Do you remember the old joke about the guy who walked around snapping his finger against his thumb to keep the elephants away? Someone said to him, “There aren’t any elephants around here.” And he said, “See, it works.” Well, my dog does something very similar. At night when I let her out the back door before she goes off the porch she sniffs the air and then barks about three times. I think she is saying, “Look I know you’re out there and you better clear out because I’m coming.” It reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes strip about monsters under Calvin’s bed. Now it is true we do have a good sized coyote in the neighborhood but they have seen each other and seem to have a sense of proper distance.
When I was a little guy I liked to whistle in the dark. Years later when I got a telescope I learned the darker it got the better it was for seeing stars. Perhaps that has something to do with Jesus’ comments on how difficult it is for a rich person to be saved. Life is so bright they can’t see the real source of their blessings. The stars are there all day long; we just can’t see them because of the sun.
The only darkness we need fear is the kind inside our heads. Ignorance, bigotry, loathing, pride and smugness are the things we really should fear. The monsters are real but they aren’t under the bed or out in the backyard. They see inside our personalities and are determined to destroy us. We are the monsters. And yet after I have said that I must remind myself that God also wants to live in us. And when He does the monsters flee. See Matthew 6:22 ff.
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 16, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org