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| Mike Hosey, An Elder |
The most finite resource in the universe is time. You have only 24 hours in a day, and you have
only so many hours to live on earth. In an attempt to explain the value of
time, it is often said that time is money.
But this is a very poor comparison. Time is far more valuable than
money. You can always make more money.
If you lose your entire material fortune today, it is theoretically
possible for you to regain that entire material fortune next week, or even
tomorrow. But after a second, a minute, an hour or a day has passed, it is
gone. You cannot get another. Unlike
money, where every dollar is essentially the same, every day is unique. Each day has something different in it, and
every day has potential for different experiences.
The Greeks had a more intuitive understanding of this than
we do. They used two different words to
describe what English labels with only one word – “time.” In Greek, the word for time is both Chronos,
and Kairos. Chronos is the word used to
describe time in the sense that we use it most today. Usually, we speak of time
as a quantity, and we divide it into calendars, and schedules, and agenda’s. For instance, we may ask, “How much time
(chronos) before I get off work?”
Kairos, on the other hand, was a word that filled time with opportunity,
and had nothing to do with quantity. For instance, we might ask, “Did you have
a good time (kairos) at your small group?” Kairos is seizing the day and taking
advantage of the moment.
Jesus uses this word in a number of places. In speaking of the end times in Mark 13:33,
he tells us to be on guard because we don’t know when the time (kairos) of his
return will come. In other words, he
tells us to be vigilant and ready to seize the day and take the opportunity.
Although the word “kairos” is not used in the story of Martha and Mary (Luke
10:38-42), Jesus is clearly pointing out the concept. Jesus enters the house of Martha. Martha frantically goes about her duties of
serving Jesus, and whoever else has entered the house with him. But her sister,Mary,
sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to his teaching. This seems to irritate Martha,
who asks Jesus to command Mary to get up and help. Jesus simply responds that Mary has chosen
the better portion. He doesn’t tell Martha that her choice of service is wrong,
he simply tells her that Mary’s choice is better. Mary chose “kairos.” She chose to seize the
opportunity to enjoy Jesus.
As you go about your Christmas routines, ask yourself if you
are intentionally choosing “kairos,” and enjoying the season. It will be full of opportunity, and there will never
be another one exactly like it. Or are you
slavishly trying to manage chronos without enjoying the opportunities that are relentlessly marching past you.
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