Is Time A Great Teacher?

Hector Berlioz was a French composer, 1803-1869.

Interesting-looking, as you can see from his portrait above.

I have no idea if he had any interest in the Word of God.

But something he said makes me think again how important the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are to the believer.

Here's what Berlioz once said:

"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all of its pupils."

Well, "time" isn't that great of a teacher, actually.

It sometimes amazed Paul the Apostle how little spiritual maturity and knowledge some of his hearers had acquired, after years of living as a Christian.

But it reminds me that although it does take some time to learn and grow -- with the Word of God, with communing with the Lord through His Spirit, and with prayer and meditation  -- yet if we spend that time, it's astounding what we can learn and how we can grow before "time" kills us pupils.

If we are pupils of the Lord Jesus Christ, He can be our "great teacher".

And whether our lives are short or long by normal standards, we can learn of Him (that's what discipleship is, really) deep and precious things that time alone can never teach us.

And the joy and wonder that comes from that makes even our final departure from this world a glorious and complete reunion with the One we have spent so much time with already.