The Stare Down

As I was walking around the yard getting reacquainted with everything after my month of absence, I spotted a chipmunk. It darted under some old, roofing material and disappeared. I decided to sit down about four feet from where he disappeared and wait to see if he would reappear. I didn't have to wait long. Soon a little furry nose poked out and out peeked the chipmunk. His black beady eyes glanced around and immediately he saw me. He froze... I froze... and so began the stare down.

Minutes ticked by... and still the chipmunk remained perfectly motionless. A fly buzzed by, an ant crawled across my hand, my nose itched, I was sure a spider was crawling up my pant leg, but I too remained motionless, determined to out stare him. How long would this go on? Who would break the gaze first? Tufted titmice were bathing in the creek below then flying up to a branch nearby and fluffing out their feathers and preening. A Blue jay screamed from a nearby tree. A Carolina chickadee hopped from branch to branch.... and still we stared at each other.

My foot was starting to go to sleep and it was becoming much harder for me to remain still. And you know how when you are not supposed to move, everything starts itching... well, I felt like I had an itch on my arm, in my hair, on my nose... Though it felt like forever, I think only 10 minutes had passed. Finally, an other Blue jay landed just above the chipmunk and it was almost like the chipmunk was startled out of its daze. It perked up, raised itself up a bit, and let out a sharp whistle. After uttering 4-5 loud whistles, the chipmunk chattered to itself a while longer with what almost sounded like squeaky hiccups. Falling silent once again, the chipmunk stared at me for maybe another minute or two, then decided he had had enough and quietly turned and disappeared.

In those few minutes I learned a little more about what it means to focus. The chipmunk was focused on me despite outward distractions. I attempted to remain focused as well by choosing to ignore noises, birds, itching... Should I not focus on God with as much, if not more, intensity?  How many times do I let outward distractions turn my gaze away from God or disrupt my devotional time? I'm thankful that the stare down was a gentle reminder to me that I have to make a conscious choice to stay focused on God.