A bat recently got into our firebox. How, I don’t know. I thought it was a closed contained firebox, with little holes in metal tubes to let the smoke out and up the chimney. But somehow the bat found a way in there.
As it was flapping around inside the firebox, I suddenly realized that that was how the bat had gotten into our house last year. One morning last Spring we woke up to discover a bat flying throughout our house. (not a very pleasant way to wake up!)
We could not figure out how it had gotten into the house. It didn’t occur to us that it had flown down the chimney and come in through the fireplace.
I did not want another bat flying around inside my house. So my viewpoint on the situation was, if the bat found its way in there, then it could find its way back out again, whichever way that was. If not … then too bad.
The bat does not belong in my firebox. So also, in much the same way, sometimes in life people make bad decisions and they wind up in places they do not belong.
Like the bat in my firebox, the people who have made poor decisions wind up trapped. Trapped because of their own foolishness and bad choices.
Bats cannot see, but rather use their sense of hearing (echolocation) to navigate and find their direction.
In much the same way, as we go throughout life, we will come upon situations which we cannot “see” the outcome. We aren’t sure if we should go down a particular “path” … just like the bat could not see what was down my chimney.
The bat did not know that down my chimney was not a safe place to go. So also, as we face life decisions we don’t know if a particular “path” leads to a “dead end” and a “trap” … like my firebox at the bottom of the chimney.
Just like the bat uses its sense of hearing to navigate, so also we too must use our spiritual sense of hearing to navigate life.
Whenever we come upon a dangerous “path” the Holy Spirit will send out clear warnings in our soul! Deep down in our soul we will know that that is not the right “path” to go down. The Holy Spirit will alert us!
But we have to be paying attention! We have to be listening!
The Holy Spirit won’t yell warnings at us. The Holy Spirit speaks gently … quietly … through our conscience. The Holy Spirit speaks through the Word of God (which the Holy Spirit authored). The Holy Spirit speaks through wise godly counsel of others.
But perhaps … we don’t like the direction the Holy Spirit is telling us to go.
So we choose to ignore what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do … and we choose willfully to go down the “path” we want to.
The Holy Spirit won’t grab us and hold us back. God has given us freedom to make our own decisions. This includes the freedom to ignore and disobey His wisdom, guidance, and direction.
And so … just like the bat, we fly head-long down a path (chimney) which is not best for us. We are so determined to go the way we want, that when we come upon anything in our way, we wiggle around it and keep going ahead anyway.
And just like the bat, we ultimately wind up “trapped in the firebox” by our own foolish decisions and bad choices.
Listen to the Holy Spirit’s still small voice deep in your soul. Don’t ignore what He is telling you to do.
And then obey! It will be life for you.
