Proverbs 21:20
Be sensible and store up precious treasures-- don't waste them like a fool.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My mother loves to travel. It seems like she is “on the go” a lot of the time, and one day she said, “I’m doing all I can while I am still young enough and able… because I know the day will come when I no longer can do all of this.” My mother is a writer, and she pursues her career as she travels, but she is also semi-retired, so she has the freedom and luxury of spare time to visit interesting destinations. She is storing up “precious treasures” in the form of memories of all of the places she has visited and people she has met.
But not all “treasures” we store are so precious! We seem to have time for some things… but not others. It’s sometimes interesting to see that working parents who will find time to watch a favorite television program, or sporting event are too busy to sit and hold a child and read a second bed-time story… or to toss a ball or shoot hoops with a fifth-grader after dinner. Busy adults have time to meet a friend for a cup of coffee or a night of Bunco or poker, but they can’t spare an hour to commiserate as an aging grandmother talks one more time about her declining health or Grandpa tells about his days as a soldier or the sore spot on his leg.
It’s amazing how friends have time to come over to your house and hang out or share a meal… but when you are sick or injured, they just don’t have time to drop by and even see if you need anything. It’s funny how we have time for concerts, sporting events, “important” meetings at work and school… but we can’t spare a couple of hours on Sunday for worship with fellow believers, much less an afternoon to do mission work.
I often think about my grandparents and my great-grandparents and how hard they worked… farming, doing all sorts of housework without microwaves and washing machines, refrigerators and gas or electric cook stoves. I marvel at how they made all of their own clothing and bedding… and still had time to teach children to sew and plant a garden, do mission work in their church, and study their Bible in the evenings. Some of my fondest memories of my grandparents are the times they seemed to drop everything they were doing just to do what I wanted or needed. Regrettably, I also recall times when I have told my own nieces or grandparents, “I’m just too busy for that.”
Often, what we think is precious treasure may actually be selfish pleasure. It is important that we learn to tell the difference… that we pay attention and ask God to show us which is which… and then make wise choices about how we spend our time. What consumes your time these days? Are you making the best use of your time and storing up treasures that matter for Eternity? Isn’t it time you began?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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