“Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15).
SPIRITUAL GROWTH REQUIRES TAKING TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE THINGS OF GREATER IMPORTANCE. We are doers, most of us, but we can’t always be doing, doing, doing — there comes a time when we have to think about our doing. Socrates said it at his trial a very long time ago, but it is still true, even if he wasn’t talking about spiritual things: the unexamined life is not worth living.
Here are three things we need to take the time to think about.
What is happening. Events can rush by us so rapidly that we hardly take conscious note of them. But there is a great value in training ourselves to notice what is happening with minds that are wide awake. Especially with the good things that happen, we need to relish them. We need to enjoy the fact that we are enjoying them.
The significance of what is happening. Nothing happens that does not have some meaning. Granted, some things have a larger significance than others, but we will hardly be able to tell the difference without doing some thinking. If we’re not paying attention, we’ll miss the meaning of even the biggest occurrences.
The connection of what is happening to the unchanging principles of God’s truth. All of us “see” what is happening through some kind of “lens” or “filter.” To the extent that we’ve learned God’s word, that will become the lens through which we look at everything that takes place. And the longer we live, the more we’ll be able to make the connection God wants us to make between the timeless principles of His word and the time-bound events around us.
It goes without saying that it is hard to take time to think. In this age of the world, life unfolds at an increasingly hectic pace, and so many duties press upon us that we can’t attend to them all, let alone sit down and think. But there is an irony here. The less time we have to think, the more we need to think! So I recommend to you my discovery: I’ve found that I need an hour each day just to think — except on extremely busy days, when I’ve found I need two.
“Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift and that there is more to life than increasing its speed . . . Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values, that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny” (O. L. Crain).
Gary Henry — WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
