The Whistle

"Where's Molly, Grandpa?" asked Mason. He had come to spend a week with his grandparents, and he loved to play with Molly, their dog. In response, Grandpa took a whistle from his back pocket, put it to his mouth, and blew. "Your whistle must be broken," said Mason. "It doesn't make a sound." As he spoke, Molly came running from the woods behind the barn.Grandpa laughed. "The whistle isn't broken. It emits a high-pitched sound that can't be heard by human ears, but a dog can hear it plainly. Molly's been trained to respond to the sound of the whistle. It gets her attention every time." Grandpa went up on the porch. "You can play with Molly. I'll sit here a bit and watch."Mason and Molly raced across the yard. Then Mason threw a ball for Molly to fetch. She brought it back and waited eagerly for him to throw it again. Finally, Mason got tired and went to sit beside Grandpa, and Molly lay down at their feet.Grandpa took a sip of lemonade. "While I was watching you and Molly play, I was thinking of ways God calls us when He wants our attention."Mason grinned. "He doesn't use a whistle." Grandpa shook his head. "No, but He communicates with us in several ways. He speaks to us through the Bible. He uses parents, teachers, pastors, and other Christians to guide us and encourage us. And the Holy Spirit speaks quietly to our hearts.""How do we know when He's talking to us?" Mason asked."Well, I remember the first time I heard God's voice was when I felt the urge to trust in Jesus," Grandpa replied. "Now I know that was the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. Since then, I've learned to recognize His voice when He reminds me of His truth in the Bible or allows other Christians to point out something in my life that needs to change. As God's children, we should always be sensitive and ready to hear what Jesus says. We need to be like sheep who hear their shepherd's voice and follow him."Mason reached down and scratched the dog's ears. "Just like Molly does when she hears your whistle." -Beverly Kenniston