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by Rev. Chris Ian Chenoweth |
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(slightly modified) |
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One crisp winter day Chris sat alone on his front porch quietly looking out
over his yard, his interest fastened on a particular event that was occurring
every day before his eyes. There was a mole in his yard that had become a
great inspiration to him! It Chris had never actually met Mortimer face to face, but he did step into Mortimer’s living room on a number of occasions. In the spring, when he walked across his front yard, he never knew if his next step would fall onto firm ground or into what only masqueraded as a solid foundation for an approaching foot. It seemed to Chris as if Mortimer had a sense of humor and lived for the joy of the hunt of a newly polished shoe.
Chris’s dog Bentley was quite upset with Mortimer. Bentley's keen
nose would pick up the scent, and he would rapidly dig into a fresh dirt
mound, but to no avail. Mortimer
In spite of all this, Chris regarded Mortimer as an amazing inspiration!
Everywhere Mortimer decided to go, he had to tunnel through solid
ground in complete darkness -- all alone in the cold. If you or I were
faced with a necessary task like this, we would find it quite distressing, but not
Mortimer. He is unaffected by the continual obstacles in his daily life.
He pushes on and pushes harder, never stopping. Furthermore, he
would never be satisfied with yesterday's tunnels; Mortimer will always
dig anew, blazing a new frontier. It seemed to Chris as though
Mortimer never felt cheated or defe
Chris decided that Mortimer is one of the great positive thinkers of our
time. He can begin at one end of two acres of solidly frozen ground
pushing, shoving, and digging right below the icy surface and tunnel his
way to the other side. He wondered what Mortimer was thinking as he
tunneled. How does he pray? Does he use affirmations?
Does he set goals? Does Mortimer say to himself, "Tonight I
will tunnel fifty yards more than y Chris has often thought that Mortimer was born at the wrong time and in the wrong place. For instance, if he had been around at the turn of the century and worked on the New York subway system, he could have been famous. Chris thought, “Even if he were famous, I don't believe that he could be any happier than he is right now, because Mortimer has found his purpose in life.” He decided that Mortimer’s motto might be to do what you do best, and do it as well as you possibly can. That would be a good motto for us too. Mortimer’s favorite hymn might well be "Amazing Grace" because of the line that says, “was blind, but now I see.”
Chris knows that we all need a positive role model in life, and he
wondered what
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seemed to tunnel night and day like an
underground Energizer bunny. Every day, as Chris looked out at he
condition of his front yard, he would see the fresh mounds of dirt that
seemed to bubble up over the white snow. This striking contrast was
more evident each morning, as mound after mound would appear. As the
snow melted, not only could he see the mounds, but snakelike trails of
tunnels that crossed his yard. The intertwining tunnels seemed to go
on for miles! Chris began to feel as if he personally knew this mole, as
much as a person can know others by watching their work and habits.
He even gave this mole a name. He called him Mortimer.
would be miles away on that freeway
of underground inter-yard system. What had been just a small mound
had now become a rather large hole in the yard - another crater in what
Chris came to think of as “the lunar gardens.” Crater mounds and what one
visitor called “yard varicose veins” ran everywhere as a reminder that
there's more here than meets the eye!
ated when he hit an obstacle or a wall;
without hesitating, he would simply change direction and continue on
toward his success. Nothing stopped him, and each morning Chris
would awake to v
iew a new shrine of Mortimer’s achievements.
During winter when the ground is below freezing for several months, it
would take every bit of human strength to dig a hole with a shovel; as if
trying to dig into solid rock. Yet this prospect does not affect Mortimer
one bit, even though he has health challenge. Yes, Mortimer’s
health challenge is one that affects most moles; he is almost blind.
Add that to all the other obstacles Mortimer faces every day and what do
you have?
esterday," or does he say, "I
won't sleep until I trap at least one freshly polished wing tip"?
Chris thought, “I wish I could meet Mortimer just once and talk about
life, motivation, and faith.” He enjoyed spending time with
faith-filled people (and moles) of like mind. He wished he could ask
Mortimer to speak on Sunday morning. His topic would probably be
"How to Dig Up A New Idea."
he could learn from Mortimer?
…Faith, persistence,
perseverance, positive outlook? …Perhaps purpose and relentless pursuit
of happiness? He used to be quite upset that his once beautifully
lush green yard was disappearing. Now he saw more. He saw an example of what can be accomplished by one single solitary life dedicated
to its purpose. Chris looked out over his front yard and thought,
“What a beautiful lesson this is! This is what God intends for each of
us!”