sensitivity
 As we explore the seven characteristics of all living things we come to the ‘S’ in MRS GREN which stands for sensitivity. All living things are sensitive. A dog smells its dinner and runs to gobble it up. Some dogs can smell a falling sausage from a hundred paces and can wolf it down before it touches the floor! A camera set to film a plant during the course of a day will show it following the path of the sun, its flowers opening wide to the warmth and light and then closing when the sun goes down and the temperature drops. Birds and animals, sensing the changing seasons of the year, congregate to follow migratory paths. Migration of birds and animals is one of the great mysteries of the planet.
As followers of Jesus we are called to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. To love with the heart implies sensitivity towards God. We, of all living creatures, are blessed with a conscience. This means, if we listen to it well, we will know what are the right actions to pursue and be able to steer clear of wrong. However, when we have blown it deliberately or otherwise, we can be forgiven and set free so that guilt doesn’t reign over us.
One of the scary things in life is when someone hardens their heart towards God. Pharaoh was such a man. Moses visits Him to request the freedom of the Israelites. Again and again, despite the intervention of God in bringing warnings in the form of plagues, it says that he hardened his heart. In the end God gave a hard heart to Him and it was his downfall.
I want a heart and life that is sensitive to the promptings and leadings of God by the Holy Spirit. It is part of a vibrant and living faith. J John, the evangelist, was early for an appointment. He was ‘nudged’ by the Spirit to have his shoes cleaned by a shoe shine on a main line railway station. As he sat there he asked the man why he was so sad. The man began to tell his story and was well open for prayer by the end. Lord, please make us sensitive followers, willing to do what you call us to, day by day.
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