THE
GIFT OF TIME
Perhaps
our most treasured personal possession is the gift of time. According to Psalm 90:10, ‘the days of our
lives’ might be numbered as “threescore years and ten,” a mere seventy
years. It all passes so quickly. How we choose to utilize this divine gift of
time, i.e. the wisdom capacity of our temporal investment, will reap either
positive dividends or negative regrets, both on earth and in eternity.
With
today’s harried, hurried, helter-skelter schedules, it is all too easy to lose
ourselves and our balance amid a plethora of daily activities. All pervasive and unyielding demands – challenging
careers, financial realities, personal and professional relationships, along
with a host of miscellaneous responsibilities too numerous to mention – somehow
manage to possess us. And if we are not
careful, if we fail to pay attention, our life circumstances will ultimately
govern and dramatically alter our relationships. Consider the following story about a young child
who desperately needed his father’s time and attention.
A weary
man returned home rather late after a day of intense and demanding work. His ten-year-old son anxiously awaited him at
the door. “Dad,” he said with all
seriousness, “could I ask you one question?”
The very tired father tried his best to put on
a happy face, and then he replied, “Sure son.”
“Dad,
how much money do you make in an hour?”
“Son,
that’s really none of your business…”
“Please
tell me, Dad. Please…it’s very
important!” pleaded his little boy.
The
father was growing agitated and just wanted to finish the conversation. “All right,” he caved in, “twenty dollars per
hour.”
His
son grew terribly excited and asked, “Daddy, could I please borrow ten dollars
from you?”
By then,
the tired and distracted father was growing impatient and angry. He shouted at his little boy. “It’s been a long day. I’m really tired and you’re not making much
sense. So go to bed…now!”
After
some time, the father calmed down and realized he had been unduly harsh with
his son. So he went into his bedroom and apologized. “I’m sorry for being so tough on you,
son. Here’s the ten dollars you asked
for,” the father said with a convincing smile.
“Thanks
Daddy!” the little boy shouted and literally jumped up with joy. He ran to his piggy bank, excitedly pouring
out its contents. “Dad, I’ve been saving
up for this. I have ten dollars in
coins. And with the twenty I just borrowed
from you, I would like to buy one hour of your time. Please come home early tomorrow so we can
have dinner with you! Please?!?”
The
father broke down in tears and left the room without saying a word. At breakfast the next morning, he vowed to
his son that he would try his best to come home earlier each day, to spend time
with him, to help with his homework and to enjoy a pleasant family dinner.
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