IMPACTFUL STEWARDSHIP OF TIME (2)

“To everything there is a season, a TIME for every purpose under heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

The scriptures provide ample lessons on the IMPACTFUL STEWARDSHIP of TIME: “To everything there is a season, a TIME for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl.3:1). Our meditation text places human activity within the larger context of divine control. Rather than dictating a strict schedule, it calls for a wise and God-centred approach to time, guided by an understanding of life's seasons and an eternal perspective. Verses 1 to 8 present a poetic list of 14 pairs of opposites, showing that there is a God-appointed time for every human experience, both pleasant and painful. The implications for Time Management, are:

Acknowledging Life's Seasons: Life is not a monotonous, linear voyage but a cyclical one with diverse seasons for different activities. To act appropriately, we must acknowledge and recognize the season we are in. For instance, the principle that a time for planting precedes a time for harvesting, could apply to both personal growth and professional advancement.

Accepting the Uncontrollable: Many of life's seasons such as a “time to be born and a time to die,” are outside of our control. As we accept these divine rhythms rather than fight against them, we are free from the anxiety of trying to force outcomes.

Accommodating the Full Range of Experience: The pairs of opposites – like weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing, gaining and losing, or war and peace – reveal that most experiences, both good and bad, have divinely appointed times. An effective and impactful life is not one that avoids pain but one that engages with the full scope of human experience with faith. 

After presenting the various seasons of life, the passage asks about the purpose of human effort: “What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?” (v.9). The answer shifts the focus from human profit to divine purpose (vv.10-11). Verse 11 offers three Time-related instructions:

Finding Beauty in God's Timing: "He has made everything beautiful in its time" (v.11a). Even though life's events may seem currently chaotic or unpleasant, God is weaving them together into a beautiful and suitable tapestry. An effective steward of time trusts that God's Plan is good, even when the current season feels grim.

Cultivating an Eternal Perspective: God has set eternity in the human heart (v.11b). This explains our restless yearning for more than earthly existence. To have a lasting impact, our stewardship of time must be guided by this eternal longing, focusing our passion on pursuits that reflect God's eternal purposes rather than mere temporary approval or pleasure.

Acknowledging human limitations: Despite having a sense of eternity, humans cannot find out the work that God has done from beginning to end (v.11c). Impactful Stewardship requires humility, recognizing that we do not have all the answers. Trusting God's unseen plan for the future is more impactful than trying to micro-manage every detail.