Pioneer Christian Monthly - July, 1978

Editorial
Peter J. Yff

Last month was a time of climax and rejoicing for the Reformed Church. We celebrated an anniversary that went back 350 years. What do we do now? How shall we use the years which lie ahead?

It seems to me that the management of time is one of the important areas of stewardship available. The heritage of the past witnesses to time well spent by our church fathers and mothers. It serves also, does this heritage, to challenge us to continue faithfully, and consistently, in the service of our Lord and of his Church. Summer, in this connection, is not a time to let up, but to grow.

There are many today who simply counsel us to drift along, to grab whatever is available for the grabbing. Similar voices advise our youth not to spend too much in education, for when you graduate you probably won't have a job anyway.

Certainly this is one of the most irresponsible attitudes around. And summer is a good time to think about it, as you relax a bit, but also prepare for the activities of fall.

It is possible for people to drift along, with no discernible purpose in life. It is also possible for a congregation, or even a denomination, to proceed in the same way. We need clearly defined goals and we need a purpose which can not only be explained, but also worked at.

Summer is traditionally, in our part of the world, the time when things grow to approaching maturity. Summer is the time when the promise of blossom has begun to develop in form of flower or fruit. Summer should be a time when we ourselves mature. The fall will be upon us before we know it. If we use the summer well, we will be better prepared for the fall, and for the opportunities and challenges it will bring, both in individual lives and in the life of the Church as well.

This brings us back to the earlier concern of the management of time, and the use of time. Christian stewardship involves all of the resources which God provides. Time is one of these, and in greater or lesser degree is given to all of us. We can use an hour, or we can waste an hour. We can get past a difficult period, and then, with a mental "Wow! I was lucky there!" go on to the next opportunity, or problem, or crisis. It would be far better for us to profit by the previous experience, to grow in and through it, and so be pre-pared for the next event.

A few years ago (well, really more than a few) it was our privilege to serve congregations in the state of Iowa. The farmer's work there was open to the observation of every passer by. People would refer to a "clean" field or a "dirty" field, meaning thereby, of course, how well the farmer had kept weeds out of the row paths. If he cultivated faithfully, and regularly, it showed in the appearance of his field. Not only that, it also showed in the crop yield, and usually in the amount of money that particular crop produced.

You and I might well use the summer to cultivate our lives. We may have a bit of time for reflection. We may have opportunity to think things through. Let's make that time, and let's prayerfully ask God for wisdom to pluck out the weeds in life, the things which reduce our effectiveness as Christians and as workers. Let us also seek to care for the field of life entrusted to our care. It may be in public view, it may be in God's view only. Ultimately the latter is more important anyway. Come autumn we will be better prepared for a new chapter. The summer will have been a time of growing, of coming to maturity.

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