Craig Clouston

Precious Time

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22

Mikey was a question-a-minute kid, and Bruce didn't feel up to it right now. It had been a rough day, and all he wanted was to finish reading his devotions before dinner.
“Read the directions, Mikey!” Bruce hollered. “I can’t teach you everything. Some things you just have to figure out on your own!”
“Dad?” persisted Mikey.
“For God’s sake, Mikey! Stop asking me questions! I told you read the directions! Can’t you see I’m reading my Bible?”
Mikey saw. But what he heard was, “I don’t have time for you. What I’m doing is more important.”
Mere seconds after Bruce’s outburst, God spoke to his heart; “My Son is worth your time, so is yours.”
Bruce got up and went in search of Mikey. He found him sitting on the basement steps, rejection written all over his little face. In his hand was a broken piece of the model he’d been working on.
“I’m so sorry, Buddy,” Bruce spoke softly. “I will always have time for you,” he said as he wrapped his arm around his son’s shoulders. “Can you forgive me for the hurtful things I said?”
Mikey’s bright smile and exuberant nod told Bruce this had been the right thing to do. The time invested in fixing the model with his son would be priceless!

†

Many times we allow our emotional and physical condition to reign over our spiritual lives. None of us are innocent. Thank God children are so resilient! But we can, and do, make the same mistakes with others we encounter on a daily basis.
The chance to touch hurting people as they pass through our lives is incalculable. If slighted, they may not be as forgiving, and the moment God presented us may be lost.
God asks us to live out the gospel, to give of ourselves—meaning time...and possibly comfort—in an effort to raise others to a place they have never been, confident that Someone else has their best interest at heart.
Our actions speak what our words cannot. Whether listening to a wounded heart or assisting in a physical need, this scripture is a call to action.

Prayer

“In the beginning was the Word. Father, may the Word be found active and alive in me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”