No Such Thing as Wasted Time
Cassie Schutzer
Monday, September 23, 2024
When I worked in parish ministry in North Carolina, I met a young adult who had just moved to the area for grad school. She only planned to live in town for two years, so she hesitated to join anything at the parish.
“Why bother if it’s only temporary?” she said. “I can wait until I move somewhere permanently.”
Her desires were fighting against each other – the desire to use her time well and the desire for meaningful relationships. She wanted to be part of the community, to use her two years getting involved at the parish. But she felt that she shouldn’t put down too many roots just to rip them up again when she left.
Fast forward to this year when one of my closest friends in Indiana thought she would be moving. When she told our friend group, she gave us permission to stop investing our time in a friendship with her.
“I understand if you don’t want to waste your time on someone who won’t be here in a few years.”
But there is no such thing as wasted time, especially in our relationships.
Time is given to us by God in order to grow in holiness, to discover meaning, to forge connections with the people and the world around us. If we look at time in this way – given to us for our sanctification – then time spent pursuing the true, good, and beautiful is never wasted.
Young people might pass through our parishes, but their time with us is a gift.
Friends might be in our lives for a season, but our time together changes us.
We might only be in our community for a few years, but our presence means something.
So, to young people, I say this – you don’t have to wait until your life feels permanent before you get involved. You have gifts to share now. You are a gift. Our parishes and communities are missing part of our access to God without you.
To more established adults, I say this – investing in the lives of young people is never a waste of time. Their importance goes beyond their productivity or what they can do for us. Intergenerational friendships are a gift for all parties involved as we accompany each other through a life in which we never stop learning, growing, and becoming.
When we commit to investing in our young people, we might just be preparing them for their future parish community. This is not a waste either. We might never see the impact or outcome of our efforts, but that is for God to know. He will bring abundance out of humble offerings every single time.