How to Harvest Time
How does one harvest time? In his book, Sabbath, Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest, Wayne Muller asks this question: “What if we were to expand our definition of wealth to include those things that grow only in time—time to walk in the park, time to take a nap, time to play with children, to read a good book, to dance, to put our hands in the garden, to cook playful meals with friends, . . . .”How many of us think about time as wealth? Really—I’m usually so busy I don’t think about time at all except that I need more of it. The age of technology has given us many things, but has it added one hour of time to our lives that it hasn’t already consumed? To cultivate time as a resource might be a refreshing activity for many of us.How I invest time, and the benefits that grow from my investment, will enrich my life in ways that “things” cannot. Some of the benefits include:
- Rest
- Laughter
- Health
- Richer relationships
- Wisdom
- An ability to hear God’s voice more clearly
What benefits would you include in this list?Here are my choices of where to invest my time so that I can reap the benefits above:
- Morning musings with the Lord
- Daily coffee time with my husband to share our lives at deep levels
- Friends that like to laugh and talk about the ridiculous and the serious
- A walk along our road to view the fall leaves
- Craft days with my grandchildren
- Sit down dinners with the kids that still live at home
Time is our most precious resource. What would your investment list look like?Fall is the season of harvest and time is no exception. Look over your harvest this season—are you reaping the things that really matter? Might there be better ways to invest your time in the seasons ahead? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
In Him together, Susan Gaddis