Back To Home Page To Archives - Spring of Life - H. Roger Bothwell Symbiosis As I settled down to write this evening I heard a snap in the kitchen. I was reluctant to get up. I knew what it was. We caught a mouse. Or perhaps he was lucky enough to lick off the peanut butter and get away. But I really knew better. If they successfully lick off the peanut butter there is no snap. I wanted to wait. If I went right away it might still be alive and suffering. I did not want to see that. As I sat here I determined to get a live trap. At the far corner of my yard I have a gigantic pile of brush. I can release them there. This is not sentimentalism. I do not think of them in terms of Mickey. I know they do not belong in my house. I am aware of their destructive nature and the possibility of the transmission of disease. That is why the trap. It is deeper than that. It is a reverence for life. While we are indeed the most sophisticated of God's creative work we are not the only ones with a right to live. God's world is an intricately designed scheme of symbiosis. We need mice, but in their place and their place is not in my place. The variety of life God has placed upon His world is most amazing. We are stewards of God's world. We must do all we can to support that delicate balance. We do it for the mice. We do it for the black lab that rests her head on my feet. But most of all we do it for our great grandchildren. I'm Roger Bothwell and my address is hrb1@tiac.net or 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453. Thank you for your support of our faith ministry. Past devotionals can be accessed at Archives