Theology of the Mousetrap

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 8:31b-39 (ESV)

I was thinking about this blog’s title today: whether it served any purpose except being silly. (FYI, not only is it a nod to my job as Disney Comics Art Director at Gemstone Publishing, it’s the second half of the mock-proverb, "The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.") It didn’t take me long to realize why I like it so much, though, and now I’m sure I’m going to keep it.

You see, I’m that "second mouse." (Yes, I may procrastinate, but that’s not what I mean.) I’m the second mouse because Jesus was the first: he was killed so that I can forever enjoy the treasure of delighting in the presence of God. If I had stepped on that trap when it was set, it would have been the end for me. Jesus, out of love, pushed me aside and leapt for it. Jesus paid the price and I get the benefit.

He died, but he didn’t stay dead; "God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it" — Acts 2:24 (ESV).

So here I am: a good-fer-nuthin’ germ-ridden pest who’s been saved from certain doom and taken into God’s storehouse. I’m a mouse set loose in the cupboard! Who wouldn’t want this life? Who would want to choose death and decay instead?

"You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
— Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

EDIT: Brian Parra just pointed out that he recently wrote a very different take on the phrase. (FYI, and no offense to Brian, but I wouldn’t call his blog ‘family-friendly.’ Just want to throw that disclaimer up for anyone who’d prefer to know such things beforehand.)

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