"Shhh...Listen..."

     We have had a "Polar Express" week in my classroom this week.  There's a part at the end of the book that talks about the bell, and the boy says that there was once a time when the bell rang for all his friends.  They could all hear it, but as the years went on, the bell grew silent for most of them.  It still rang loudly for him, however, because he still believed. 
   
     It hit me that that is kind of like the call of Christ.  He calls to all of us at different times in our lives.  Many hear the call and choose to ignore it, hoping that it will 'go away'.  What a sad, scary, desperate state to be in when we can no longer hear the call of the Lord:  He has fallen silent.  Then there are those who sort of believe in a "higher power"...the call grows fainter and fainter until it falls silent all together. 

     I'm so glad that I still hear His call.  I hear it when I pray, I hear it when I praise Him, I hear it when I wake up, down through the day, and when I fall asleep.  Sometimes His call wakes me from sleep, and other sweet times, it puts me to sleep.  Sometimes I hear His call almost audibly, and other times I can only hear it as a soft whisper.  But I never fail to listen for it.  I pray that I, as well as you, never get to a point in our lives when we no longer hear His call.  "The bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe."

                                                  "Quench not the Spirit."
                                                 1 Thessalonians 5:19 KJV