Wednesday, July 25, 2001
Wednesday, July 25, 2001
Let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet
spirit, which is very precious in God's sight.
This is a parable of modern life. For many people, a simple task like getting to work is extremely
draining. There are too many cars on the highway. Roads are too often under construction.
Commuting time is getting longer and longer. Driving a car, sitting in front of a computer screen,
working all day long with clients. A person can only perform these emotionally and spiritually
draining tasks for so long until it's time to say enough! Jesus says, Get away from the crowd for a
while, find a quiet spot and rest.
(I Peter 3:4
NRSV)
Chuck Swindoll tells about a research psychologist at the National Institute of Mental Health who
was concerned about the stresses of modern life. He was convinced he could prove his theory
from a cage full of mice. His name? Dr. John Calhoun. His theory? Overcrowded conditions
take a terrible toll on humanity. Dr. Calhoun built a nine-foot square cage for his mice. He
observed them closely as their population grew. He started with eight mice. The cage was
designed to contain comfortably a population of 160. He allowed the mice to grow, however, to
a population of 2200. They were not deprived of any of life's necessities except privacy--no time
or space to be all alone. Food, water, and other resources were always clean and in abundance. A
pleasant temperature was maintained. No disease was present. All mortality factors (except aging)
were eliminated. The cage, except for its overcrowded condition, was ideal for the mice. The
population reached its peak at 2200 after about two-and-a-half years. Since there was no way for
the mice to physically escape from their closed environment, Dr. Calhoun was interested in how
they would handle themselves. Interestingly, as the population reached its peak, the colony of
mice began to disintegrate. Strange stuff started happening. The males who had protected their
territory withdrew from leadership. The females became aggressive and forced out the young . . .
even their own offspring. The young grew to be only self-indulgent. They ate, drank, slept,
groomed themselves, but showed no normal aggression and, most noteworthy, failed to
reproduce. After five years, every mouse had died. This occurred despite the fact that right up to
the end there was plenty of food, water, and an absence of disease.
Dear God, as I find moments of quietness, bring peace to my soul. Amen.
 Click here to Vote for this site! |
 Click here to Subscribe! |
|---|