Time is Money--Or Is It?

One of my parishioners recently bought me a gift subscription to "Ode" magazine, which is a very intriguing publication with stories that "bridge the gap between thinking and doing, between rage and hope, and the painful gap between the rich and the poor." The focus is on building "peace and sustainability." Good stuff. You might want to check out their web site and subscribe yourself. It goes along with the Kingdom ideas I've been preaching about lately.

Here's an example of a little gem I found while reading this morning. It's by James Geary in the "Turning Words" column: "Contrary to popular belief, time bears no resemblance to money whatsoever. People say time is money but it's not. You can't earn time or save it. You can't beg, borrow, or steal it. It cannot be given or received. You can only spend time--invest it, wisely or unwisely--but it never pays you back in kind. That's why time is always in such short supply, even though demand is always so high. And that's why money is such poor compensation for all the time we lose in making it. Like wealth, time can be wasted, dissipated, frittered away. But while fortunes can be rebuilt in a day, no amount of diligence, savvy or hard work can ever restore even a moment of lost time. Nor does its value ever fluctuate; nothing is more commonplace--everyone has time--yet nothing is more precious. 'Time isn't measured by length but by depth,' German poet Isolde Kurz wrote. And time doesn't tarry long on the surface; its richest deposits are found only in the deepest pockets."

Geary is the author of The World in a Phrase: A History of Aphorisms.

Invest your time wisely today!

Comments

[Rich]

I think a great Christian specific resource is the Earth Ministry (www.earthministry.org) who publish a book of essays entitled, "Simpler Living Compassionate Life."

Great blog, and seems like you have a great church. Utah could use more churches like PCCC.

I found your blog after googling a Joy Strome sermon (I currently attend that church), and was surprised to see her referenced in one your posts. I am currently a displaced Utahn in a Chicago for seminary.