Serving Men | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Serving Men | Previous Challenge Entry
By Fiona Stevenson
05/26/12
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

I summon my six Serving Men and set them galloping. How, Why, Where, Who, What and When? Such ready servitors are these, a child may command them; they do their best to please. The country they must travel may be lush with verbiage, redolent of age; it may be featureless at first sight, yet hold traps for saint or sage.

Each may be summoned to work on his own, although the answer that he brings may require the service of another. Our frequent use of their service is often more arbitrary than objective, rendering the Servitor ineffective. It may be that the answer they bring is not the answer that we wish to hear, in which case it is simple to dismiss one servitor, perhaps then to summon another. Of one thing we may be sure: while we may not readily differentiate which Serving Man is most appropriate for the occasion, each has his own strict office and when we choose the wrong Serving Man we may not blame him if the information we require is not the information that he brings.

For instance, in passing a conversing group I hear the word ‘Bangladesh.’ My interest is sparked. Who, what or where is Bangladesh? Who denies any knowledge. What tells me Bangladesh is a place, a country formerly known as East Pakistan. Where tells me that it is situated on the Bay of Bengal between India and Burma (now known as Myanmar). At this point I may refocus the activities of my Serving Men to gain a greater knowledge of Bangladesh, its people, history and geography. It may be that I decide to visit this country in which case I will need to know when it is best to travel, how to get there, and for what reason (why) I have decided to do so. All six Serving Men will be occupied by this decision.

Perhaps as a child in a classroom I have been faced with the question: ‘If an electric train is travelling at sixty miles an hour in an eastward direction and the prevailing wind is blowing at sixty miles an hour in a westerly direction, in which direction will the smoke lie?’ Which of my Serving Men will identify for me the trick of the question?

The questions that plague a teenager are seldom asked with an expectation of a real resolution. Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? The plagiarism that the average teenager is neither fish nor fowl, nor any other creature, is scarcely helpful however true it may seem at the time. The questions need answers, and the answers need a season. The Serving Men must exfoliate the child, peeling away the immaturity, polishing the personality and pointing the destiny. Experience will play one part, knowledge another. Companionship will play an important role.

Solomon, the king who collected the Proverbs into a book, wrote: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother;” and more importantly, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:8,7)

In the early years of life we need a firm foundation to stand upon, and the fear of the Lord provides us with this base. From this vantage point our Serving Men will build the terrain around us, feeding our need of knowledge, providing answers to our questions. If we will allow the Lord to direct our Serving Men we need fear no ill, for He has all knowledge and He has our best interests at heart.

“Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly; ... The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands.” (Psalm 138:6a, 8)

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.