Listening

“The key to faith is FOCUS. Where we focus our attention determines our level of trust in God” (Charles Stanley).

Warm days in winter are nice unless you have bats in your chimney. When the temperature rises, the bats wake up from hibernation hungry. Inevitably, one gets disoriented and instead of going up the chimney outside, it comes down the chimney through the fireplace into the house. In January, we had a warm day and a bat stealthily infiltrated our living space. It managed to make it unnoticed to the second floor where one of our cats pounced on it outside the bathroom door.

I was on the other side of the door and heard the bat squeaking. The cat enjoys squeaky toys, especially ones that move. The bat was not interested in playing with the cat, so the bat slipped under the bathroom door to escape. I did not enjoy sharing the small space with the bat. My hero, my husband, later told me the bat was lying on the bathroom floor not flapping around as I imagined. Either the cat exhausted the bat or my shrieking stunned it.

In the mornings following the traumatic episode, I am hyper-focused. I am watchful for any bat activity as I come down the stairs. With no bat sightings, I fix my cup of coffee and sit down at the dining room table. The cat sits on alert on the hearth – listening – expectantly. I watch the cat listen intently. Ready to take cover, I notice that EVERYTHING in our house imitates the bats’ sounds. Even the light bulbs in the light fixture over my head make a bat-like ping as they warm up. It is nerve wracking.

While watching the cat and listening to the house, I wonder if I watch for and listen for the Holy Spirit as intently. I decide I don’t usually; however, when I am focused and aware, I am ready to move at the first sign of action, trusting God to guide me.

Lord, raise my awareness of Your Spirit’s doings and promptings. Help me to be expectantly watchful and ready to move.