Spent Time

 

 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16.

 Tonight I had an evening to myself. It happens every week when my husband goes to choir practice. As he was leaving I ran down a list in my head of all I could accomplish while he was away – usually about two hours.

First, I went outside and said goodbye to my son-in-law and granddaughter who were leaving as my husband did. I ended up spending just a few minutes with the neighbors, just being friendly. Then I climbed the steps and sat down at my desk to check my e-mail. My e-mails reminded me of Christmas and some on-line shopping I wanted to do. I wasted a little time here because I didn’t order anything after visiting a couple of websites. Have you noticed how much time “a couple of websites” can take to navigate?

Next on my list was to pay the bills and get everything ready to go to the bank in the morning. In the middle of that I remembered the chicken that I had left cooking on the stove. I went back to the kitchen, drained it and put it in the refrigerator, grabbed something to drink and climbed back up the stairs to my desk. Yes, I checked the e-mail again AND facebook this time, nothing new.

So, I finally wrote the two checks I needed to write (I love five week months!). While I was at it I balanced the checkbook. I don’t get too precise. Much to my husband’s chagrin I do not need to find every penny – as long as the bank thinks I have more than I think I have I know I won’t bounce any checks. It’s enough for me.

As I was finishing that little task I heard my husband come in the door. I had not accomplished much at all! I had not used my time wisely. Ephesians says these days are evil and I am spending it puttering around not accomplishing much. Did I mention the FreeCell? I played FreeCell, too.

There is none of this that I think is bad. We have no T.V. so I tell myself that the FreeCell is my winding down time. For me to get the checkbook balanced and the checks written (all two of them!) is good. Christmas shopping on-line, though a waste of time tonight, can be much quicker and cheaper than shopping at the mall. Reading e-mails can be a waste but I feel like I have to go through them – I never know what I’ll miss if I leave one unopened! (Not in my junkmail – they get deleted without opening).

Where I really regret spending some of my time is on facebook. Though many of my friends write very godly things it really isn’t anything I need to read. I sometimes feel like I’m getting gossip freely offered.

I have come to think that how I spend my time is even more important than how I spend my money. Once I have used it for something it’s gone. There is nothing I can do to get it back. No returning the time and redeeming what was misspent. No working harder to earn a little extra. When time is gone, it’s gone. At the end of the day if I have done nothing of eternal value then I can only start over again tomorrow.

Tonight was wasted. I had several little jobs that needed to be completed. I have a few good books and even the Good Book that I could have been reading, edifying myself (unlike my time on facebook or playing FreeCell that aren’t all that edifying!). I could even have made a phone call or two that may have been more productive than FreeCell.

Don’t get me wrong. I won’t lose sleep over an unproductive evening. I know that relaxation isn’t a bad thing. But I do want to use my time wisely and how we spend it matters to our God. He wants us to make the best use of it.

What I need to discern is the difference between wasting time and relaxing, between edifying times and useless activities. Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable.” 1 Corinthians 6:12.

My hope is that my time in the future will be spent on those things that are both lawful and profitable.