I get to the church very early on Sunday mornings. I need the time to pray and prepare. I learned along time ago that God’s best work in my life happens when I am quite the longest. As I listen, God speaks. It rarely happens for me in the hustle and noise of life, but in stillness of reflection. My work office at the church is filled with some of my cherished mementoes, lots of papers and I am surround by a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) - my bookshelves. I love my books they are my friends, my mentors and my teachers. Sometimes, I spin my chair thinking through them and wondering what some of those wise counselors my say.
Last Sunday, I was sitting in my chair thinking about Abraham and his stumbling journey towards become a follower of our God. Suddenly, I heard a very loud noise right behind me. I sounded like angry person stamping on a cockroach. I don’t know if you have ever been church all alone in the middle of the night. The huge, dark, cavernous space can be a little unsettling. My study office is small, so I knew I was in the room alone, but still I spun around instantly expecting to see at tall angry foot. There was nothing.
I scanned the book shelves and then the floor. Something must have fallen from one of the top shelves. I could not detect anything out of the ordinary. I stood up and walked around, checking in my closet. Still nothing out of the ordinary. I returned to my chair and my work. Then I heard sounds again. There was something in the ceiling.
It would not be the first time. Steve Gowan has caught other critters sheltering in our attic, but nothing had traveled the labyrinthian path to my corner of the building complex. It was a long way from any of the places we have normally found their entry places. Those spots have to be constantly defend from their incursions.
I could not concentrate. The skittering noise moved back and forth above my head. It went on and on. I finally decided to film the ceiling to see if I could capture the sense of it. This animal (squirrel, rodent, baby racoon?) was not trying to escape. Instead, this beast was practicing for the World Cup. It was clear that it had something round and was dribbling it back and forth to work on ball control skills. It worked from one side of the field to the other and then came back again. I started calling him “Roll-ando.”
I called Steve Gowan, our building manager, left to go preach my sermon. By the time I got back, the room was quiet again and the animal had made its way to Catherine’s office and then disappeared. Im editing the footage and should have it on my Facebook page this weekend if you want to see it.
Where and when do you spend your best time with God? What do you do to protect it in your life? Has it been too long for you? Have you gotten so busy with the game of life that you have pushed out the silence? The noise in my ceiling reminded me how much I treasure time alone with God. I would encourage you to spend some time carving out some quietness.