“Always look around when your cat gazes behind you with that intent look in their eyes. Some day there might actually be something there.” – Anonymous

And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.”  And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.” Exodus 33:19-23

How do you feel the Spirit in your life? If you suddenly felt the hair on your neck stand up, or felt a slight shiver down your back, would you think the Holy Spirit was present, or a ghost was standing behind you? What should the spirit feel like, or look like? Paul tells us that “…the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27) Jesus calls the Spirit the “advocate” and the “comforter”.

There are times when I look at my cats and I wonder what they are thinking – and what they are looking at. Even the slightest bug or rogue light from outside can get them very excited – and verbalizing like there is some presence they need to stalk. There are other times where I think they might be able to look into another dimension – one that I cannot see – just like they can hear in decibels I could only hope to hear.

We need to be aware of those moments when the Holy Spirit is present in our lives – seeking to get our attention. It may come in the sigh of a friend or relative. It may come in the random phone call from someone in need. Or it may come in that intuition we often get that calls us to speak out, stop by, or share some time.

We may not always know what are cats are seeing, or hearing – but the Spirit is ever present. We just need to pay attention.

Pastor Dave