{"id":2372,"date":"2010-10-10T11:58:27","date_gmt":"2010-10-10T18:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegatheringcincinnati.org\/?p=723"},"modified":"2010-10-10T11:58:27","modified_gmt":"2010-10-10T18:58:27","slug":"october-10-2010-lets-get-rich-count-the-clock-10-10-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/2010\/10\/10\/october-10-2010-lets-get-rich-count-the-clock-10-10-10\/","title":{"rendered":"October 10, 2010, Let's Get Rich? Count the Clock!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Message 36, \u201cLet\u2019s Get Rich?\u00a0 Count the Clock!\u201d, 10-10-10\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Doug Slagle, Pastor at the Gathering UCC, All Rights Reserved<\/p>\n

Service-Program-10-10-10<\/a><\/p>\n\n

We have 168 hours in each of our weeks.\u00a0 There are 720 hours in an average month and 8,760 hours in a year.\u00a0 Over a ninety year lifetime, one will have 788,400 hours of time.\u00a0 How much is just one of those hours worth?\u00a0 Since an average person in the U.S. can expect to earn approximately 1.1 million dollars over an entire lifetime, the economic worth of each life hour is about one dollar and forty cents.\u00a0 That seems pretty cheap.\u00a0 If you waste an hour here or there, no big deal!\u00a0 We can make that up or even not worry about its loss too much.\u00a0 But what if we waste an hour a day?\u00a0 Over that 90 year lifetime, one will have thrown away $45,990.\u00a0 That is some serious money.<\/p>\n

The problem with this approach at placing a dollar value on our time is that ultimately such a method is meaningless.\u00a0 The credit card advertising campaign telling us that certain life experiences are priceless, is essentially true.\u00a0 How might a dad value even one hour a week spent with his son or daughter in meaningful connection?\u00a0 What dividends of love, affirmation and wisdom might result from those weekly one hour sessions?\u00a0 What bank account of memories might be created \u2013 of ballgames, important conversations or life lessons taught?\u00a0 How much do we value an hour of lying in a loved one\u2019s arms, hearing his or her heartbeat and simply finding a quiet peace together?\u00a0 Such an hour might seem wasteful when we could be working or surfing the internet or watching the latest show on TV. \u00a0We each might tell ourselves, as I ask these questions, that such moments of deep connection with a loved one or friend are not<\/span><\/strong> wasted and that they are, indeed, priceless.\u00a0 But, how many of us \u2013 in the midst of all of the choices we have for spending our time \u2013 regularly choose to meaningfully and lovingly talk to a spouse or partner, play with a child or visit a friend?\u00a0 How many of our 788,400 life hours are simply idled away creating nothing memorable, productive or meaningful?<\/p>\n

Our message series this month is framed as a question, \u201cLet\u2019s Get Rich?\u201d\u00a0 Last Sunday we discussed finding an appropriate attitude towards money \u2013 understanding that it has practical and spiritual significance to improve the condition of humanity and all creation.\u00a0 Money is to be put to use and not hoarded.\u00a0 It is to be earned and it is to be freely given to make our world a better place.\u00a0 For today, I hope we can reflect on how we value our time and how that relates with our attitude towards money.\u00a0 We learned last week that simplicity in how we live has a high value. \u00a0Do we allow a love of money and things to control us or do we control them?\u00a0 Do we limit them and seek, as much as possible, simplicity in our lives?\u00a0 If we do, then I propose that the value we place on our time will increase.\u00a0 Indeed, we might move from a mindset that time is money to one which says that our time is priceless.\u00a0 It has infinite value.\u00a0 Every hour of every day is precious.\u00a0 Once it is gone, it can never be reclaimed.<\/p>\n

Johan von Goethe, the renowned German writer, once said, \u201cMany people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.<\/a><\/strong>\u201d<\/strong> And Henri Louis Bergson, a noted French philosopher of the early 20th<\/sup> century, noted, \u201cWherever anything lives, there is, open somewhere, a register in which time<\/span><\/em> is being counted.<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0 Ka-ching.\u00a0 Ka-ching!\u00a0 Another hour spent.\u00a0 Was it worth it?<\/p>\n

The implicit message we learn, therefore, is that while time is NOT money, it is its own currency.\u00a0 It is of immeasurable worth but, since that is so, it must not be wasted.\u00a0 It should, like money, be used for productive purposes \u2013 for ourselves, our families and then for others.\u00a0 Like money, it should be used simply and not extravagantly \u2013 time should never be simply thrown away.\u00a0 We use it not only for work to meet our basic economic needs but we also use it for rest, for renewal and for personal fulfillment.\u00a0 In this regard, the spending of our time \u2013 like the spending of our money \u2013 must be done with wisdom.<\/p>\n

As Americans, we are known for our work ethic and industrious attitudes.\u00a0 As a nationality, we are efficient and no-nonsense individuals who spend vast amounts of time at work \u2013 to make money.\u00a0 As we discussed last week, work has its value and we are to earn what we eat.\u00a0 The Biblical book of Proverbs wisely notes that, \u201c<\/strong>The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.\u201d<\/strong> But, in studies at the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Wharton School of Business, Americans work, on average, far more hours than is needed for their basic well-being.\u00a0 Studies show that as wealth has increased in the United States, we have responded by working even harder.\u00a0 Our desire for money has only increased.\u00a0 When levels of general happiness<\/span><\/em> are measured in our country, however, we have stayed at mostly the same level over the past half-century.\u00a0 We are no happier for our extra wealth.\u00a0 In Europe, however, as their wealth increased, they responded by working less while their general happiness levels have greatly increased.<\/p>\n

The Wharton study found that if we think about money and our work too much, such thoughts become self-fulfilling.\u00a0 We simply want to work more.\u00a0 If, however, we spend time thinking and planning about other uses of our time \u2013 like time with family or other less lucrative pursuits, we will indeed then spend more of our time doing those emotionally enriching things.\u00a0 This holds true for rich and poor alike.\u00a0 How we think about our time \u2013 do we think mostly about work, or do we have a balanced perspective about it \u2013 is key to our happiness.\u00a0 We will act in accord with our thinking.\u00a0 Once again, the Bible is a source of wisdom.\u00a0 The Psalms tell us, \u201cIt is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful<\/span><\/em> labors.<\/strong> <\/strong>So consider your mortality<\/span><\/em>,<\/strong> <\/strong>so that you might live wisely<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

We learned last Sunday that it is possible to have a spiritual perspective toward money.\u00a0 As Doug Meredith noted during our talk back time, money is an enabler of either our best or our worst attitudes.\u00a0 The love of money can enable greed, lust and arrogance.\u00a0 Or, a respect for money can enable a healthy work ethic, generosity and compassion.\u00a0 The same must hold true for our time.\u00a0 Do we hoard it solely for ourselves \u2013 to work, rest, and use as we like?\u00a0 Does it inspire arrogance on our part \u2013 our time is too valuable to give to simple things like reading, laughing, meditation, play or conversation with others?\u00a0 Do we make productive use of our time \u2013 to meaningfully connect with another person or to work diligently and fairly?\u00a0\u00a0 Do we give away time to others \u2013 do we volunteer \u2013 to visit with a friend, to play with a child, to serve someone or some organization in need?\u00a0 Indeed, just as I said last week that an audit of our checking accounts might best reveal our attitudes towards money, so too will an audit of our calendars or day planners reveal our attitudes towards time.\u00a0 Is our time and is our money spent selfishly \u2013 with just ourselves in mind \u2013 or are we giving, generous and caring in its use?<\/p>\n

A spiritual and balanced use of time must include its efficient and productive use.\u00a0 Since we will never get back any of our time, it should not be wasted.\u00a0 Time must be well managed and priorities must be set.\u00a0 In our daily lives, do we go from task to task with no set plan or do we allocate it according to what is most important?\u00a0 A daily \u201cto do\u201d list is a recommended solution to how we can waste time by running to and fro.<\/p>\n

An efficient use of time is also important.\u00a0 Can we learn to delegate tasks to others who can do them better?\u00a0 Can we humble ourselves and recognize that we cannot do it all \u2013 we must share with each other our daily work?\u00a0 Asking for help, giving away portions of our work, getting an assistant or partner or seeking advice from another are important if we are to find time in our days to enjoy rest and be at peace.<\/p>\n

Jesus offered his wisdom regarding another aspect for a spiritual use of time.\u00a0 We must be honest in our attitudes toward using and giving time.\u00a0 He said, \u201cSimply let your \u2018yes\u2019 be \u2018yes\u2019 and your \u2018no\u2019 be \u2018no.\u2019\u201d<\/strong> In other words, when we say \u201cyes\u201d to a project or event or other use of our time, it must be sincere and the task undertaken without regret.\u00a0 In the same manner, we must learn how to gently say \u201cno\u201d when others ask for time that we cannot give.\u00a0 Many of us have generous and giving hearts but we can also give beyond our abilities.\u00a0 We burn out and we lose control of our lives.<\/p>\n

Finally, in another act of personal transformation that we discussed last month, I believe we must die to our own time needs.\u00a0 This does not mean that we do not find time for rest or renewal but, instead, that we see our time as serving a larger purpose than just for ourselves.\u00a0 Our time is to be used to build a better earth \u2013 for humanity, for fellow creatures and for our environment.\u00a0 We are to build heaven on earth, as I so often repeat.\u00a0 In that regard, we come to see that our purpose in life is not to simply exist for our own sake, it is to serve others \u2013 family, friends, community, complete strangers.\u00a0 When we do find time for rest, it is to recharge ourselves so that we can better improve the world.<\/p>\n

We are also to give complete and honest labor at our jobs and careers.\u00a0 Wasteful or idle time at work is a form of theft.\u00a0\u00a0 Do we give time to our families, close friends and associates \u2013 to build intimate and meaningful connections?\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Are we listening, empathetic and fully present during those interactions or are we simply using time with others to meet our personal needs?<\/p>\n

After our time at work \u2013 used to earn money necessary for our needs and those of our families, and after time we give to loved ones to nurture vital relationships, and after the time we give to ourselves for rest, are we finding time to share and give away in volunteering?\u00a0 The actress Whoopi Goldberg said that if every American gave five hours of their time per week in helping others, it would be the equivalent work of 20 million full-time charity workers.\u00a0 Imagine what could be accomplished by that work force!\u00a0 And Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, quality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

For us here at the Gathering, such an ideal represents the core of who we are.\u00a0 We will continue to walk our talk.\u00a0 We will not simply speak in favor of justice, we will do our part to work for it.\u00a0 As a congregation, we will continue each one of us<\/span><\/em><\/strong> to volunteer in meaningful and significant ways.\u00a0 The work of this church cannot be done by a few.\u00a0 It must be done by all of us.\u00a0 This is not a place of spectators.\u00a0 It is a place of activists and givers and volunteers.\u00a0 I am personally so touched by all the work that goes on here \u2013 those who organize outreach to homeless kids, those who regularly show up to serve them, those who plan the music, who provide it, who manage our finances, teach our youth, host our Book Clubs, create our websites, plan our events, cook our food, greet our guests, serve at the Freestore, brew our coffee, assist homeless families..\u2026.the list goes on and on and on.\u00a0 We serve and give our time not for this congregation but to learn and grow and work for a better world!<\/p>\n

My friends, I stand before you as one who must listen to this message more than perhaps any of you.\u00a0 I need to find a healthy perspective on my time.\u00a0 It is said that we can spend our time for a variety of wrong reasons \u2013 for greed, for ego, to avoid other tasks or to please people.\u00a0 Too often I spend my time worrying about what others think of me instead of focusing on the beauty of the moment.\u00a0 Without any desire on my part to brag, I have tried over the past year here at the Gathering to do my very best, to work as hard as possible for the sake of this great congregation and to serve with love and understanding.\u00a0 In the course of my work and the many hours I dedicate to it, though, I have sometimes neglected my daughters or Ed or my close friends.\u00a0 Commuting between two cities only adds to those issues.\u00a0 The busy aspects of this job can take me away from what is most important to me.\u00a0 That is something nobody has forced upon me. \u00a0I have put those burdens on myself.\u00a0 I must hold myself accountable for finding time to meet my daughters for lunch, for knowing when to shut off the computer, for accepting the fact that I can only work so much, for simply enjoying the company of a friend.\u00a0 I have told several of you who work so hard here at the Gathering \u2013 don\u2019t burn yourself out!\u00a0 I must tell myself the same thing.<\/p>\n

I believe we are each so fortunate to have been born.\u00a0 Our lives are not without hardship and suffering.\u00a0 But they are filled with joy and love as well.\u00a0 We live for but a breath of time.\u00a0 Across the eons of existence, our years on this planet pass almost as a blink of an eye.\u00a0 A thousand years from now, our lives will barely be remembered \u2013 if at all.\u00a0 But that does not diminish our significance.\u00a0 We need not be remembered.\u00a0 Only that we mattered.\u00a0 We have a purpose.\u00a0 We can literally change the world.\u00a0 For every time you look into the eyes of your partner and tell him or her of your deep love, you have blessed another soul.\u00a0 For every child you hug and teach the ways of life, you have touched the future.\u00a0 For every tired or sick or hungry person \u2013 or animal – you have comforted, you have reduced suffering.\u00a0 What ripples in the pond of creation have we spawned by one act of our giving?\u00a0 Those ripples we create with our gifts of time spread ever outward, touching distant lives and far off places we will never know. Dear ones, let us indeed count the clock.\u00a0 Let us see the value of time.\u00a0 It is a currency to be spent wisely.\u00a0 It is a currency to spend generously.\u00a0 It is the only thing we really possess and it is the only thing we truly lose.\u00a0 Time for you.\u00a0 Time for me.\u00a0 Time for love and charity\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Message 36, \u201cLet\u2019s Get Rich?\u00a0 Count the Clock!\u201d, 10-10-10 \u00a9 Doug Slagle, Pastor at the Gathering UCC, All Rights Reserved Service-Program-10-10-10 We have 168 hours in each of our weeks.\u00a0 There are 720 hours in an average month and 8,760 hours in a year.\u00a0 Over a ninety year lifetime, one will have 788,400 hours of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}