As much as I am grateful for the many conveniences of the internet, nothing can replace real time with real people. And as much as I like you all, I kind of like spending my time with the people at arm's length slightly better (sorry, but, what can I say . . . don't take it personally). Of all the investments we could make on earth, I can't think of any that takes more sacrifice and is more worthy of sacrifice, than that of relationships. Our relationship with God, with our family, with our church, with our coworkers, our world: it's all about relationships, and more than anything, those relationships take time, and they come at the cost of other things.
I think of Jesus who didn't just meet with His disciples every Thursday night for a 2-hour Bible study. He ate, slept, drank, taught, walked, prayed and traveled with them. Where He went, they went. They watched His every move and asked why He did what He did, what He meant by what He said, why He went where He went. He was a walking classroom.
Consider the woman who anointed Jesus (Matthew 26:6-13). She understood Him better than all of His disciples, because she studied the one she loved; she learned His individuality, personality and calling and gave creatively according to what she understood. She believed what He said: that He would die, and rise again three days later, and then she acted on it: knowing there wouldn't be time to anoint Him properly after His death, she anointed Him before His death with a pound of her own ointment (that's equivalent to a year's wages, by the way, which is around $40,000 for the average South Dakotan). She was attentive, she was compassionate, she was creative, she was generous, and she was full of courage. So meaningful was her service to Jesus, that He declared her story should be told right along with the Gospel throughout the whole world.
We are to study the people around us, shut off our computers and put down our phones when need be in order to turn our full attention to the little sister, the friend, the parent who is more important than a new blog post. Who is most important to you? What value do you put on knowing and serving them? Does it show in the amount of time you invest towards that goal?
He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child
shall have him become his son at the length.
Proverbs 29:21
Labels: DISCIPLINE, FAMILY, LOVE, RELATIONSHIPS, TIME
