Making use of time in one's life can be tricky. Time to most people is treated like a commodity. We agree, “Time is money.” But it is a great deal more than that. To get another perspective a person must only look at the saying, “To God, a thousand years are like one day.” How awesome is this! So the life span of man is like a grain of sand on a seashore.
Time is required for growth, development and the production of materials and commodities. Plants like all other living organisms have to have nutrients to multiply, but this takes time. Growth and development may be short, long and/or tedious. Human minds have to be cultivated in stages to be educated. We have to be fed gradually with spiritual food in order to develop virtues of hope, faith and love.
Gaining virtues obviously take time. Over a life-time a believer may have to study the New and Old Testaments of the Bible and with faith, be active spiritually in meditative pursuits and charitable causes. In the process of years he will spend much time having an education for a vocation or profession. A doctor spends many years in training and on internships to be considered proficient enough in a specialty to practice medicine.
Growth and development may involve having dreams and aspirations. An individual may have to imagine himself in a particular field of work. Does he have the where-with-all to do such a job? What does he expect his performance to be like? How does he think he will do in such a job? And ask himself if his personality is suitable for such a career. This is a time for being honest with oneself. Over a period of years this process of discernment may lead to many ups and down in his life, until he is able to settle on his calling.
With such challenges, there has to be breaks for rejuvenation and relaxation. That is the reason why many people take vacations. They have to be sure to have a good balance in their life. Over time we may learn that our existence may not be only for parties on such breaks. The more Christian minded may decide that instead of lying on a beach on some exotic island like Hawaii drinking beer, it may be better to spend time help building, repairing churches or digging wells in some underdeveloped country like Haiti.
In a book entitled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) by Stephen R. Covey, whichTime listed as one of the 25 most influential of Business Management Books – a best seller that sold more than 15 million copies in 38 languages, Covey stresses in “the seventh habit,” having a “sustained, long-term, effective lifestyle.” He encourages his readers to “learn, commit, do,” and envisions they would find “personal freedom, security, wisdom and power.” Such realities could only be achieved by living a life true to God's time.
Time is required for growth, development and the production of materials and commodities. Plants like all other living organisms have to have nutrients to multiply, but this takes time. Growth and development may be short, long and/or tedious. Human minds have to be cultivated in stages to be educated. We have to be fed gradually with spiritual food in order to develop virtues of hope, faith and love.
Gaining virtues obviously take time. Over a life-time a believer may have to study the New and Old Testaments of the Bible and with faith, be active spiritually in meditative pursuits and charitable causes. In the process of years he will spend much time having an education for a vocation or profession. A doctor spends many years in training and on internships to be considered proficient enough in a specialty to practice medicine.
Growth and development may involve having dreams and aspirations. An individual may have to imagine himself in a particular field of work. Does he have the where-with-all to do such a job? What does he expect his performance to be like? How does he think he will do in such a job? And ask himself if his personality is suitable for such a career. This is a time for being honest with oneself. Over a period of years this process of discernment may lead to many ups and down in his life, until he is able to settle on his calling.
With such challenges, there has to be breaks for rejuvenation and relaxation. That is the reason why many people take vacations. They have to be sure to have a good balance in their life. Over time we may learn that our existence may not be only for parties on such breaks. The more Christian minded may decide that instead of lying on a beach on some exotic island like Hawaii drinking beer, it may be better to spend time help building, repairing churches or digging wells in some underdeveloped country like Haiti.
In a book entitled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) by Stephen R. Covey, whichTime listed as one of the 25 most influential of Business Management Books – a best seller that sold more than 15 million copies in 38 languages, Covey stresses in “the seventh habit,” having a “sustained, long-term, effective lifestyle.” He encourages his readers to “learn, commit, do,” and envisions they would find “personal freedom, security, wisdom and power.” Such realities could only be achieved by living a life true to God's time.
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