It’s that time of year when kids are headed back to school. My boys are both grown. But I was thinking today about the first time I had to put my oldest son on the school bus. My plan was to put him on the bus and drive up to the school to make sure he got off at the right stop. So it just about killed me, but I put him on the bus.

He was so little and not quite five years old. It was like I was sending him out into the big dangerous world all alone. My heart broke. I cried all the way back down the driveway to my car. I got in the car still crying.

Then, I looked down. Sitting there in the passenger side floor board was a mouse. It just sat there and looked at me. My fretting and worrying about my son quickly turned to fright that the mouse would run up my leg! And the tears dried up. I thought about that mouse all the way to the school.

When the bus arrived at the school, my son confidently got off the bus, went straight to his room, and put his lunch box on the blue table. Because like he said, “That’s where it goes, mom.” I realized then that he was big enough to handle riding the bus and going to school.

Thinking about it later, I realized that God gave me that mouse. It redirected my focus and the distraction helped me overcome the incredible sadness that was on my heart that day. God never gives His children more than they can handle. But, who would have thought that comfort would have come in the form of a wide-eyed, big eared, little mouse?!

Matthew 11:30 KJV For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.