A Creature in the House

There's a creature in the house. I think it is about 3 feet tall, long tail, sharp, maybe bucked teeth with drool sliding down it's chin. The creature doesn't sleep at night but stomps around, chewing wood and steel. The creature believes that he (I think it's a "he") is setting up house for his future "babe" creature and their offspring...lots and lots of them.

At 2:00 AM, I couldn't take it anymore. The creature was no longer capable of being ignored.

"Hey, Babe!" I whispered. "I think that creature is going to chew it's way into our bedroom."

Being the calm, very calm man that J is, he replied, "Honey, it's just a little mouse. He'll stop before long."

I forgot about whispering. "It's NOT a little mouse! This thing is huge. I think it's a giant rat or a beaver or maybe even a gremlin." (Yes, my imagination overflows sometimes.)

J (bless his heart) gets up and goes into the attic storage of the house behind the closet in our bedroom with a flashlight. I wait to hear thudding and slamming and screeching but there's nothing. He comes back in and climbs back in bed.

"Did you get him?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"No, he's in the floor space between the floor and the ceiling of the rooms downstairs." He turns over to begin his descent into sleepland.

Last night, I went behind J (bravely, I might add) with the intent to seek out the creature. I lifted up a box and out fell a small bottle of oil that J used for when he prayed for his congregation during church services. Right then and there, I had an idea. I dabbed a little here and there, all over the doorway. I prayed this prayer....

"Dear God, please don't let the creature cross this doorway. Amen."

I went to sleep with peace, knowing that with God on my side, the creature was bound to get bored, unnerved, afraid and maybe hungry and leave. At least....I hope that it does and soon.

Life is like that as well. We don't realize that we open the door to unexpected creatures in our lives...

We allow the kids to watch something that is inappropriate.

We fall into the sea of gossip, just to belong.

We over eat because it's there and not because we're hungry.

We lose our tempers and say something that we later regret.

We envy others for what they have and what we do not have.

We stretch the truth a tiny bit which leads to a bigger thing...a lie.

All this time, we are feeding and allowing the creature to dwell in our homes.

I know that there are creatures looming around in my home. Some are seen and others aren't. I'm praying though that they will find that there is no place for them to dwell and they'll pack up their bags and leave.

If not, I have big stick and I'm not afraid to use it.

How about you? Do you have creatures, unwelcome in your home?