One hot Friday evening last summer I was driving home from camp and the van broke down. The mechanics couldn’t look at it until Monday, and I was only halfway home. I called home to debrief the situation, and then turned off the cell phone to conserve batteries. (I had not brought a charging cord with me.) It was time to settle in for the weekend.

Meanwhile, across state lines phones were busy. An uncle and aunt volunteered to drive the two hours from Tulsa and pick me up for the weekend. They could not contact me, but knew which motel I was housed in.

That Saturday evening I came dragging back from a long walk. The motel was just across the street. That’s when I heard the whistle. It was a ‘time to load up in the car, kids’ type of whistle. I decided to ignore it. The second time I gave a quick sideways glance and a saw a guy in a nearby parking lot trying to wave me over. I gave a quick wave and kept walking.

“Hannah! Hannah Christensen!”

That’s when I knew him.

After that I ran over to give him and my aunt hugs and we got everything sorted out. But it wasn’t until I heard his voice that I recognized my uncle.

It made me think of John 10. It is the chapter where Jesus speaks of being the Good Shepherd. He calls His sheep by name and leads them, and they follow, because they know His voice.

How do the sheep know the Shepherd’s voice? Part of it would be from meeting Him, when they become the Good Shepherd’s, but the more time they spend with Him, the more familiar His voice grows. (I expect my cousins would have recognized even their dad’s whistle.)

Go ahead, spend time with Jesus Christ today. You never know when He’ll call your name.