“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”
The workings of God surround us. From the inconceivable expanse of the universe to the wondrous workings of sub-atomic particles, the entire creation speaks of His glory and teaches us His ways. To discover the kingdom of God, we need eyes to see; ears to hear, and a heart to consider the matter. There is one other commodity of the will we need and to which we seldom give thought. The lack of this commodity renders the others impotent. That commodity is time.
Though we have no control over the march of time, time is still a function of our will. Just as we choose to see, hear and consider; we choose how we will use the measure of time allotted for this life. How we spend time is an indisputable indicator of what we treasure. This matters, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We can be so caught up in a career; pursuing riches and fame, or simply living every day that we neglect to see and hear the still, small things of God. Once we let time flee away, that opportunity for a glimpse of the Divine is gone.
The writer of Hebrews warned his readers “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God...” There is a time to teach and a time to learn. A good teacher must first be a good student. Teaching requires a teachable spirit. That kind of spirit looks everywhere for lessons knowing “the truth is out there”.
Lately, I've been taught by an unexpected teacher. The lessons are simple and taught without words. They are reviews really; reminders of knowledge neglected by misspent time. These lessons are of love, devotion and time management I desperately need. These lessons are being taught to me by a little dog. HyDee, my Schnauzer, is teaching me what it means to be a true servant of the Master.
Each morning this little dog greets me with unbounded and undisguised joy. She has no desire greater than to sit on my lap, comforted and content, for as long as I allow. She has hunting skills, but relies on her master for food and drink. She doesn't need a master to survive and, yet, she places her well being in the hands of her master. Where her master goes, she wishes to go. She is heartbroken when she cannot go with him and thrilled when she is invited to follow. She wants to spend her life, her earthly time, with her master and no other will really do.
Oh, to be so devoted a servant to my Master. Lord, let me cherish the moments I am taught to see You in the smallest things. Grant me also to spend my time gathering the true treasure of Your presence.
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