Is Time merely a matter of Money?

Time is money! I’m tired of hearing that, aren’t you? Does time not have any truer value than money? What can or should we do with our time other than make money? After all, it is a given that our time is limited. Is it not? It may be today, tomorrow or many years from now, but it WILL happen—each one of us will run out of time.

Time is money only because money is the means of exchange for the goods and services we need to survive, not to mention the items we want in order to survive with pleasure! Time is money because it takes time to work, produce, invest, and earn it. “Work” is the operative word here. But what is work? Does work have any meaning beyond the making of money?

For those of you who know the Bible, the first thought that may come to mind is the curse that God pronounced against Adam after the fatal eating of the forbidden fruit. “And to the man he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, “You shall not eat of it,” cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Observe:

First, the foundation for our existence—earth—is now cursed; the ground itself fights against our very survival (thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you).

Secondly, because of number one above, we must now “work” (toil and sweat) the ground in order to reap its benefits. The ground will no longer provide for us “freely.”

And thirdly, in time, we ourselves will return to the ground from which we came—earth to earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust...

What does work mean in this context? Short and simple, it means survival! Yet, I think it is safe to say that most of us are not living in “survival” mode, materially speaking. We are clothed, we are sheltered, and we are far from dying of hunger. Most of us have never had to ask, “Will this be my last meal?” when sitting down to eat. Nor have we had to ask, “Where am I going to stay for the night? Or, “How shall I protect myself against the cold? We are most likely unfamiliar with living at this level of survival mode.

So, even though “work” is survival oriented, driven by the basic necessities of life—the need for food, water, clothing, and shelter—work means much more to us than merely surviving. What do we do with our time after our needs our met? We play, we explore, and we create; we paint, draw, read, write, dance, and sport all kinds of activities. Indeed creative work and play can become one and the same. We call it the creative arts or the fine arts.

But a job that provides money to pay the bills is simply that. It is a job. It is a source of monetary income to cover the basic “necessities” of life. But for many, real “meaningful” work is a kind of “calling” or “vocation,” a creative, enjoyable, celebrative and productive engagement with the earth, adding value to life beyond merely surviving.

Are you working at a job or on a vocation?

1. Making a distinction between a job (survival mode) and a “calling,” (creative mode), what would you do if you didn’t have to make a living? Why?

2. If you come up with a total blank and are unable to identify a “calling” (in distinction to that of a job, which only brings you an income), what do you think might be blocking your vision:

A lack of faith or belief that you could possibly have anything like a calling?
A lack of perspective?

A lack of time? Are you too busy working in ‘survival mode’ that you are unable to contemplate living and working in a “vocational” or “calling” mode?

Is it possible to discover a calling? Perhaps if we …

1. Think differently and put on a new perspective. Ask yourself, if I didn’t have to work for a living, how would I spend my time? What are my particular abilities, talents, strengths, and gifts? What do I enjoy doing for the sheer fun of it? How might this translate into a fruitful vocation or calling, adding value to Life?

2. Ask, “Can I do anything about it?” Is it a question of time? Is it a lack of confidence? What is it that keeps me from translating my gifts and talents into positive and exciting productive action?

3. Evaluate our present condition? Are you pleased with what you have become or who you are becoming? What changes would you make in your life if you fell sick one day and a prophet came and told you, “Thus says the Lord, set your house in order for you shall die; you shall not recover” as the prophet Isaiah once said to King Hezekiah when he fell ill? (2 Kings 20.)

Ask the “God question”: What is God’s creative purpose for me? What might God want me to do or accomplish here on earth before I die? How might I align myself up with God’s will and purpose for my life?