Engaging Our Time Wisely

Last updated on: December 4, 2022 at 3:49 am by Henry Karlson

Engaging Our Time Wisely 2022-12-04T03:49:32-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

LetsgomusicStyle: Time / Wikimedia Commons

We should act with wisdom, doing what we can to make things better for all. We don’t have all the time in the world to do so. Our lives are short. Therefore, we should take the time we have to do those things which we believe are the most important to do. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16 RSV). This doesn’t mean every moment, every waking breath we take, should be used to make some significant, earth-shaking action. We have limits to what we can do, and we should take that into consideration as well. We need times of rest and relaxation, for without them, we will burn out. We need to take some time to relax, to enjoy life. We were given life as a good and so we must make sure we partake of that good for ourselves. And when we do, we will often find, when we have such moments of rest, we start contemplating what we have done, and use that reflection to understand better what we have done right and what we should be doing next. If all we do is act without taking times to reflect in this manner, no matter how much wisdom was used to get us to act, eventually we will end up becoming foolish, as we will not be able to adapt so easily to our ever-changing situation in life.

It is important, therefore, we realize that there is something for us to do. Our lives are important. We might live in “evil days,” because there is always something bad happening in the world around us, but we should not use that as an excuse to do nothing. Rather, it should inspire us to push on, to reform things, both in our own lives and in the world at large. Thus, far from having us retreat from the world, seeing the evil which is done in it should have us look even more to the world at large and to do what we can to heal the harm such evil has caused to it. It is our duty to do so. We are not to live our lives selfishly, looking only to satisfy our inordinate pleasures, ignoring the consequences of our actions, but instead, we are to look to ways we can help establish long-lasting peace and happiness, both in ourselves, and in the world around us. Jesus, therefore, provided us a parable, pointing out, though we have a limited time in which to act, the consequences of those actions will follow us, even beyond time itself. Once we understand this, we should know that we should do what we can to prepare for our eternal existence by using our time wisely:

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, `What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, `Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Lk. 12: 16- 21 RSV).

If all we do is look for ways by which we can take from the world all we want, hoarding things for the future, eventually the future will come and will not be able to use all we have collected. We will die before we use it all. And yet, because of the way we hoarded things, we will have taken away from many the opportunity to enjoy or use the things we have removed from the universal distribution of the goods. This could lead to many people suffering unjustly because of our own selfish actions. Thus, not only will hoarding in such a way not do us any good, it can become the source of great evil in the world, and the more evil we do, the more we will have to pay the price for that evil, either later in our temporal lives, or in the life which is to come. If we want to prepare for the future, to lay up treasures which we can and will use, we must look for those treasures which we can possess in ourselves without hurting others. What are those treasures? The various virtues of the soul. The more we have of them, the more we will find ourselves becoming more and more like God, with all the glory that likeness brings.

Everything we do will be revealed in the light of God’s glory. The more we look to the world with selfishness, causing pain and sorrow to others, the more we will have to face the consequences of our actions. In the eschaton, we will not be able to hide from ourselves, or others, what we have done. The truth will be made known. Wisdom, realizing this, will encourage us to use our time wisely and make things better for all. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light” (Eph. 5:11-13 RSV). And of course, the more we engage grace, and the light which it provides, the more we will find that we are true to ourselves, to the goodness which is inherent in us, allowing that goodness to grow and mature. Indeed, we will find that our innate goodness is but a starting point, and the more we let it grow and develop, the better we can become. We can truly store treasures in heaven without harming anyone else, indeed, the more we help others, the more treasure we will have. But if we ignore the goodness which is already within, and the way it could and would inspire us if we but listen to it, we can be said to be going against our conscience, and in this way, find ourselves sinning, causing harm at least to ourselves, if not many others as well. The more, then, we contend against that innate goodness, the more we find ourselves becoming less and less, as we become corrupted by evil, and insofar as we know and realize it is evil and we continue to embrace such evil, we sin. “For evil is not some sort of a substance, nor yet a property of a substance, but an accident, that is to say, a deviation from the natural into the unnatural, which is just what sin is.”[1]

As sin takes us away from what is natural to some perversion of our own good nature, the more we sin, the more we harm ourselves, causing ourselves more and more pain and sorrow. We might not notice it at first. The pain and sorrow might be something which comes later, much later. But it will come as we have to face the consequences of our actions. This is why we are to take the time to consider our actions, and engage them with wisdom. Then, we will wisely engage the good which has been given to us, not just from legalistic exploration of what should or should not be done, but from our conscience. We should follow where our conscience directs us, for if we do, it will make sure end up with long-lasting, indeed, eternal happiness and satisfaction, instead of the moment of pleasure which sin offers before that pleasure becomes a thing of the past, leaving us suffering in its demise.

[1] St. John of Damascus, “On The Orthodox Faith” in Writings. Trans. Frederic H. Chase, Jr (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1958), 387.

General Christian

Eastern Orthodox

Previous Post

December 2, 2022

What St Athanasius Taught Monks In Egypt

Next Post

December 6, 2022 To Find Peace, Let Go

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz