Earlier, I shared “Run” in Part 1 of the RAT Series. I gave an account of an experience wherein I sustained an injury for chasing after a tiny little rat. I mentioned that the rat gave me so much headache that I had to chase after it in order to salvage my peace. It finally escaped to the kitchen. My time and energy were wasted. I had to give up. But my giving up didn’t mean I conceded defeat. I just had to prove my being a homo-sapien. And luckily, I killed the rat in the end, but with a strategy. Here’s what I did.

The evening following the drama, I went in search of a ‘rat-catcher’ [a foldable piece of hard card with glue on its two inner sides]. And yes, I got it. I was so ecstatic that I bought three. This time, I was determined to guard against any further injury or waste of time and energy. On arriving home, I prepared a trap. I placed an aromatic small piece of fried meat at the center of the rat-catcher and positioned it at the entrance of the kitchen. Once this was done, I returned to devouring pages of Bishop TD Jakes’ “Instinct” in the living room.

Nearly two hours later, the distracting sound came up again, right from the kitchen. I crept gently towards the ‘crime scene’, slid the trap towards the waste bin as I sighted the ‘fresh’ little rat feeding on some food remnants. Then, I went to sleep. By the next morning, guess what? The rat had been caught! But I was sad. I was sad as I watched it struggle. It was an abysmal situation. The meat was intact since it was at the center of the trap. The more the rat forced its way off the trap, the more it bled. I really wished I could help but it was rather too late. My part was to then fold the trap and dispose of it properly. What a stressless comeback— attack!

Relatedly, some situations are just way beyond our powers. What gives most situations an advantage over us is our inability to pause, and then think of strategic solutions. When things aren’t working right, all you need is a temporary exit. I won’t, for any reason, recommend quitting [at tough times] but you see, situational antagonists naturally expect you to give up when frustrated. And is withdrawing before frustration not better than much after it? More so, you are the one who would know that your running is but a camouflage. After all, retreat is not always defeat; it can be a temporary time-out for a calculated strike-back.

My Friend, the battle is never over until it’s finally over. Quitters never win. But withdrawers rarely lose either. No one really knows why the United Kingdom exited the European Union but you and I know they were so damn sure it would pay off. Just like ‘Brexit’ seems a great choice for the UK today, your retreat will pay off too. Just believe! But remember, to get our desired shape of an iron, we don’t let the ore cool off. Don’t waste too much time on retreat. 

You may need to strike as soon as you can. So why not! Please do! Seize that opportunity! Make that call! Write that book or song! Approach that lady! *winks* Yes, please. And that’s now! NOW! You can do all things; that’s what Philippians 4:13 tells us. God blessed Abraham, but he was working. He will bless you too, keep working. But, get a plan. I had one for the rat as tiny as it was, and it worked. May yours work too as you go attack.

Any experience on how you once gave up temporarily, but struck back later and triumphantly overcame? Please share!