Spiritual Budgeting

There are only so many hours in a day. Do you ever wonder if the difference that you want to make is different than the difference that you are called to make?

There is a guy at work that I have been spending a great deal of time and effort with. It isn’t some evangelical duty. The problem is that I really like him. I’ve liked him ever since he started working at The Mufflerman. Alright. I like most of the people that I have ever worked with, but for some reason, he remains very much on my mind. It would be difficult for me to explain how much I would like to be able to refer to him as my brother in Christ. I’ve even told him as much.

Fortunately, he does seem to enjoy talking with me about Christ, although, he calls it ‘religion’. When I think of him, I see a man who seems to want to be what God is. He’ll even ask me questions about my faith from time to time and I’ve had different opportunities to share with him.

It seems rather strange. As much as he remains on my heart, and as open as he seems, there is a certain door that remains shut. He often talks about coming to hear me speak and I think he’s sincere, but our schedules never match. In fact, we’ve tried on several occasions to get together and there is always some roadblock.

He has some issues in his life that he’s dealing with right now. While I was in church on Sunday, I was really thinking on him. You know that every idea you get in church must be from God right? (Wrong?) So this morning I asked if he had anyone with whom he could talk about his issues with. I figured that would be one way that I could help meet his needs. After all, the average North American male has zero close friends. He didn’t seem to need me for that. My (our) time is in short supply, but I was prepared to get up a couple hours early to meet with him if he would want to. If you know me, you realize how dramatic that is.

And then there is this other guy. I met him a few years back at an Alpha course. This past year we started to spend some time together. He is a little needier than my co-worker to say the least. He calls me at work and he calls me at home. He has even called my church. I haven’t put a whole lot of energy into my relationship with him. He’s fairly poor.

What if? What would happen if I invested just some of my time, thought and prayer on ‘the other guy’, that I have been spending on my coworker? Maybe some of my doors have been closing for a reason.

I don’t fish very much, but it’s as if I have found this watering spot where I’m getting a lot of bites, but I can’t reel it in. I’m not very good with fishing metaphors, but it is a Biblical one. It isn’t that I feel called to give up on anyone ever, but there is only so much time that we have available as we are about our Father’s business. Perhaps the best use of my time is simply to go where I’m obviously needed.

It’s a principle that I try to remind myself on occasion. If I just go where I’m needed, God can use me. I think I heard this phrase in a movie or something. It went something like this;

‘Sometimes, I do what I want to do. But most of the time, I do what I have to do.’

I know that I’m taking this passage out of context, and you can remove my preaching badge if you want to punish me, but this verse just stays with me,
Ephesians 5:15-16 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Our time is short and the days really are evil. I pray that each of us are using these brief days as effectively as possible.

By the way, if you are my coworker and you think that I’m talking about you, I’m still open for breakfast. But unless you take the next step, I’m going to let you have some space for a while.