Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Tick-Tock


My father-in-law was a master clock maker and repairer. His house was filled with clocks of all size, shape, make, and origin. The room that housed his tools and work bench was amazing. Drawers filled with supplies for his craft. And the sound of the house was memorable. The ticking and chiming of clocks filled each room.

My husband inherited several clocks from his father. Some are unique, while others are classics. Not all of them work, but they mean a great deal to him.

The clock that dominates our home is a large wall Regulator. It chimes on the hour and half hour. It is the one thing that keeps me on track throughout the day. Sometimes I don’t hear it. The chiming has become part of our lives and the routine of the day. I take it for granted.

But mostly, in the middle of the night, when I’m wide awake and thinking, the clock and its chiming becomes my friend. It tells me exactly what I need to know. “It is 3:30 a.m. Why are you awake? You’ve slept exactly 5 ½ hours. You really need to try to fall sleep.” Or perhaps, “It is 7 a.m. Time to get up!”

My family has become accustomed to the chiming, but guests may find it more annoying than comforting. I know when my grandson comes for a visit; the chiming catches him off guard each time. He just doesn’t know what to think of it.

My heavenly Father is much like the Regulator clock hanging on my wall.

  • God keeps me on track. His will is good, pleasing and perfect. His desire is that I live a holy and pleasing, sacrificial life. Only through the transformation of my life and mind can I know what it is like to live this way. Thankfully we have His Spirit and His Word to lend a hand. (Romans 12:1-2)
  • I sometimes take Him for granted…I don’t hear Him. Why is it that sometimes God is my last resort for answers? Oh how I disappoint myself (and God) at times. I want to be like David who’s “soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm. 84:2)
  • He is part of my life. Jesus spoke of the Vine and the Branches…the point? We are to remain in Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:1-17)
  • God is a friend. In that same passage, Jesus tells us that we are His friends. He gave His life for us. Why shouldn’t we desire to share in that same friendship with God the Father? He is our friend.
  • God can be seen in me by others. There’s an old song…“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. All His wonderful passion and purity. O my Savior divine, all my being refine, Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” (Author: unlisted, Words: Public Domain). These few lines say it all. May His beauty be seen by others in my life.

The past two weeks have brought silence to our home. The clock has not been wound and it has simply run out of energy to continue. Winding the clock is my husband’s job…my fear of breaking it far outweighs my desire to hear it chiming. So I’ll wait. Wait for the Regulator to spring to life yet again. Thankfully, God, our Father, will never run out of energy and will always be there when we need Him. Thank you God for your faithfulness!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

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