Perhaps “A Study In Time” Is Needed In Our Lives!

TheDiscipleMD

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist, Sean, complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. ‘Not very long,’ answered Pablo, the fisherman. ‘Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?’ asked Sean. Pablo explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. Sean inquired, ‘But what do you do with the rest of your time?’

‘I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.’

Sean interrupted rather rudely, ‘I have a Business Studies degree and I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You can sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat, and catch even more fish. With the extra money, you will soon be able to buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Cancun, Acapulco, Los Angeles, or even New York City. From there you can direct your huge enterprise.’

‘How long would that take?’ asked the fisherman. ‘Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,’ replied Sean condescendingly. ‘And after that?’ Pablo asked.

‘After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the sea, sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandchildren, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings in the village, dancing, playing the guitar, and singing with your friends.’

The above story brings to mind the journal entries found in the life of a busy church and business leader who had spent the day fishing with his son. His entry for the day read, “Got up early and went fishing with my son. An entire waste of a day.” The son’s journal entry for the same day read, “Got up early and went fishing with my Dad. The best day of my life!” What a lesson to all of us fathers.

“Life offers you two precious gifts—one is time, the other freedom of choice, the freedom to buy with your time what you will. You are free to exchange your allotment of time for thrills. You may trade it for base desires. You may invest it in greed. …

“Yours is the freedom to choose. But these are no bargains, for in them you find no lasting satisfaction.

“Every day, every hour, every minute of your span of mortal years must sometime be accounted for. And it is in this life that you walk by faith and prove yourself able to choose good over evil, right over wrong, enduring happiness over mere amusement. And your eternal reward will be according to your choosing.

“A prophet of God has said: ‘Men are that they might have joy’—a joy that includes a fullness of life, a life dedicated to service, to love and harmony in the home, and the fruits of honest toil—an acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—of its requirements and commandments.

“Only in these will you find true happiness, the happiness which doesn’t fade with the lights and the music and the crowds.” (“Man’s Search For Happiness”, pamphlet 1969, 4-5.)

Perhaps a ‘study in time’ is needed in our lives!

 

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