What's Luke Thinking?

It is often said and heard that “time is the most valuable resource we have.”

We find this to be true when we find ourselves too busy to add something else into our schedule and think to ourselves “How can I make more time?” or someone else tells us “If I had more time, I would…” However, there’s one small problem with this: we can’t make time, nor will we ever have more of it.

Most people make the crucial mistake of viewing time as one of the natural resources on the planet, which are often broken down into two categories: renewable and non-renewable. With this in mind, most will agree that time is a non-renewable resource, but they are sorely mistaken. The true difference in renewable and non-renewable natural resources is that renewable resources are replenished within our lifetime, while non-renewable resources are replenished far beyond our lifetime (but they’re still replenished at some point, we just have to wait long enough). With this knowledge, many people view time in the same manner: “I’ll have more time next month… next year… when I’m retired” and before they know it, they have no time left to wait, and “more time” never came.

Time is a unique resource in that every other resource comes with the using of it; time is the mother of all resources. Unlike hydro, timber, gas, or even fossil fuels, we can not wait long enough for time to be replenished; it only ever depletes. We, at the present moment, have more time than we will ever have for the rest of our lives, or for the rest of humanity.

“It is only once we realize that time waits for no man that we stop waiting on time and actually use now to bring about change.”

-Timothy Zacheus

The commonality in time and other resources, however, is that we’re finding the best path to take isn’t an extreme use or disuse of any singular resource or group of resources, but to use each resource to its most efficient capacity. We cannot simply make more time (if you disagree, please point me to the time factory, because I could use some). However, we can use, more efficiently, the time we already have.

By realizing that time is the only truly non-renewable resource available to us, it makes its value that much greater. We can then find how to use, enjoy, and live in each moment to its fullest value. Time already belongs to us, we don’t have to make more; we need to use, more efficiently, what we already have.

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of time.” Colossians 4:5, ESV