Blind as a Bat

Bible Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3; 1 John 5:4-5

“Look out!” warned Cody as his sister stumbled over a chair. “You must be `blind as a bat if you didn’t see that chair, Eliza!”

Eliza huffed as she righted the chair. “Bats aren’t blind!” she said.

“Yes, they are,” said Cody. “They find their way around by listening to sound waves instead of by seeing things with their eyes.”

“Yes, but they can see,” said Eliza. “They just don’t see very well, so they rely on their ears to get around.”

“Eliza’s right,” Dad said. “The phrase ‘blind as a bat’ is an expression people often use, but bats really aren’t blind.”

“My teacher said they fly at night and make squeaky, high-pitched sounds and then listen for the echoes,” said Cody. “The amount of time it takes for the sound waves to bounce off something and echo back tells the bat how far away the object is.”

“Very good!” said Dad. “And did you know that, like bats, we should depend on something other than just the things we can see?”

“You mean we should use our ears?” asked Eliza. “Like how a train whistle warns us that a train is nearby?”

“Well, yes,” said Dad, “but I was thinking of something even more important than eyes or ears. What we need is faith—faith in Jesus and in what the Bible says. Some people refer to it as ‘blind faith,’ but it’s not blind at all. It’s faith in a living God who loves us and knows all about the future.”

Eliza grinned. “Just like bats! Bats aren’t really blind—they just depend on something better than what they can see to guide them.”

“Exactly,” said Dad. “Bats depend on their ears to help them fly safely at night, and we need to depend on Jesus to guide us and keep us safe—even during the dark times of our lives when we don’t understand why things happen or what God’s plan is. At times like that, we can rest in our faith that Jesus will always be with us and that He’s in control.”

“So I guess we’re like bats because we rely on something better than what we can see,” said Cody.

“Right,” said Eliza. “We rely on Jesus!” – Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?

Do you have faith in Jesus? The things you can see that make you feel secure—food, shelter, possessions, even friends and family—can only go so far. People make mistakes, and your stuff can’t help you when bad things happen. Even during difficult times, Jesus cares about you and is in control. Live by faith and trust Him to help you and guide you day by day.

Today’s Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:7 We walk by faith, not by sight. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Live by faith