Night Vision

Blake stretched and yawned, lazily watching the campfire. He was on a camping trip with his church group, and he was tired. His head started to nod, and his eyes grew heavy. But suddenly he sat up, wide awake as an eerie sound came from deep in the dark woods. Whooo, hoo-hoo, whooo, whooo. Everyone peered into the darkness, and Blake and a few other boys scooted a little closer to the bright, comforting fire."That's just our friend Mr. Owl," said Mr. Lee, their group leader. "I guess he's ready to do a little hunting for his dinner. Now, let's see what you boys know about owls. What kind of beaks do they have?""Hooked beaks!" someone blurted out."Right," said Mr. Lee. "What are their claws like?""They're sharp!" someone else called out. "Hey, you guys are pretty good," said Mr. Lee. "Owls have interesting eyes too. Who can tell me something about them?""They can see in the dark," offered one boy."Right! They have night vision, so they sleep during the day and hunt at night. Their eyes are very sensitive, and when they fly overhead, they can see even very small animals on the ground."Again the hoot of an owl came from the woods. Whooo! Whooo! This time, Blake didn't feel as afraid. Talking about the owls made the sound seem friendlier."The good news is that owls don't eat boys," said Mr. Lee with a chuckle. "And although they have incredible vision, it's nothing compared to the way God can see. The Bible says the 'eyes of the Lord are in every place.' To be able to see everywhere at the same time--that's great eyesight, isn't it?""Yeah, but it's kind of scary too," said one of the boys."Well, it could be knowing that God sees when we do something wrong," said Mr. Lee. "But Jesus forgives us when we confess our wrongs, and He sees us and understands us when it seems like no one else does. He loves us and helps us, and He also sees the good things we do out of our love for Him. I find that very comforting." Mr. Lee stood and stretched. "Time to turn in," he announced. "God will be watching over you all night. Remember that, and sleep well."–Carolyn E. Yost