Are You A Horse or a Hawk?
Being reactive is often
despised. We're told that being proactive is the best course of action. But
which is a better model for effective time stewardship? The horse with blinders
who plows the ground for hours and hours every day? Or the hawk whose sharp
senses are scanning the area?
Ephesians 5:15-16
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the
best use of the time, because the days are evil.
In our zeal to be good
stewards of our time, we can miss the wisdom of the Bible. We end up running
headlong down a path that we think is correct, but we just get further away
from where we should be.
Such is the case with chronos and kairos. Both are
Greek words which mean time, but they imply
different things. Chronos refers to minutes and seconds. It refers to time as a
measurable resource.
Kairos is the word used for time in Ephesians
5:16, Kairos means an appointed time, an opportune moment, or a due season.
A Chronos View
We tend to think of our
time in a chronos mindset. We think of having 24 hours in a day. We define our
workweeks by the number of hours that we work. We have a list of things to do
and only so much time to get everything done. Being conscious of our minutes
and seconds is a good thing. We should number our days as the scripture says. Our
time on earth is so brief, and we want to be good stewards of every second that
we have to glorify God on this earth. But ironically, this chronos mindset can
make us miss what Paul is saying in Ephesians 5. Paul instructs us to redeem
the kairos -- to pay attention and take advantage of the opportune times and
seasons.
A Kairos View
We only have such a brief opportunity
to shepherd our kids when they're still young children. When a friend is
experiencing pain, we have a brief window of time in which to reach out to
them.
When friends of ours were
going through a rough spot in their marriage, I went to lunch with the husband.
Yes, it took up some of my chronos time. But I was able to share the gospel
with this unsaved friend of mine, we prayed together, and he expressed an
interest in learning more about Christ. It was a kairos opportunity.
Changing Our Mindset
This requires us to make a
mental shift. Instead of looking at our time as grains of sand slipping through
an hourglass, we view our time as opportunities flying by. Instead of viewing
our time as seconds ticking by, we realize that not every second holds the same
worth.
Some moments are more valuable than other
moments. The five minutes that
I have a chance to share the gospel with an unsaved friend is a more valuable
five minutes than when I'm processing my Email. I have to take advantage of my
opportunities. We must change our view of what effectiveness really is. Though
we want to use our minutes and seconds wisely, biblical effectiveness is not
necessarily us ramming as much as we can into 24 hours. It's not us putting our
head down and plowing the field with as much vigor as we can muster. Instead
the effective steward is a focused watchman whose senses are attuned to the
slightest hint of an opportunity. He's a hawk on the lookout. The effective
steward not only recognizes these kairos opportunities but has the courage to
leap upon them with all his might. And the effective steward has organized his
schedule in such a way that leaves him open to seizing these opportunities.
Don't let your diligence towards chronos
choke out your attention to kairos.
Title and contents of this article have been modified. This
article is from the following source: http://www.lifeofasteward.com/chronos-kairos/