Downtown Mitchell First UMC
310 North Rowley, Mitchell, SD 57301
Rev. Keith Nelson, Lead Pastor
keith@downtownfirstumc.com
It’s that season, once again, when little “friends” start showing up at our church facility. No, I’m not speaking of the little children coming to get registered for Sunday School. I’m actually referring to the bats that always make an appearance for a few weeks, this time of year. Generally speaking, these are really harmless creatures. They are likely more afraid of us than we are of them. But, yes, I will admit they are rather startling to see them flying at you when walking down the hallway at the church. So, the question always comes, this time of year, where or how are the bats getting in? That is a great question!
My neighbor happens to be the individual in town who is lovingly referred to as “Bat Man,” since a big part of his business, especially this time of year, has to do with bat issues. In fact, he helped with the bat problem in our church a number of years ago, when the problem was discovered. Anyway, “Bat Man” was telling me (and Dan, our facility manager, has said the same thing) bats can crawl through incredibly tiny holes, cracks or openings. This is one reason why, in the late summer and fall season especially, we ask people not to prop the outside doors of our church open, because that is like a superhighway for the bats saying, Come On In!! This is part of the reason why the Trustees are looking into the tuckpointing project for our church. When we had work done this past spring on our stained-glass windows on the west and south sides of our facility, the workers identified a number of places where the mortar between the block on the outside of our building, or around the windows, was either cracked or missing. If you can stick a pencil or a pen in a crack, it is likely that a bat is able to crawl through the opening. Such a small opening can allow unwanted guests into our facility.
What is true with bats and our building is also true in other areas of life as well. Small openings can allow unwanted guests into our lives. This is also true in our personal and spiritual lives. I’ll say it again, small openings can allow unwanted guests into our very being. Social media and personal computers and such devices can be a positive tool in life…but it can also allow a small crack or opening into what affects or influences us. Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms have what they call reels. I enjoy watching the ones of airplane take offs and landings. But there are other reels that are pretty suggestive with their content. There are even websites on the internet that aren’t merely suggestive. They let you see anything and everything, sexually speaking. This is just one example for one area of our lives.
The question becomes, where are the cracks in our lives that allow the unwanted guest into our lives. Is it the temptation of an addiction? It is certain people that you might hang around that have a more negative influence on your life? Is it reading or listening to something that fills you with doubt or despair? Is it the device many of us carry everywhere? The cracks aren’t necessarily the big things that cause us to stumble. The cracks are the small entry points that seem innocent enough…but they allow the unexpected guest of ugliness, darkness, disconnect, and sin into our lives.
Just as we need someone like “Bat Man” looking at our building and helping us identify the cracks allowing bats in, we also need trusted friends in our lives who can point out the cracks that allow the unwanted guests to make it into our hearts, lives, and very beings. Ask God to help point out the cracks in your life. Build a trusting relationship with a friend, and then ask them to help you examine your life, cracks and all. You’ll be glad you did. The bats, or unwanted guests…not so much. But you’ll be a stronger and healthier person for it.
Together In Ministry,
Pastor Keith