God Is Watching

With a disgruntled look on her face, the sister observed, “Mom knows everything; she is always watching us. She knew that I have been seeing Johnny.” Her brother defensively declared, “I did not tell her.” The sister replied, “I know, I know, but how she knew is bewildering. Johnny and I were so careful about the meeting places we selected.” Her brother commented, “Mom must have eyes in the back of her head and a special intuition. She confronted me about the amount of time I have been spending playing the video games and searching the Internet. She even knew that I was not using the Internet for class activities. Mom is always watching us; she senses everything we do.”

Mothers and some fathers possess an innate ability to observe their children, even when it appears to be impossible for them to watch over their children’s particular activities. A mother’s love for her children seems to transcend all physical limitations; at all times, her loving concern for her offspring appears to be able to overcome every obstacle. A mother is ever watchful, caring, instructing, and, occasionally, chastising to her children.  While in our youth, we often resented our mother’s intrusions in our lives, but as we aged and gained a degree of wisdom, we would gratefully proclaim, “Thank heaven for our mothers and their watchfulness.”

It is true that our mothers possess a second sense and intuitiveness about the activities of their children, which at times in our lives we wished they did not possess. Though on hindsight, we generally are thankful for our mothers’ concern and watchfulness. Oh, the troubles mothers have their saved their children by their caring attentiveness, advise, and correction. (OK, not correction, just a good old fashion scolding.) Mothers are observant to the extent that they could occasionally even penetrate into the depths of our hearts. But there are limits to even a mother’s power of observation.

With God, there are no limits to His ability to observe each one of us. Like our mothers, He knows and watches our activities, but His knowledge and understanding also penetrates into the deepest recesses of our hearts and minds. He knows us to a degree that is beyond our own knowledge of ourselves. Nothing can be hidden from Him. We all should be screaming to God in heaven, “Thank you for your intrusion into my very self.” It is God’s caring watchfulness and His loving corrections that lead us along paths he has created for us.

One person observed that many saints seemed to have “blundered into sainthood.” One wonders if the blundering was really God adjusting the course for saints as they traveled paths that could have led to destruction. Will we allow God to help us blunder our way to heaven? Will we appreciate His watchfulness and invite His intrusion into our lives? Invite Him to be watchful and then listen to Him. He will help us to “blunder our way to Him.”

Remember God is always watching us. Hopefully we will accept and follow his course corrections. If we do not, when the time comes for Him to dispense His justice, then we will suffer the consequences. St. Augustine reminds us, “Remember, we must all present ourselves before the judgment seat of Christ.”  God is always watching us….always.