Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Greatest Commodity

Money is great (personally, I'm a pretty big fan of it). You can do a lot with it; buy things, influence people, make differences in people's lives. When we got married we put "presentation preferred" on our invitations so people knew that we would prefer monetary gifts. I know lots of people who adore money - in fact their whole existence in built around finding it, spending it, or not losing it. Money is an essential part of life and even if you don't like it, it does make the world go round.

Yet as desireable as money is, it is not nearly the greatest commodity that we possess. So what is then? I would argue that is simply this; time.

Time is the greatest commodity. Everyone, no matter how young or poor only has a certain amount of it. You can't buy more of it, yet you can waste it frivolously. Sometimes people ask "What can you give the person who has everything?" My answer is always the same: time. Time is the most precious thing you can give. I have heard so many people argue that their spouse or kids should know they love them because of how hard they work for them, for the gifts they buy them, for the comfortable living they procure for them. But then their relations object; "But you hardly spend any time with me." Time is our greatest commodity and one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. Manage it well and teach those around you as well. Spend it wisely.



"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."
-Benjamin Franklin


"There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing."
-Brian Tracy

1 comment:

Elayne said...

One of the ways I invest some time is in providing friendship to a few elderly ladies connected to our church. I have to constantly remind myself that if all I did was to sit with them they would be perfectly happy. Some don't require a lot of verbal interaction. They just want another person in their presence. Personally I would feel like there are so many things I could do for them but that is not what they need. They need someone to just be with them. For me, a tough concept to get through my thick skull! I'm SLOWLY learning to be OK with just BEING with them.