The Item We Value the Most also Limits Us
Photo Credit – ToniVC
Holidays and special occasions are ones where many of us overspend in the zeal of giving. We see something that would be “good” for a loved one and we purchase it without consideration of budgetary limits. At Christmas, some just plan to pay off credit cards for the first few months of the following year while others include a financial resolution in the New Year list as a way to atone for the overspending.
But money isn’t our most valuable commodity. At our last day it won’t be the one thing we wished we had more of. Time is the greatest commodity. It’s what we hold most dear, are least willing to give away, and what we feel like we don’t have enough to do the important things in life.
It’s that last part that holds most people back. It’s too much work to do the practicing to learn how to play a musical instrument. It takes too much effort to read a book, let alone work out for at least 20 minutes a day (how many exercise-oriented gifts given at Christmas are now unused?). Some say they’ll develop their spiritual life, but to spend 30 minutes in devotional reading and prayer is a rare event, let alone a 2-hour retreat alone somewhere in silent reflection and prayer. And so we procrastinate … and procrastinate.
I saw a video of a “sort-of” flash mob of a dancer doing a variation of a traditional Irish dance. A promotion for Aer Lingus airlines, she is joined by all sorts of dancers. I was struck by the scene of those along the sidelines watching. One scene from the railing has people marveling at what the dance students were able to do. A lot of folks do that, don’t they? They sit in the stands, or in the audience, or along shopping mall railings and dream about being able to do that. The kicker is that we can’t just snap our fingers and be able to excel at those matters … they take time (and some take talent, for sure) and that’s where most just shrug their shoulders at a lost dream and walk away. I’ve seen this with sports in youth work, with college education for young people, and with travel and learning among older adults.
What if they quit dreaming and started to take steps toward some dream? What if you started that one thing you’ve been thinking about doing but keep putting off? What do we need to cut out of our lives to make room for something that’s better?
Honestly, in my consulting work with others, I regularly hear someone share a personal dream that they feel they can’t do. It’s not dancing, playing a professional sport, or major changes. It’s often a hobby, or a life change (less time at work!), or a “bucket list” experience. I listen to Christians share about how their spiritual lives are stale but then report that they’ve been doing very little to invest in their relationship with God.
What is it that we’ve been sitting on the sidelines from doing? Here’s a few that I’ve been dabbling with this year:
Playing piano (dusting off the old music major skills).
Cooking a meal for the family (so far, so good on this one).
Read with discipline from an intentional list of books
Spending some longer time alone in silence, solitude, and prayer.
Running. This one has been painful to start and my left knee isn’t happy about this, but I have a goal to run some road races again. We’ll see.
Time. Spend it well, but spend it on something valuable.
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[Photo by ToniVC]
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