Watchful Rex

The LORD sees everything you do.
Wherever you go, he is watching.

“MOM! REX WON’T STOP STARING AT ME! I’m trying to do my homework, but I can’t focus.”

“I know the feeling,” Shannon mumbled.

Shannon rubbed her neck and took a deep breath. She had been working all afternoon on a document that she needed to complete before a meeting with her boss the next day. But since bringing her thirteen-year-old daughter, Ava, home from school an hour ago, Shannon had been stuck on the same paragraph.

“Ava, Rex stares at everyone,” Shannon said, trying not to be irritated by the interruption. “That’s what he does. Just try to ignore him. Or go in a different room and close the door.”

A dramatic adolescent sigh echoed through the small house, as a muffled middle-aged groan rumbled through Shannon’s throat. Good ol’ Rex.

Shannon loved their six-year-old cat. As a kitten, Rex had been the perfect distraction for her and Ava when she and Ava’s dad divorced. The little black cat’s playfulness made Ava laugh—which was something she hadn’t done much of after her dad walked out the door with no intention of coming back. Shannon still found it hard to laugh since her husband chose his addiction over his family, but Rex’s willingness to sit with her in her misery and heartache was a comfort she cherished.

And yet, as grateful as she was for Rex, the cat had an unnerving habit of staring. Maybe it was just that his piercing green eyes made his casual observation of the world around him appear more pronounced. But whatever the reason, his stare was intense. So intense that Shannon was convinced Rex could get a hostile witness to crack with one well-timed stare.

She first noticed his intense stare as a kitten when he wanted to play. Instead of bringing her a toy or pawing at her leg like the other cats Shannon had had over the years, Rex would simply sit and watch her or Ava. He wouldn’t meow or move. He would just stare until they stopped what they were doing and played with him.

As Rex matured, his stare grew more extreme.

He would stare at Shannon from the kitchen windowsill while she made dinner.

He would keep an eye on Ava from his scratching post in the dining room while she worked on homework.

He would perch himself on the bookcase in the family room, his penetrating gaze riveted on Shannon and Ava while they watched TV.

And, on more nights than Shannon could count, she would awaken from a deep sleep to two green eyes boring into her unconsciousness.

Rex would even exhibit the same behavior when Shannon’s friends came over. One of them was so startled when she noticed what looked like a miniature black panther staring her down that she spilled her drink.

“Rex, buddy, can you turn it down a little?” Shannon would ask—all while Rex maintained unsettling eye contact.

And yet every summer when she and Ava went to visit Shannon’s parents, Shannon found that she missed Rex’s watchful eyes. It would only take a few days of being without him for Shannon to realize that she longed for her cat and the comfort his unwavering presence brought.

“MOM! He’s still staring at me!” Ava’s whiney yell broke through Shannon’s thoughts.

“Rex, maybe you can dial down the vigilance just a little,” Shannon said as she retrieved her watch-cat from his post.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

Does knowing God sees everything you do bring you comfort or concern? Why do you think you feel this way? Why is it important to have an understanding of God’s character (his love, compassion, justice, sovereignty, forgiveness) when meditating on this verse? Is there a situation in your life that you feel like God doesn’t see? If so, how does this verse speak to you in that situation?

Paws & Pray

Lord, this verse from your Word is both comforting and convicting. It’s comforting because I can rest in your sovereignty, knowing that you see and understand all things in a way that I simply cannot. And it’s convicting because my sin is not hidden from you. Reveal my sin that I might repent and find forgiveness. Wash me clean and comfort me with your presence and love.