Forbidden

My husband, Harold, had a wonderful childhood growing up in a quiet, rural community called Pleasant Hill. He enjoyed exploring with friends and an assortment of wild critters. Around the age of ten, Harold welcomed a friend into his life.

Ringer, a large raccoon, became his constant companion.

His pet coon learned to drink soda pop by holding a bottle with his front paws. He became a regular passenger on Harold’s bike by gripping the crossbar with his hind feet and the handlebars with his front feet. Ringer loved to sneak through an open window in the dark of night and play a game of hockey with a bar of soap in the bathtub.

A major restriction was placed upon Ringer by Harold’s parents, who owned and operated a country store in Pleasant Hill. Ringer was forbidden to be in the store at any time! Harold complied by supplying his pet regularly with snacks outside on the porch. One day, his parents announced that they had sold the store.

The new owners were scheduled to take ownership the following day. Harold was reminded again to keep Ringer outside while the transfer took place.

However, curiosity prevailed! Thinking his parents were too busy to notice, he slipped inside with Ringer on a leash. All went well for a few moments.

Suddenly, chaos broke loose! However, Walt Disney could not have planned a more dramatic escape! Ringer scampered up and along food-laden shelves with his owner in hot pursuit! Boxes, jars, and cans of food tumbled to the floor below.

After the chase ended and Ringer was captured, one small boy began cleaning up one big mess. How often do we, as adults, reason as a ten-year-old, “God is too busy with the affairs of the universe to notice? It won’t hurt this one time!” Such deceptive reasoning gives license to just about anything without regard for the well-being of others. The mess resulting from these indiscretions, moral or legal, many times cannot be cleaned up within a lifetime. Psalm 90:8 reminds us, “You know every bad thing we have done; even what we have done secretly.”†

Dottie Barnett