A bat in my basement!

And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.
Prov 27:9

“Mom, hurry!” Two frantic words which jolt any Mom to attention! I had just collapsed on the porch swing after an exhausting Saturday when, again, the words rang out: “Hurry, Mom! There is a BAT in the basement!” Running to the backyard, I found my seventeen-year-old proudly trapping a hissing, long-toothed bat under a snow shovel. “Oh,” he very calmly exclaims, “I forgot to tell you. I saw the bat in the basement about five days ago.” What! He forgot to mention a bat in the basement! Are you kidding me?! You don’t withhold bat-in-the-basement information! Truthfully, my family probably feared that I would call in the National Guard… but nonetheless, having a bat in your basement is just something you need to know.

Pondering the entire incident as I lay in bed that night, I wondered how many times I had walked around in the basement unaware of the bat. Then a scarier thought hit me: How many times in my life have I been unaware of things that could really hurt me and those around me? Things that needed to be identified and removed…ugly things called sin. But how do you see sin? How do you know it is there? For me, God has used two things over and over – His Word and real friends. The Bible says the Word is like a mirror we can use to look at ourselves (Jas 1:23). It will never return void (Isa 55:11), it helps us understand and lights our way (Ps 119:104-106). Through His Word, God has shown me things which just don’t belong in my life. In addition, He has used good friends who love the Lord and love me enough to boldly speak truth to me when they see sin in my life. We all need to seek out this kind of friend, and we can’t run them off when they point out things we might not want to see. Yes, it may ruffle our feathers, and sparks might fly when “iron sharpens iron” (Prov 27:17); but we have to hang in there to reap the wonderful benefits of this kind of true friendship. Honestly, don’t you want to know when there is a “bat in your basement” that needs to be removed? If so, cultivate real friends and let them speak truth to you. Run to God’s Word. Listen to what He has to say. He will give you the power to remove whatever it is He shows you and help you walk on to more freedom and a joyous, closer walk with Him.

Prayer: Father, I want to know if I have allowed sin to settle into my life. I pray you will show me things which will hurt me and those around me. I pray you will bring friends into my life who know You, know Your Word, and who will speak truth to me when I am outside of your will. Help me to daily hold up the mirror of your precious Word and grow in wisdom. Help me to see sin, and help me to obey You and walk away from it. Thank you for loving me so much and being my strength to live freely as your child – no longer in bondage to sin. I love you Lord. Amen.