Time with Them Was Never Wasted

Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 1 Kings 8:63

Far from being a perfect father, I made more than my share of mistakes while my kids were growing up. Early on though, I recognized that I would never look back and wish I’d spent less time with them and more time working or fishing. So, I spent all the time I could with my kids. We didn’t always have to be doing something profoundly meaningful or even constructive. Just sitting with them doing puzzles or even playing a video game was valuable. Any time with them was never wasted time. I have my regrets, but looking back, I regret none of the time I gave to my children.

I wish I could say the same thing about my relationship with my heavenly father. I can see now that time with God is never wasted time. Back then though, while my kids were growing up, I allowed a lot of distractions to steal my time. Life was busy (it always is) and so, even though I believed I should be daily reading and praying, that time was often the first casualty of a busy schedule.

Now, I understand that if I desire the life for which I was created, I must daily invest in the most important relationship of my life. Time with God, even when I’m tremendously busy, must come first and putting effort into that relationship is never wasted effort. That’s the lesson of today’s passage. In the story, as Israel dedicated the newly built temple, King Solomon led the sacrifice of thousands of animals. When I first read the story, I found this to be a tremendous waste. Why kill all those animals? Doing a little digging though, I found that there were perhaps two million people present, for a couple of weeks, all of whom needed to be fed. So, the thousands of animals sacrificed were an offering to God but also served to feed the multitude. Even if the animals hadn’t served as a food source though, I must understand that any time, money, or effort given to God is never wasted.

We often treat time with God is a luxury that we’ll get around to when we have unlimited time. Maybe when I retire. If, however, we desire the life for which we were created, we must daily invest in this, the most important relationship of our lives. If I never spent any time with my kids, it would be absurd to wonder why I didn’t have a relationship with them now that their grown. Likewise, if I don’t daily invest in my relationship with God – reading, praying, and following him – then I shouldn’t wonder why I’m missing the peace and joy he intends.