tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961586317328802574.post4883502166478974627..comments2023-05-10T22:27:20.716+08:00Comments on surprised by wonder: In Praise of PunctualityWeizhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945640146940053612noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961586317328802574.post-32731054342739501562010-02-11T00:12:25.540+08:002010-02-11T00:12:25.540+08:00@Jia Xiang: hei bro! thanks so much for sharing. i...@Jia Xiang: hei bro! thanks so much for sharing. i like the part abt the dying friend... very dramatic! haha... and gosh, i'm surprised, i didn't know it was so meaningful! :P but i'm glad it blessed you =) let's help one another make the most of the time God has given us... and especially to honour other people by honouring their time!<br /><br />@Weizhu! No worries dear bro. Yes, I know what you mean - i have friends who set the boundaries very clearly: you shall be on time. And i am almost always never late with such people. But yeah, the more lenient my friend is, the more relaxed i tend to be. But let's help one another grow in punctuality! Anyway, I see it in another way: I treasure the time with you so much that every minute late is a minute of friendship and fellowship on earth lost! a minute of encouragement lost, a minute of prayer lost, a minute of so many good things lost! so yes, let's lay the law in love when it comes to punctuality!yeu@nnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05692342676158366461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961586317328802574.post-30285575138254075262010-02-10T09:46:04.988+08:002010-02-10T09:46:04.988+08:00One of my shepherds in the past (you can probably ...One of my shepherds in the past (you can probably guess who) valued punctuality as he wanted to honor the people he was meeting. So much so that if he was going to be late - regardless of whether it was his fault or not - he would take a taxi. And this was when we were all penniless students. If the taxi cost him, he would "fast" a couple of meals. It's not about the taxi, but how he would be on time, whatever the cost. In all my years with him, he was almost never ever late. If he was, there was always a VERY good reason.<br /><br /><br />I have another good friend who also values punctuality. He would always make known his displeasure when I was late. He's not really angry but he makes a small show of it. The point is, the message comes across strongly that he likes his friends to be on time. Every time I have an appointment with him, I am reminded of that and I avoid being late.<br /><br />With reference to the last example, I'll suggest that we be "less forgiving" of one another when one is late. We grow to take one another's grace for granted, as evidenced when we say things like "We'll meet at 10am.... but you know how we always are..."<br /><br />I suppose we could help one another by making our "displeasure" known to the latecomer. When we say "It's okay...", we're condoning the latecoming behavior, and *gasp* reinforcing it. Instead, we should rebuke in gentleness and love. Some furrowed brows and arms akimbo might help too.Weizhuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04945640146940053612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961586317328802574.post-84697022613297706992010-02-10T08:36:34.161+08:002010-02-10T08:36:34.161+08:00Finally... Something to mention what punctuality a...Finally... Something to mention what punctuality actually means: not for the sake of being punctual, but to honor a promise and to remind the opposite party that they are valued so much that being punctual is the first way to show respect and love for them.<br /><br />What if it's a dying friend's request to meet a person? Would any of you want to be late for it? Time is not something any human has in abundance: we are only given so much by God and it is VERY precious to all of us. When we give the time, we give part of our lives...<br /><br />YA, you should put the exerpt, written by Elizabeth Elliot's father, in some public board or announcement: to remind ALL the true value behind punctuality... That Ps Jeff so wanted to cultivate among fellow brothers & sisters...<br /><br />Ok... maybe my wishful thinking... -___-'<br /><br />But thanks for sharing this. ^__^Jiaxianghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07382054083186808384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5961586317328802574.post-39054561033495006612010-02-10T03:53:11.440+08:002010-02-10T03:53:11.440+08:00Hi! Saw your blog and thought you might be interes...Hi! Saw your blog and thought you might be interested in a brand new pre-publication from Logos Bible Software on Christian ethics:http//www.logos.com/products/prepubs/details/6036Sarah Wilsonhttp://www.logos.comnoreply@blogger.com