“I’m sorry, I don’t have time for this now.”
I used to say this every day, be it to clients, friends, or church work.
I genuinely thought it was true. My myopic self then was oblivious to the clarity of truth. Even now, considering the excuses I used to make for evading tasks makes me sick to the stomach. I cried every day. I couldn’t understand how 2 righteous parents with brains could raise such a selfish ape who strayed so far from God. I wondered why He cursed them with me when they did nothing wrong.
The reality of it is, that statement can almost never be theoretically true. Who was I to say I didn’t have time for anything if I was playing chess on the bus? If I was talking to my family during dinner, playing the guitar after showering, spacing out during work, randomly breaking into tears, hiding in my room, reading Wikipedia, listening to my friends’ music, sleeping at night and an infinitely long list of other suboptimal practices knowingly?
Eph 5:16-17 (ESV)
“Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Psa 90:12
“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
and many more verses-
The bible commands us to make the most of our time here on Earth. That’s because unlike in heaven where time is infinite and no longer a resource, here it is very finite and arguably the most precious resource to mankind ever.
Jam 4:14
“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
As time passes, so does your life. That’s a fact that can’t be changed. I don’t believe we can waste our time; no- we can only horribly underutilise it. Granted, some very specific situations can be counterproductive. But for the most part, if we have God in mind as we go about our lives, it could be that mundane, seemingly unproductive habits of ours can be used for good. Perhaps an ex drug dealer converted to christianity would find it much easier to convert other ex-convicts. Perhaps a conversation about a Korean drama can lead to an eventual baptism- the saving of a soul. The list is infinite .
Is it a sin to underutilise our time?
Is it a sin to play a computer game when I could be studying the bible or spreading God’s word?
Why was I moving pieces on boards and spectrally adjusting toilet flushes when I could be working for the Lord?
Doing something with next to no value versus something with infinite eternal value in no universe makes any sense at all; but I couldn’t stop engaging in almost meaningless activities, every day, all day. Actions reflect the state of the heart. Can I be putting Jesus first while partaking in leisure?
Jon 2:8
“Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy.”
It becomes a sin to underutilise time when you God is no longer your #1 priority. When you sell your time to idols for meaninglessness in return.
Most humans are weak and get stressed after working non stop for long periods of time. God would understand this and allow Christians to relax. And that’s how I realised it was okay to be stressed, to take breaks, and to sleep at night.
Do I have time to take this project that is more important and only will take 2 hours of my time? Well yes, though admittedly, there are times I would rather be writing a song on a saturday afternoon or sleep 7 hours when I know I only need 2. I’d rather burn 5 hours talking to friends I’ll probably never meet in person.
“I’m sorry, I won’t take this project.” I have settled for that as my default response when turning people down. Well, no more excuses. I want to strive to put God first and make time for God in my own personal life.