Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that there is a time for everything. Everything! I hear you laughing, but when I was younger, a single parent working a full time and a part time job while attending evening classes in graduate school, I discovered the wisdom of Ecclesiastes.

Time is a value system. Keep a log of your time for one month and you’ll know what really matters to you. You might be surprised. God tells us that Saturday evening or Sunday is the time for weekly mass. If other things are getting in the way of this, then let’s face it, our relationship with God is not much of a priority for us, even if we want to believe that it is. No time for family? Then something else needs to go.  

Often the least important things cry out for the most attention. It’s hard, for example, to ignore a television. Even with the sound off, the flickering light and activity demand our attention, whether the content is worth our time or not. The sound of a new text message has enticed many drivers to avert their eyes at critical moments with tragic results. The squeaky wheal isn’t always the biggest priority. In fact, sometimes the squeaky wheel distracts us from what is truly important. While most of us wouldn’t spend our money without thinking because we know our funds are limited, we sometimes spend our lives foolishly flitting from one trivial thing to the next, as if we had all the time in the world.

Time is life, and what we do with it determines who we become. We may want to be educated, but if we don’t spend time learning, it won’t happen. We may want to be all that God created us to be, but if we don’t spend time in prayer, contemplation, and service to others, we won’t reach that potential. We are what we do. Our lives are how we spend our time.

Time is a precious gift from God, and as a new year gets underway, we’re wise to ask God to help us steward it well. In so doing, we may need to make adjustments, reconsider priorities, let go of things that won’t make us better people, no matter how much time we devote to them. If we place God first, he will help us find time for other things we cherish. If we pray for guidance and use our time wisely, we will find that there really is good time for everything that’s valuable.

Enjoy 2019, and have a good time!