In June, I told of my futile attempts to save time by repairing a Grandfather Clock. This month we reflect on how some peoples’ use of time can rob others of their own opportunity to make best use of it.
Time can be seen as a gift, and we each have about twenty five thousand days of its use however, at my age expectations are down into the hundreds, which may explain why time seems to race away.
I’m sure we all try use time carefully, but this is not easy because government keeps sending us forms to fill in. They say the data will help them, “serve us better,” but my guess is that we are wasting time and paper.
A business colleague last year dutifully completed seventy six (76) questionnaires for the National Office of Statistics, but this year has piled everything into a box and no-one appears to have noticed.
Drawing confidence from his example, I recently binned various brochures from Defra. One told me I could improve my people skills and develop a leading edge vision. Another said it would help me, design a strategy to reduce sheep lameness, it also said, that I would be pleased to hear about more regulation on animal trailer inspections and personal tests for competence in handling animals. The highlight was however, a glossy booklet from the South West R.D.A. which explained that its mission was, “To create an effective and confident region.”
Thousands of man-hours went into the preparation of this literature but because events move quickly much of it is redundant before we get it. On the other hand in church recently the speaker again reminded us that, “Time is precious and must not be wasted.”
Wasting time was not in the mind of the earnest young Preacher who obtained a pastorship to a remote church in Kansas, one hundred and twenty miles from the nearest town.
On arrival, he was deeply disappointed to find the traditional wooden church dilapidated and in urgent need of redecoration. Coming from a wealthy family, he thought about sponsorship, but decided that the community could pull together, and so he organised a ‘Paint the Church Day.’
He quickly calculated the area of woodwork and made the long journey to collect a huge drum of white paint. They set to work but, with only the front completed and three sides to go, they had used half the paint.
However, one of the group said, “Don’t worry Pastor; I’ve lots of old paint thinners at home.” The young man was relieved because he felt a double guilt for not calling on his wealthy friends, and in badly miscalculating the paint required. Eventually however, all the thinners were added, the job was finished and, after giving prayerful thanks, they all went home.
That night however, a terrific storm struck and the rain thundered down. Next morning the Pastor was horrified to see that although the front of the church was fine, the other three sides were awful and the time had been wasted.
Falling to his knees in guilt the young man exclaimed, “Oh my Lord what am I to do?” To his instant amazement, a forgiving voice from heaven replied.
“Arise, repaint and thin no more.”
View from the Pew 