. CREEAAKK!! The drawer and the door slid shut all at once. “Nifty trick isn’t it?” asked the smug cat. “Yes! Quite!” exclaimed Gus. “Well, here you go. Eat up! When you’re finished, I’ll show you another trick.” said Boots. Gus began gobbling the cheese as fast as he could. He didn’t mean to seem so greedy, but he was so hungry. The morsels filled his belly and delighted his taste buds. It was the best cheese ever! While Gus ate, the cat went to work digging through a giant red bag that sat in the corner of the living room. A picture of man and woman with white hair and sparkly eyes hung from the wall. They both wore red clothing trimmed in white, and in the woman’s arms sat Boots. Behind the couple you could see antlered deer standing around a large wooden sleigh. “They look nice enough,” thought Gus as he looked the photograph over. “Are those your owners?” he asked Boots. “What? Oh, yes. They aren’t home except late at night this time of the year. Something or the other about making toys and feeding little men, they say. I went with them once. Too cold for me. I’m happy right here by the fire.” “Do you get lonely?” asked Gus. “Oh no! Not at all. I have creatures like you stop by my stoop all the time. There’s always someone to help around here. I enjoy it. Now, let me see what I did with that thing,” said Boots has he pawed through the sack. Gus inched closer to Boots as he dodged things spread all over the floor that the cat deemed unusable. “What are you looking for Boots?” “A box. A box that will solve all your problems. My owners always bring me magical gifts that I never need. I’m a cat! I eat, sleep, play and well, you know,” said Boots pointing to his litterbox. “I don’t need much so I help others with the things I keep in here.” he said diving back into the bag. “Found it!” he yelled after a few minutes. Boots jumped down and plopped a glittery box in front of Gus. “What is this thing? What do I do with it?” asked the mouse. “This is a wish box. You open the lid, make a wish, and close it up. When you open it again, it has exactly what you asked for inside. Pretty neat, huh?” said Boots with a grin that tilled his whiskers straight out. “Now try it out,” he urged Gus. “Well, I always did like pecans. It’s been a while since I had any. Here goes nothing.” Gus opened the lid and quietly whispered, “I wish I had some pecans.” He carefully shut the box and placed on the floor. There was a whirring sound coming from inside as the mouse stepped away from it. In no time at all, it let out a loud DING! “Open her up!” said the cat. “I think it’s finished.” Gus lifted the lid and to his utter surprise, the box was full to the brim with nuts. “Wow! I can eat for days and share with my brothers and sisters. Wait, can the box get me home?” “I suppose it could. Here. Put the pecans in this satchel, and wish the box to get you home. Don’t forget to put the lid back on. It holds the wish inside to work!” explained Boots. Gus emptied the box of the food, and Boots helped him put the little pack on his back. “I wish to go home,” the mouse said and closed the lid ever so gently. The whirring sound began again. DING! It was finished. He opened the box only to find a folded piece of paper inside. “How is this supposed to get me home?” he said with dismay. “Read it. You may find the answer written on the page.” replied the cat. Gus unfolded the paper, and to his delight, he was greeted with a big map. Smack in the middle of it was a red star labeled “HOME.” “Home!” squeaked Gus. “Home! Thank you so much Boots!” “You’re very welcome, Sir. Now off you go,” said Boots opening the door. Gus was apprehensive about traveling in the snow at first, but everywhere there was a line on the map, the snow was cleared away. In no time, he was back at his family’s nest. He ran through the hole greeting them one and all. He showed them the box, and each mouse took a turn making a wish. All of them soon had a full belly, and a happy heart. As grateful as Gus was, he couldn’t help but think of poor Boots there all by himself in the little cottage. “Box, I wish for the shiniest collar there ever was, and I want it to say “Thank you Boots. Love, Gus and Family.” As soon as the lid was closed, the box began whirring. DING! Gus opened it quickly, threw the collar inside his satchel, and made a wish to find his way back to the little house with the beautiful Christmas tree inside, and the cat who stares out of the window. Another map greeted his eyes when box dinged again, and away he went to find his way back to his new friend. It was getting dark and cold outside, but Gus continued on until he once again climbed up the stairs to the top of the concrete stoop. The door creaked open, but this time, he was greeted by the man from the picture that hung on the wall in the little home. “Who do we have here? You must be Gus. Boots was just telling us about his new friend. Come inside little one. Mrs. Claus is making hot cocoa, and I’m sure we can find something small enough for you to drink from,” said the man. “Are you sure, mister? I just came to give Boots a present to say thank you for helping me. I’ll be on my way afterwards,” said Gus. “Nonsense. It’s too cold out there for you head back on your own. I’ll drop you off in my sleigh when I leave. It’s Christmas Eve you know. Busiest night of the year for me.” “Okay. That sounds great…uh…uh. What’s your name, Sir?” asked Gus. “Why, I’m Santa Claus, little one. Nice to meet you!” replied Santa. “Oh wow! You’re really that guy that delivers all those presents in one night!?! You’re a legend!” shouted the mouse. “Yes, it’s him. It’s him. Now, what are you doing back here, little friend? Do you need more help?” asked Boots as he sat down in front of Gus and began licking his paws. “I’ve a present for you, Boots. To say thank you.” “For me? I’ve always helped others, but they have never given me anything in return. How wonderful! Is it catnip? It’s catnip, isn’t it?” “Umm, nooo.” said Gus. He reached into his satchel, pulled out the collar, and placed it on the floor in front of his new friend. “Oh! How beautiful! It’s so sparkly! I love it!” exclaimed Boots. “What’s this? It has writing. You’re so welcome, Gus. With this inscription, I’ll never forget you.” Gus climbed up the cat’s back and helped him fasten the collar. He gave his neck a mousy hug before he slid back down. “Every time I look at it, it will me remind of why I help others. It gives me the same feeling I have now when I help someone. Thank you, Gus.” “No, thank you Boots,” whispered Gus. The pair laughed and drank their hot chocolate, and when it was time, Gus loaded up in Santa’s sleigh and said his goodbyes to Boots. Santa dropped him off right outside of his nest, and wished him a Merry Christmas. Gus became inspired to use his box like Boots used his Santa sack. He helped others whenever he could, and when Christmas rolled around again, he made his way back to the Claus house. There the two friends swapped stories, drank cocoa, and when it was time, Santa took him home. Never was someone more inspired to give and do good in the world than Boots and Gus. Open your heart not only at Christmas, but all year long. Be blessing where you can, and do good when you can. 2 Corinthians 9:8-11And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. |
