Last night was one of those really dark nights. My dog and I were out for a late night walk when she stopped, raised her hackles and uttered her fiercest low growl. I carry a small flash light to turn on in case a car comes by. I want to make sure the driver sees us. But something else was seeing us. As I swept the area with the light I suddenly saw the reflection of six eyes pointed in our direction. The owners were about eighteen inches tall and silent. I’m pretty sure if I had hackles they would have matched my dog’s. Ever so vigilantly we retreated back home.
It is not the first time we have encountered coyotes but this was the first time more than one; at least that I noticed. How often are we unaware of being watched? In the workplace, in our neighborhoods, people are observing. We think our behavior and attitudes don’t matter, but they do matter, especially if people know we are Christians.
A really good kind of watching is “He who watches over you will not slumber;” Psalm 121:3. That kind of watching doesn’t cause us to vigilantly retreat. That is unless our path is somewhere we should not be. Psalm 1:1 describes that in three ways. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.” If that was our path then we should flee as quickly as possible. What joy we have in Jesus’ words, “Lo, I am with you always. Even unto the end of the world.” I like that kind of watching.