Time is a precious, limited personal resource. There is no substitute for it, and it is non-renewable commodity. Although we talk about “saving time,” we cannot accumulate it in an account somewhere to be withdrawn later. We speak of “losing time” or “killing time,” but we can’t really do that either, because it regularly just keeps appearing and disappearing. We are urged to “make time,” but that is clearly impossible.
What we are able to do is arrange it, utilize it, profit from it, enjoy it—or we can fail to prioritize its use, idle it away, not recognize its value, consider it a liability. The Bible urges us to redeem the time. “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside [not part of the Church], redeeming the time.” (Colossians 4:5 NKJV) Sadly, many of the modern translations render this as making the most of opportunities, but the use of “redeem” is significant. The Greek word means to buy up something out of the market so as to make a profit from it. When we buy something, we have to give up something—money, labor, whatever meets the seller’s price. Redeeming time, then, implies that we have to determine what is worth giving up in order to release the time for something we consider more valuable.
Because we place such importance on time, we often feel that waiting is a useless waste of it. I’m not talking about waiting for a slow-moving freight train to clear the intersection, or waiting for our turn in the doctor’s office—although those occasions do not have to be spent aimlessly either. I am thinking of waiting for the time to be right for our taking a certain action, waiting for circumstances to be readied for the opportunity we need, waiting for God to do something! We get frustrated and impatient, because according to our schedule, things should have been done yesterday!
Perhaps we need to re-think waiting, not as a waste of time, but as an investment. Jesus was trying to explain the Kingdom to His listeners in the synagogue. "How can I picture God's kingdom? It's like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises." (Luke 13:20, 21 The Message) Quietly, slowly, but very dependably, the “starter” that the homemaker mixes with the other ingredients works its way throughout the dough. She does not try to hurry it by beating it; she does not give up and throw the mess out. She waits while something happens inwardly.
Much of our waiting for help, for opportunities, or for answers can be experienced as inner growing time. It is not to be ignored or scorned or hurried. We can redeem (buy back) the waiting time by giving in exchange our anxieties, our preconceived ideas, and our desperate haste. Then we will see Kingdom values permeate the whole of our lives, a result well worth the wait!
MaryMartha
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Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture marked The Message taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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