Bible Center Church

During final exams, a week before Ted graduated from WVU in 1953, we decided to find a pet to take with us to OSU where Ted would pursue his education. The biology lab, next door to the entomology lab where I worked, had a few white rats due to be put to sleep. We thought one of them might be the perfect pet for our apartment in Columbus, OH.

I scanned the cages to choose just the right pet for us; balls of soft white fur and pink eyes staring at me as I passed them by. My search ended when I saw the little fellow we would later name Sylvester.

He was an experimental rat who had been deprived of vitamins since birth. Instead of white fur, his entire body was a mass of open, oozing sores. He sat on his haunches, paws hanging limp in front of his chest. His bloodshot eyes glazed at me through crusted red lids. Turning to Professor Lilly, I asked if there was any hope for this little rat at all? With a nod of his head, he assured me that with intense treatment he would look like all the others in just two weeks. Sobered, I pointed to the forlorn bundle of pain and said, “I’ll take him.”

Then, I leaned forward and whispered to the frightened animal: “You just wait, little guy. I promise I’II return for you. You just wait.” The hurting one who huddled in the corner of the cage made no response, and fourteen days later, a bright healthy, shiny-eyed little rat climbed into my waiting hands.

At first Sylvester slept curled up in Ted’s shirt pocket as he studied for his finals at WVU. Then he quickly outgrew the pocket and moved to Ted’s shoulder, and finally into his lap. Completely housebroken, we gave him the run of our apartment. He learned his name and came when we called. He played tag with us from beneath a pillow on the couch while we read the newspaper.

Laboratory rats are bred for intelligence and we marveled at his learning capabilities. I made a little harness and leash out of bias tape so I could take him for daily walks after we got home in the evenings. Sylvester was the hit of the neighborhood and everyone who saw him picked him up to pet him. Since he was happiest when being held and cuddled, he got excited each time he saw us get his leash. He knew he was in for a hug from somebody, and would jump into my or Ted’s lap so the harness could be slipped over his head.

We were amazed, once it dawned on Sylvester that we had a different wake and sleep schedule from his, that he changed his habits. Our normally nocturnal pet began to sleep at night and stay awake all day. Also, he was particularly fond of popcorn, potato chips and ice cream, and he was able to learn to shake his head yes or no indicating which of the treats he wanted at any given time.

Sylvester liked to travel with us. He’d crawl up my coat sleeve, turn around at my elbow with his nose pointed down, and stay in that position for hours if I let him. So, we took him with us nearly everywhere, including Big Bear Grocery and Lazarus Department Store. One evening we attended a performance of Verdi’s opera, Rigoletto, in downtown Columbus. For four hours Sylvester slept at my elbow in my coat sleeve, no one the wiser. I betcha that our WVU rat was the only one in the whole wide world who ever attended an Opera––and in a reserved seat at that.

I doubt that Sylvester understood the words I said when we first met in the laboratory, or what my promise would mean to him in the days that followed. But, WE can know with a certainty what lies ahead for us. The idyllic home we provided for Sylvester was nothing compared to the home our Lord is building for His children right now. He promised us, “Let not your heart be troubled . . . In my Father’s house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you . . . that where I am you may be also. ( Jn. 14:1-3 )

My Lord is the Heavenly Carpenter––He knows how to build a home. Our eternal home will suit our needs exactly. He has given us His promise that it will be so.

“Just wait, my child,” He promised. “You just wait.”