Time is Money...

Or is It?      

by: Pastor Tony Haglund, Canton Lutheran Church  

People who have a lot of money and no time are called "rich" while people who have no money and a lot of time are called "poor". In the 1950's our national dialogue was concerned with a strange worry. Experts predicted that thanks to the efficiency of automation and new miraculous labor-saving devices, we would all soon be working thirty-hour weeks, maybe even twenty-hour and that our lives would become overwhelmed with the weight of too much leisure time.

So what happened? Essentially, we traded away our freed up time in exchange for more work and greater pay. In 1947, the average American adult spent $6500 on material possessions, good and services. Today, adjusted for inflation we spend an overage of over $15,000 per adult.

When we are not using our time to get money, we are using time to spend money. Compared to Europeans, Americans spend four times as many hours per year shopping. Shopping has become become a primary use of our leisure time.

Instead of taking the benefits of our modern technological civilization in the form of time, we converted the benefits into cash. The problem is not simply that we work too much, the problem is that we are working for the wrong reward. We are paid in the wrong currency.

What if we were to expand our definition of wealth to include those things that grow only in time - time to walk in the park, take a nap, play with children, read a good book, garden, paint, sing or even cook playful meals with friends. 

We purchase twice as much as our parents and grandparents - are we twice as happy? Are our communities filled with more peace, joy and hospitality?

Sabbath Living is an invitation to consider that the fruits of our labor may be found in the restful and unhurried currency of time. Sabbath time allows us to taste the sweet fruit of peace, serenity, well-being and delight - and these are things that money just can't buy.