Two clocks and Two messages

 I come across two types of clocks, erected on top of some buildings.

The common type is a digital clock, which is large and visible. It is a tradition of the yesteryears, when wrist watches were uncommon, people in a village or town depended on such common clock towers. They are now only historical monuments. Most  digital clocks are silent, but precise and accurate in keeping time.  Their presence is only incidentally noticed.

However, it does what it is expected to do. Our society demonstrates a 'rat-race' culture, where people are desperate to be heard. It seems that some link their identity to how much they can be heard and listened to.  We are  more relevant and transforming through our presence than what we say and how much we say. There is gift of presence all of us can be to others. 

A three year old boy, not having any gift to give to her mother on her birthday, picked up the banana leaf kept for serving food and spread it before his mother and sat on it . Mother not understanding what her son was doing, scolded him for spoiling the leaf. Then he said to his mother, 'I am a gift for your birthday'. We can become a gift to others by our quiet and understanding presence. May be that is all,  that we can be sometimes. It frees us of the strife to be more than this.

Be present fully where we are placed. It was a ' little girl', a captive in Naman's house, who told his mistress about prophet Elisha, who could heal Naman of his leprosy (2Kings.5:2). It was Joseph, who was unlawfully imprisoned, who was able to interpret Pharoah's dream(Gen.41:25). A young man, Paul's sister's son reported to Paul in the prison, about the ambush, the jews were planning to kill Paul. Such instances in the Scripture remind us of the immense value of being fully present, where we are placed, to fulfill a mission.    

The   second type of clock is a chiming one. They were in olden times meant to announce to people time, every fifteen minutes. Those working in farms and factories depended on this for keeping the rhythm of their work during day and night. Now this is also more ornamental in value. In fact some communities resist the presence of a chiming clock as they perceive it to be disturbing. Such chiming clocks are a tourist attraction, such as the Big Ben at London. 

The chiming clocks have another function- audibility, which is an important function. It gives away the message of chronological time. However, it does so in musical notes, pleasant in listener's ears. It is not what it communicates, which is often the only intent of the manufacturer but how the chyme falls in the listener's ears. 

The Bible speaks  about this paradigm: 'Sound in speech, which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us' (Titus.2:8). Let the way we speak encourage, upbuild and sustain others. Let our speech be comforting and refreshing. 'Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were with salt, so that you may know how you should respond teach person' (Colo.4:6).  

Relationships are built or ruined by how and what we say.

M.C.Mathew  (text and photo)