The hen and the pig decided to give the farmer a surprise. They had watched him daily and marveled at his dedication to the farm animals- how he kept them fed, took care of them if they were sick and provided a warm barn for their comfort.
“Let’s fix him a nice breakfast,” the hen said, “we can have it ready for him in the morning.”
“That’s a great idea” agreed the pig, “what shall we make?”
“I’ll supply the eggs,” the hen stated, “and you can supply the bacon.”
“Now wait a minute,” the pig replied, “for you, that’s just a contribution, but for me- it’s a total commitment.”
So I ask the question, are you totally committed to Christ… or just making a contribution?
I heard that story when I was a teenager, and it has stuck with me through the years. Many times we, as Christians, think we are totally committed, but we are just making a contribution. The cares of life and self-seeking interests are keeping us from surrendering to the call of total commitment. There are times that we have good intentions, but often they get set to the side as we busy ourselves with the obligations of life. Sometimes we need to take a look at our life—our schedule and priorities—and regroup. Decide what is really important, and what can we trim away to make more time for God. This blog is intended to help you examine your life and really look at the call of discipleship, and decide if you are truly giving it your all. I will share with you parts of my journey, the valleys, and peaks, the ‘almost got it together’ times and the failures, in hopes that lessons I’ve learned along the way will keep someone from going down that road. I hope others will post their journey as well.
My grandmother told me,
“your children are the only earthly possessions
you can take with you to Heaven.”
What a profound statement that was, and it became a life changing challenge. I discovered this word from her when I inherited her Bible study and sermon notes. There were three notebooks of carefully written sermons that she had preached at her local church through the years. She taught the adult Sunday School class for many years, and when she was older, she led the senior adult ladies in their Bible study and prayer group. Each notebook was handwritten, of course, before the age of tablets and laptops, as she had recorded these during her personal devotion and Bible study time. I am ashamed to say that the notebooks had been stored on my bookshelf for several years. I was so “busy” that I didn’t take the time to read any of them, but I knew that one day when my children were grown and I had more time on my hands, I would read them.
That time came – so very quickly. I found myself one day with my two oldest children married and ‘on their own’, and my son nearing high school graduation. The drama of living with two teenage daughters had taken me from happiness to heartbreak and back again. I found myself reaching for the notebooks in an effort to find the wisdom of one who had traveled before me and had helped so many others during difficult times. I leafed through the notes and my eyes filled with tears. The words came to life as I could almost hear her ‘preach’ to me. I realized that in order for me to answer the call of total commitment to Christ, I would have to give more of myself to Him. I started curling up each day with my Bible, the notebooks, and a cup of coffee. This devotional time started me on a journey that I will continue as long as I live. A journey to reach out to others, not only those around me now, but to reach beyond my lifetime, just as my grandmother was doing to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment