Pay Attention!

Father, my days are full of opportunity. Along with must-do responsibilities, You are opening doors for other things as well. May I be wise in the investment of the time that You give me. Amen.

Luke 2:36-40 (<<click to read the passage)

I don’t think any of us really feel like we were the best possible parents to our children. We do our best and for the most part, things pan out pretty well, though some of our quirky ideas don’t always turn out the way we may have expected them to. It was no different for our parents or their parents before them. In the end, it is up to us to take what we are given, not just from our parent’s input, but from all of our life experiences and make the best use of it.

One thing I stressed to Massey – and I think he embraced it and he has benefited from it – is to be aware of the world around you. So many people out there are clueless – on the road, in conversations, in work relationships, etc. Of course, parenting falls in this arena, too.

We must be alert to all kinds of things about us and in reality, it takes a conscientious effort to be able to take it all in and then process it.

The prophetess Anna in today’s passage was one of those kinds of people. There are any number of things she could have done but upon the death of her husband, she chose to live out her life – up until this point when she was 84 years old! – in and about the Temple. It says in verse 37,

She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.

She chose to be attuned to everything around her and as God would have it,

She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. v38

I don’t know if you are that type of person, as well, but if we spend enough time with God and are diligently seeking to be about His business, it will come to us. The more time we spend doing something or being with someone, the more attuned we become to those things and that person.

I know that I have not gotten to that point of perfection to which God has called me. But as the old Gaither children’s song goes,

He’s still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me

Lord Jesus, may my heart, soul, mind, and strength all be attuned to You and Your will for my life. Amen.

Nov 6^th, 2019, Wed, 6:32 pm