Have you ever missed the turn onto your street? I’m not talking after recently moving to a new city or neighborhood–I mean a true head in the clouds moment where you blew right past the place you’ve been turning into for at least three years. I would like to tell you that this happened to me once….but the truth is….no one in my house is surprised when I miss an obvious turn. I just get distracted. There’s a great song playing and I’m singing along. Or a fox crossed the road and I’m craning my neck to see where it went. Maybe I’m too focused on the pinks and purples bleeding into the horizon as the sun sets. Whatever the case, I don’t always pay enough attention to where I’m going.

Recently, I was re-reading Moses’ call story. This is, hands down, one of my favorite stories in all of Scripture. I love that Moses is not a superhero. I love that he comes up with excuse after excuse to avoid God’s call. I love that Moses is plagued with self-doubt. I love that he boldly tells God he needs some muscle because he can’t carry this call alone. And, of equal importance, I love that Moses was distracted enough to have an encounter with God in the first place.

As Exodus 3 opens, Moses is tending sheep for his father-in-law. I don’t know a lot about sheep, but I cannot imagine it to be a highly stimulating job, especially for someone whose resume boasts “working royal”. With no smart phone, book, magazine, or radio, Moses had lots of time and space for his mind to wander. And that’s how he came to notice the burning, yet strangely not burning bush.

In this passage, Moses was aware enough of his surroundings, yet distractible enough from his task at hand, that he noticed something out of the ordinary was taking place. Moses looked up. And when he looked up, he saw something new–something remarkable–and it sparked his interest. When Moses saw the burning, not burning bush, he was curious. And so, (like future shepherds would) he went to see this thing which had come to pass.

Here’s where the story gets really interesting: It wasn’t until Moses actually went to see what was going on that God showed up. Scripture tells us that an angel of the Lord was responsible for the fire. Though God had orchestrated the supernatural event, Moses had to take the first step before God called his name.

Sometimes, God needs to get our attention before he can get to work in our lives. And he waits until we’re invested before he speaks. Moses shows us that when God calls, sometimes it requires us to wake up and move!

Too often, I run around with my head so lost in the fog of my thoughts or an electronic device that I can’t hear God call. I’m not focused on where God and how he’s working and what he might be inviting me to take part in. And so, God gets my attention in some surprisingly odd ways. Like a cow…stuck in a fence.

Years ago, as I was going about my business, driving the two-lane highway past farms and fields that was my daily commute, singing along to whatever pop song was on the radio, I happened to spot movement from the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I saw something new–a cow that was entangled in a barbed wire fence. As my brain was attempting to process this strange sight, my cell phone rang. It was my sister, driving down city streets 200 miles away, passing storefronts instead of fences. When I told her about the bizarre bovine encounter, I expected a chuckle, or at best, a snort. But what I got instead was a question that entirely upended my way of thinking. She asked: “What are you going to do about it?” In that moment, my sister reminded me that we are not to be passive bystanders on the road of life. Rather, we are called to enter in, to act, to make a difference. Because if we don’t, then who will?

And so, I called the sheriff’s department and reported a wayward cow. I have no idea what happened next, if the cow was safely removed from the fence or became someone’s dinner, but I know that God used that cow (and my sister) to teach me a lesson that has factored into many of my ensuing moments. But before God could get to the lesson, I first had to notice…and then I had to move.

What do you need to look up from to see God working in the world? Where is he trying to get your attention? And are you willing to go and see what he’s doing?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara