Reclaiming the Time Now Whilst It Exists

A group meeting is always a fine context for mixing metaphors and leaving confused; experienced hands all saying, “Let’s go,” the younger players left scratching their heads.

There’s always the temptation to run ahead with our own ideas instead of restraining ourselves, and listening more intently for what other people are missing.

So long as we don’t forget the important contributions we need to make, we should always allow for the contributions of others—particularly those newer and less assertive members of the group.

This is about making the very most of the time we have; for all purposes—not just the central purpose we’ve met for, though we’re loath to swing off purpose. If we don’t capitalise on the opportunities to grow others with us we waste time in the future and the uncertainty in the persons affected will possibly be a blow to their confidence. This will usually be to the detriment of the team, not to mention we don’t want fellow team members feeling a lack of confidence anyway, or that they don’t have the support they require.

Taking Every Opportunity

The broader lesson for us is to be open to whatever opportunities our opportunities present us with. In other words, we should try to be as open-minded as possible to the things that sit up and beg for worthy attention in our moments.

Then we ‘reclaim’ this time, for once it’s gone it’ll be truly gone forever! (The way it was presented, anyway.)

Doing this involves its very own self-fulfilling prophesy. We might be tempted to leave well enough alone, thinking it’s a trap and a burden. Not so quickly...

Good opportunities, taken, enliven us and actually give us energy. Of course, excess energy always eventually needs control so we do respond to our need for rest, but this is a separate issue. Good opportunities taken always end up as blessings.

The Importance, Always, of Right Modelling

There is another advantage. We model by the way we go about life that we’re supple to the very needs of the situation; that we have our internal mind-chatter under control so as to be able to invest more of ourselves in the moments that are shared with others. This is how we actually actively listen—with nothing distracting going on ‘upstairs’.

There’s perhaps very little more inspirational than taking a definable moment and extracting from it all its eternally planned-for and cherishable juice—to the pleasure, of course, of God.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.