Time well spent

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One enchanted evening--you have to be my age to remember the song--I looked across a crowded room and saw a stranger. And somehow I knew, I knew even then, that somewhere I'd see her again and again.

Well, I was right. Although we were strangers--she, a delicate orange blossom from Florida, and I, a hearty buckeye from Ohio--within three years we were married.

How does it happen that total strangers, two very different people who've never met before, can become so completely one?

The answer? By spending time together--lots of time. We sat together in the assembly hall, in the cafeteria, in the library, outside on the lawn, in the church, and at the Saturday night socials. It was time well spent.

Later, when my wife and I brought our first daughter home from the hospital, we were barely out of our teens. What did we know about raising children?

During her pregnancy, my wife read child-care books and talked with experienced friends. It wasn't long before she began to figure out how things were supposed to work. I say supposed to work because not every baby is "textbook."

Soon we became accustomed to having a baby around the house. Although she couldn't talk, we quickly learned what she liked and didn't like. Sleep meant, "I'm happy." Crying announced in no uncertain terms, "I'm not!" How did we get to know her so thoroughly? We spent a lot of time with her. In fact, my wife spent every waking minute with her, even if those minutes rolled by in the middle of the night. Again, time well spent.

The more hours we dedicate to something or someone, the more we learn. This is especially true when it comes to knowing and understanding our Great Physician. He's willing to schedule all the time we need to truly know Him better. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened," He invites in Matthew 11:28, 29, "and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Here are several prescriptions for spending time and becoming better acquainted with our heavenly Doctor:

Nature. Look at the wonders of nature: the green fields, majestic trees, buds and flowers, passing clouds, falling rain, babbling brooks, starry skies. Each invites us to learn more about the One who made them all.

The Bible. Somewhere in my house--in a closet, on the top shelf--is a stack of letters my wife saved from our courting days. When we couldn't be together, we'd read and re-read those love letters with great longing in our hearts.

The Bible is like God's love letter to us. It unfolds the story of this world from beginning to end and reveals our Great Physician's everlasting love through stories, poetry, history, letters, and prophecies. Spending time with the Bible is one of the best prescriptions for opening our hearts to Him.

Prayer. When miles separated my sweetheart and me, I'd telephone her as often as I could afford. Thankfully, it doesn't cost anything to commune with our heavenly Doctor. He never refers His calls or uses an answering service. His line is never busy.

Friend, the more time you spend with God, the closer you'll be to Him. As with dating, spouses, babies, and anyone we value, it's time well spent.

Author, lecturer, and retired church administrator Richard O'Ffill writes from Long-wood, Florida. Look for his latest book, Lord, Save My Church, in Christian bookstores or at www.adventistbookcenter.com.

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning