Aesop’s Fables Month: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse 🏙️🐁🛖🐀
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) via Gemini
What Paul says here really matters because attitude can make or break the joy we experience in this life.
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
— Philippians 4:12-13 (B.S.B.)
If you’ve read parts of my testimony, you know I’ve experienced the low parts, but since many of them are before giving my life to Christ, let me fast forward to some moments after salvation.
Right after I got saved, I lived in a tiny airstream trailer without a lot of regular benefits you get with even a small apartment—like a shower stall. I paid $25 per week, which would be about $85 per week now, and that included utilities. My take home from working at a truck stop was about $35 per week, so that gave me $10 per week for food. I guess that would be about $35 now. So I would go through the grocery store twice: once to put everything I thought I wanted into my cart, and next to take out anything that went over my budget. And while that sounds excruciatingly difficult, it was simple, and I was happy.
As life got a little financially easier, I enjoyed the privilege of going out to eat now and then, but both the restaurant and the meal were chosen based on available cash. One restaurant we frequented dubbed our family “the biscuit and gravy bunch” because that’s what we could usually afford.
Later, I got a job where my paychecks allowed me to order from the menu without focusing on the price. Those paychecks didn’t make me rich, but in comparison to the days of biscuits and gravy, it felt like I was rich.
But here’s the one thing that was so different when I got those checks: I was content as long as my focus was on The Lord. I was no more content with more money and no less content with less money. There are moments when having what I need, or even what I desire, is a wonderful experience on this earth, and it’s tempting to even call it a blessing, but the most real “blessings” we can have in this life are the moments filled with real gifts like family, friends, joy, love—and especially the love of Christ. There is nothing that can compare to being contented with our salvation.
The Classic Fable Retold: The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (Perry 352)
A town mouse once visited his relative who lived in a humble hole in the fields. The country mouse served a modest meal of roots, grains, and acorns, nibbling sparingly while offering the best he had.
The town mouse turned up his nose and said, “My poor friend, you live like an ant! Come with me to the city, and you will see what real living is. A wealth of cheese, honey, fruit, and fine foods awaits us.”
Intrigued, the country mouse accompanied him to a grand townhouse. But just as they began to feast upon a luxurious banquet left on the table, the door flew open and heavy footsteps approached, accompanied by a prowling cat. Terrified, the mice scrambled for their lives, dodging shadows and claws.
When the coast finally cleared, the shaking country mouse whispered his goodbyes, saying, “You may have all your fine luxuries and rich foods, but I prefer my simple crusts in peace and safety rather than a grand feast seasoned with constant terror.”
The True Wealth of a Quiet Mind
The flash-in-the-pan illusion of luxury often comes with a hidden price tag of anxiety, stress, and constant fear. Just like the country mouse realizing that a safe, quiet home is worth more than a terrifying banquet, we learn that true peace cannot be bought in the marketplace.
As Scripture wisely notes:
“Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.”
— Proverbs 17:1 (B.S.B.)
May we always remember that the simplest life anchored in Christ’s love far outweighs any worldly abundance traded for peace of mind!
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