On time...
Don't hurry, don't worry, do your best, leave the rest!
To the Amish, waiting isn't a verb. It's an attitude. They wait for Spring to plow and plan, for autumn to reap and harvest. They know that the seasons can't be rushed. They wait for the rain to come and nourish their crops. Much of their three-plus-hour church service is a time of waiting: they wait in expectation before God, rich with the promise of what is to come.
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37:7) is a biblical principle the Amish take to heart. Waiting on the Lord is the same thing as trusting Him. All that they have belongs to Him, including the minutes and hours and days and years that make up their lives...
The Amish recognize patience as a key part of God's character. Confirming their will to God's will is what being Amish is all about. One way they try to conform is to purposefully slow down the tempo of life...
The Amish can teach us to slow down. Time is not something to be mastered but a boundary to be respected. They remind us that Christians should look at life from a different perspective because we are part of a different kingdom - one that stretches into infinity.
"Run the race with eternity in view" and " What we do in this life echoes in eternity" are frequently quoted in sermons. And one thing the Amish know to be true: unlike humans, God is not in short supply of time. There is no limit to His days or His patience or His joy.
You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough.
Many times we are climbing mountains when we ought to be quietly resting.
One thing you can learn by watching the clock is that it passes time by keeping its hands busy.
Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of wait.
Regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow are twin thieves that rob us of the moment.
Live each short hour with God and the long years will take care of themselves.
The person who kills time has not learnt the value of life.
Worry wastes today's time, cluttering tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles.
Beware of the barrenness of a too-busy life!
The only preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today.
Things that steal our time are usually the easiest to do.
What a new year brings us depends a great deal on what we bring to the new year.
Don't worry what you could do if you lived your life over; get busy with what's left.
If you keep waiting for the right time, you may never begin.
To stay youthful, stay useful.
(All photos are from The Amish Cook - Elizabeth Coblentz)
No comments:
Post a Comment