Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Willing Heart, Willing Hands

     In the book of Genesis, chapter 24, Abraham is growing old. He wants to see his son married to a righteous woman. He send his trusted servant to the land of his birth to find a wife for Issac. As the servant approached the village, he prayed for God to show him a sign when the right girl was found. The sign that he prayed for was that he would be shown a girl having a good heart and willing hands to serve. He prayed that as the right girl came out to the well, and he asked for a drink, she will not only give him a drink, but will offer to water his camels also. To understand the enormity of this request, it is important to note that this man was traveling with 10 camels. One camel can drink 30 gallons of water at one time. So he is asking for a girl that would volunteer to draw and carry 300 gallons of water from a well to give to a stranger. When the beautiful Rebekah came out to the well, he approached her with his request.

 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.


http://www.gci.org/files/images/b1/index
     To me Rebekah is the ultimate example of willing and unselfish service. She had no idea that this man was the representative of her future father-in-law. She simply saw a need and filled it. Most of us who became teachers, did so because we had a sincere desire to serve. We saw a need and wanted to meet that need. We loved children and wanted to see them bloom and grow. Sometimes, after fighting weeds in the hot sun, we forget why we came to the garden in the first place. We forget that we came to nurture flowers, so to speak. I know that there is a limit to what any of us can do. We need time for our own families. We need time for ourselves. I cannot, will not, put 12 hours every day into my job. I can go to work and serve the children with a willing heart. While I am being asked each year to do more with less, I can do it. Rebekah did not say, "I have never done it that way before" or "this will never work", she hasted and emptied her pitcher and ran again to the well.

2 comments:

  1. Scriptures are the ocean at which we can fish forever from, a tasty yet very beneficial post

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