Stingy with time

Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening (1 Samuel 3:9).

Growing up in Wisconsin, I didn’t know that I talked fast. After all, everyone I knew talked at the same speed that I did. It was only after I moved to Nebraska and got a job in education that I started forcing myself to speak more slowly. When teaching, it is important that you don’t get in such a rush that your students end up left behind.

Lately, I’ve noticed that more and more people are in a rush when they communicate. Anchors on television news programs talk very fast, probably because every minute of airtime is so expensive. Lots of folks are using text messaging, but in order to keep up with a running conversation, they have to use all sorts of abbreviations and limit themselves to brief sentences. Years ago, a half-hour soap opera would focus on a couple of lengthy conversations; these days, soaps juggle several different story lines each episode, and no scene is allowed to run longer than a few minutes at a time. I assume that this fast pace is because viewers are quick to reach for the remote if their attention starts to wander.

Conversation is becoming a lost art. It used to be that friends would sit down with a light refreshment and talk for an hour or more about any number of subjects. But these days, many people are in too much of a rush to settle in for a lengthy chat. Most families hardly ever sit down for a meal together, where everyone can share the events of the day. Instead, many call their friends on the cell phone while shopping for groceries, or check in on the kids while driving from one activity to another.

We hurt people when we don’t take the time to carefully listen. We often cause emotional pain when we’re in such a rush that we don’t think before opening our mouths. For relationships to grow strong, we need to make a commitment to good conversation—listening closely, respectfully sharing what we think and feel, and allowing enough time to talk matters over thoroughly. This is especially true of our relationship with Jesus. He has a lot to say—important things that cannot be boiled down into a few quick sound bites. Jesus wants your undivided attention. And He also wants you to speak with Him in prayer, sharing your hopes and joys as well as your fears and frustrations. You cannot experience closeness to God if you are stingy with the time that you give Him.