Budgeting Time

Keith stood on his friends’ deck, an ice-cold root beer in his hand, enjoying the gentle breeze and the low humidity.

 Scott leaned against the porch railing, “What a perfect day. I love summer weekends. I’m glad you and Lori could come over tonight.”

Keith took a swig of his root beer. “It’s always a good time when we get together. I’m just sorry it’s been so long.”

“Yeah, life is busy. But that will change next year.”

Keith raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“I’m retiring early.”

“Seriously? Wow. That’s great. How did you manage that?”

“Incredibly careful budgeting. I’ve been planning this out for years. Every dollar is accounted for. We’ve been maxing out our retirement accounts. The kids getting scholarships for college certainly helped. Do you want to see?”

Keith shrugged. “I guess so.” He followed Scott into the house to the computer in the den. Scott pulled up his spreadsheet. “Here are all our monthly payments versus what we’re bringing in. I have all the basic expenses covered, plus money set aside for vacations, house repairs, replacement cars when the time comes, and about 14 other categories. Part of is about being responsible with our money, but a lot of it is simply careful budgeting.”

Keith glanced at the numbers. It did seem to add up. “We’ve been good with our money, too, but I haven’t thought much about it. I don’t feel like God is calling us to retire yet. Lori absolutely adores working with the children, and I’m making a difference in my job as well.”

“That’s great for you guys, but I’m ready to get out of the rat race.” Scott shut off the monitor and glanced out the window. “Do you want to play a game of cornhole? The ladies don’t look like they’re going to be ready for our card game anytime soon, not the way they’re chattering away out there.”

“Sure.”

They headed outside, gathered up the bean bags, and Keith tossed his first one. It hit the board and bounced off. “So, what do you plan to do once you retire?”

“Have lots more days like today.” Scott tossed his bag and it missed the board by a foot. “Darn it.”

Keith threw another bean bag and it sailed into the hole. “What did you do today?”

Scott grinned. “Not much. I slept in, made a big breakfast, watched some sports commentary on TV, adjusted some numbers on my spreadsheets, and ran to the grocery store for a couple of things Jen needed for dinner tonight. Oh, and played a few video games. Beat my high score. Now that was fun.”

Keith considered his words carefully, not wanting to alienate Scott. “You did such a good job with your financial budget. Have you ever considered a time budget?”

Scott’s forehead creased and he turned to Keith, bean bag in hand. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, God gives us all the same amount of time every day. We don’t know how many years we’ll have, but that’s part of why it matters so much. We’ve all been put on this earth for a reason. God gives us each gifts to serve Him in a way that only we can. But we never know how much time we’ll have on this earth, so I want to make sure I’m using my time wisely.”

Scott tossed his bean bag, and it landed squarely on the board. “I never really thought about it. But I work hard, and I need to relax when I’m home. Maybe I can do something for God next year.”

“There’s nothing wrong with relaxing. But if you think over your day, how much time did you spend watching TV and playing video games? If you have a time budget, you can set aside time for those things, but you won’t find yourself wasting away hours at a time. I think if you account for your time the way you’re accounting for your money, you’ll be surprised at how you’re spending it.”

~*~

A few weeks later, Keith and Lori returned the favor, and this time Scott and Jen were at their home. Once again, after dinner was over, the women and the men found themselves in separate conversations.

Scott sat in a lawn chair. “Hey, I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said when you guys were here last month. About the time budget thing?”

“Yeah, I remember. What were you thinking?”

“My co-worker’s brother died of a heart attack a couple of weeks ago. He was only 52. It got me thinking about what you said – that we don’t know how much time we have. What if I died of a heart attack tomorrow? I may never get to enjoy retirement. I started thinking about what my gifts for God might be, and I really do have a skill with numbers and budgeting. I talked to the elders at our church, and I’m starting up a class for people to help them budget their money to get out of debt, and save for college, that sort of thing. We had the first class Thursday night, and it felt great.”

Keith smiled. Scott was starting to get it. “That’s awesome. What felt great about it?”

“Well, after work, I was kind of tired and mad at myself for saying I’d do it, but once I got there and started talking to people, it was like I was completely energized. I gave a short talk on some general principles, and afterwards, people came to me with questions. One guy brought his monthly expenses and I showed him how he could move some things around to start paying down his credit card debt. It felt amazing to help people.”

Keith clapped him on the shoulder. “It sounds like you found one of your gifts, my friend.”

“Yeah, and I didn’t have to wait until I retired to use it. You were right. I have a lot more time now than I realized. Somehow once the kids left the house, I just used the extra time for goofing off, never accounting for where it went. But no more. Serving God feels great!”

Ephesians 5: 15-17

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 

God, each of us are given the same amount of time in a day, but we all use that time in different ways. You tell us in Your word we all have gifts. We’re each put on this earth to love You and to serve You in a unique and special way. Please help us consider the time we have as a blessing, God. It’s not wrong to relax and enjoy downtime, but it’s important that we also spend time serving You, however that may look in our own lives. Please help us see how You want us to spend our time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.