As August begins, time has been on my mind a lot lately. With summer ending and another school year beginning, I am reminded of how precious the gift of time is.

When you first become a parent, everyone tries to tell you that it will go by in the blink of an eye, but it is really hard to believe that when you are in the middle of the infant and toddler years. But then your kids become teenagers overnight and you suddenly realize that you only have a few more years of having them at home with you. And that happens at the same time that your kids realize that it isn’t cool to always have their parents around.

As a parent, I am now looking for the opportunities to spend time with my kids. Sometimes that looks like doing an activity together but most of the time it looks like just being present. My goal is to make sure my kids know that I love them and I want to be in relationship with them and one way I can do that is by giving of my time and being present in their lives.

We all are familiar with the 3 “T’s” of stewardship; Time, Talent, and Treasure. I believe we are called to give of our time AND our talents AND our treasures to God in gratitude for all that we have been given. We have also heard the saying “time is money” and although I believe that to be true in the world of commerce, I don’t believe giving of our money is the same as giving of our time. I believe time is even more precious. So, what does it mean to be a good steward of your time?

n this fast-paced, business-driven world, stewardship of time is hard. We are explicitly and implicitly told that we must be high achievers and to do that we must spend lots of time working hard. But that is not the example that Jesus set for us.

Jesus didn’t spend his limited time on earth working 60-hour weeks trying to make more money. Jesus spent his time with people. Jesus met people where they were and gave them his time. He fellowshipped with friends and welcomed everyone with open arms. Jesus spent his time being present with people. When Jesus wasn’t with people, he was resting or praying.

Time is a precious gift given to us by God. Be like Jesus and be a good steward of your time; be present with the people you love, spend time in relationship with God, and rest.