Screech Owl

Mary’s Monday musings to Quilt Encouragement

Screech Owl

The screech Owl is a surprisingly small bird for the owl family. In contrast to his size, his large screech at night is eerie enough to send shivers down the spines of small creatures in the area as well as sends uneasiness to humans within earshot. When small creatures tremble in response, they make a slight noise in the leaves or grass and the owl swoops in for his dinner.

What should we do when our lives screech around us, when our insides tremble at a situation in our lives? Look again at the screech owl, he has two notable pointed appendages on top of his head that look like ears, but they aren’t. Apparently, no one knows what purpose these interesting feathery projections serve. Perhaps the small owl gains a bit of height, slight as it is, from these pointy appendages. The screech owl’s real ears don’t stick out at all. They are merely openings and aren’t even symmetrically placed on his head. One is up high over one eye while the other one is located under the other eye on what one could call his cheek. He has excellent hearing through these unnoticeable openings. He hears the slightest rustle in the grass even from a long distance.

The two ears in our heads allow us hear people and even dangers like the crackling of a fire out of control. But we also have an inner ability to hear through un-seeable means. God gives us a sense of what is dangerous and also nudges us toward things that benefit us. When we turn to God, the Lord helps us grow our ability to hear his communication whether with our natural ears or through our inner connection with Him. We enlarge our listening relationship with Him when we pray, read His Bible, or other books that draw us toward Him. Lord, help us develop our ability to hear your directions and show us how to navigate the stresses of our life.