I heard a very good spiritual commentary the other day. While this was focused on these resources from a scriptural standpoint, as I listened I realized that this is a valuable view of our lives expendable resources regardless of your religious viewpoint.

These are, at their root, our only available resources and they all spend very quickly and easily.

Each is both an investment and expense account. We put in and we must take out.

Each we can easily squander or utilize to great gain.

But it lead me to assess how I use each;

Talent
I see myself as a pretty talented guy. I have had a very good and prosperous professional life. Vocationally, I enjoy utilizing my writing talents on a regular basis and I try to employ what I have learned as a Chaplain where ever and when ever I can.

However, it is easy for me to get lazy with my talents. To get comfortable in their use and not focus on growing or improving them. They become a source of knowledge to draw upon but not something I am necessarily doing a good job in fostering the improvement of.

I am busy, and this does not lend itself to taking the time to grow my talents. Furthermore, I read a lot and I utilize my skills daily. Much like a muscle I use my talents and do not let them get stale. But I realized that I while I am maintaining them, they are not necessarily gaining strength. And much like a muscle, simple use is not enough. I must stretch them to keep them limber, employ them to keep them strong and feed them to keep them growing.

I need to focus more on improving my talents.

Time
Something that we never have enough of, right! I am no different. Hours run through my hands like the sands of time (which they are), and I look back over my day and see that I have not accomplished all I wanted.

Too, if I am honest, I do not necessarily utilize my time like the very expendable resource it is. I allow it to get used up without so much as a second glance. Not recognizing that each moment I waste is a moment I have lost on a calendar that has an ultimate end date. I am past the half way point I suspect at this time (don’t think I want to see 110 necessarily). Each tick of the clock is not a moment more but, now, a moment less I have to spend.

I cannot invest in this account to extend it. The day is set. I am just working, as best I can, toward it.
Now this is not a fatalistic viewpoint. Not at all. I do not fear the end. I may fear the process, but not the outcome nor the aftermath. That too is set.

No, at this point, it is how I am investing what is left that counts.

I need to invest my time wisely.

Treasure
Money has always been a means to an end for me. I have said before I have never been one to watch balances as I should. I am not a good investor. I have people who do that for me and they should. If I am honest I don’t do it because I know I suck at it.

Thus, I am not nearly where I wish I was at this point in life. I should have a far bigger nest egg. I should have focused more energy on keeping what I had and spending less. If I had I would have had far more options at this point in my life than I currently do.

Now, do I worry about this. No. Not really if I am honest. Yes, I could be destitute tomorrow, but I am am at heart a country boy. And like the song says, “A country boy will survive.”

However, this does make me wish I had planned and executed better. It is not that I have not made provision or been diligent with my treasures. But I could have done much better.

When you don’t grow up with a lot, and you find yourself making a good salary, it is easy to afford yourself the luxuries of life.

I do not lament this much, but it does weigh upon me at times. Probably more because I would like to be in a financial position to have, as I said, more options in life. More discretionary funds to travel or make big life decisions without concern.

I must be more diligent with my treasure.

These are our expendable resources. Ask yourself how you are spending yours…