by Jill Larsen
Once there was a watchmaker. He was famous throughout the land because of the excellence of his watches. He would carefully make each watch, and none of them were ever the same. He made digital watches, mechanical watches, big ones, small ones, kids, adults…everything you could imagine. He would carefully design each one, meticulously perfecting each little gadget and part until it was perfect. Then he would look at it with pride and say, “This is good.” He would put it on display to be sold.
People came from far and wide to buy his watches until they were spread throughout the world.
Now a fad started, where people would decorate their watches. They would add on bows, decorations, anything they could imagine to make their watch more noticeable then anybody else’s.
One day, the watchmaker was walking along the street when he was stopped by a strong looking young man who was slouched over to one side.
“Please sir, what time is it?” He asked the watch maker. “I think I’m late for work.”
“Why don’t you look at your watch?” the watchmaker asked, looking at the monstrosity dangling from the young man’s arm. The watch was so heavily decorated that the young man could only dangle his arm in helplessness and shuffle along under the weight.
“I can’t see the time anymore.” He whispered in confidence to the watchmaker. “But I’m not ashamed. It’s happening to everyone.”
The watchmaker reached over and took hold of the watch. Under all the decorations, the face of the watch was painted a dark black, concealing the time.
“What is this?!” the watchmaker cried in fury. “I made this watch for a purpose. What have you done to it?!”
With that he yanked off the decorations and threw them to the ground. Working up a big wad of spit he spat on the face of the watch and rubbed off the paint until the time shone through again.
The young man looked around self-consciously at the onlookers but stood taller and taller as the weight of the watch returned to normal.
The watchmaker said to the young man, “Now you tell me what time is it?”
The young man looked at his watch and said, “1:15.”
“And can you lift your arm over your head?” he asked the young man.
The young man lifted his arm and with a gleeful sound waved it about. Some from the surrounding crowd oohed and aahed while others gasped in distaste as the young man began to jump around completely straight and whole without the burden.
“Don’t do that again to the watches I’ve made,” the watchmaker told the young man.
“I won’t!” he promised as he rushed off. “And thank-you! He yelled over his shoulder.”
The watchmaker also continued on his way, while many from the crowd milled about in little clusters talking amongst themselves.
Before long, people began bringing in their watches, asking the watchmaker to return them to normal. The watchmaker gladly obliged.
And the question is, how is your watch? Do you need to make a trip to the watchmaker and be returned to who He created?
Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.