Vacation is here! This is joy of all joys to the student. After all, he has been slaving away at his studies for the past few months, culminating in two weeks of intense exam mugging. And hence, to all those who are exam-worn, to those who have been struggling with little sleep, to those who were much pressurized, and to those who had little time to spend with the Lord; when vacation comes, it is a joyous time.

For most, it is a time to catch up on their rest. But how long does it take for rest to be recuperated? For most, it is a time to relax. But how much relaxation does it take before it becomes sloth? For most, it is a time to relieve the pressure by engaging in other distractions. But how long will it be before these distractions become their main activities? For many, it is a time to catch up on their time with God. Or is it?

Many working adults would like nothing better than to become students again – without the stress and pressure that is. Perhaps some would prefer student days even with all its stresses and pressure to the kind they experience today. It was, after all, a time to grow and learn. But most desirable of all about student days was the vacation time. What many adults would give for that kind of vacation time!

I’m sure many, knowing what they know now, would have used their time more profitably than how they actually used it then. I know I would. Hindsight is always 20/20. Perhaps some would have spent more time in revision of their studies – upset that they didn’t do as well in their academics. Others perhaps would have spent more time in Christian contemplation, service, and devotion. There are those also who would have spent more time with their parents, to honour them, and to minister the gospel to them.

The reason for such regret is that they can never retrieve those times ever again – time that they spent unprofitably. And this regret is not a regret of Christians alone. It is a regret for all people alike. In fact, many a worldly wise man has articulated the necessity of being time conscious. And when people have not made good use of their time, they may be willing to do anything or give anything just to redeem that time again; and remark as Queen Elizabeth I did: "All my possessions for a moment of time." This is because time is precious – it is worth much more than wealth.

It has been said: "Time well spent is worth much more than gold." This quote is from worldly wise man Michael Lee, a Certified Public Accountant – and who better to tell us than a professional in a profession that supposedly understands the value of dollars and (time) sense?

This sentiment is also shared by statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin: "One today is worth two tomorrows…[because] you may delay, but time will not." Even Theophrastus, the successor of Aristotelian philosophy, was quoted as saying,

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."

And since time is so valuable, that the time spent in regret is, to some, an unforgivable waste of time as well. The famed aphorist, Mason Cooley, was quoted, saying: "Regret for wasted time is more wasted time."

To a certain extent, if the regret is paralyzing, it is a waste of time. But not so, if it leads to further growth. Auguste Rodin, the famous French sculptor well-known for his piece The Thinker; epitomizes the fruit of growth from deep evaluation, when he says, "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."

But ultimately, the greatest antidote to regret is actually prevention. Entrepreneur and Chrysler businessman, Lee Iacocca said: "If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got."

These worldly wise men are not wrong. In fact, they are surprisingly right, given the shadowy image of God in them. But what and how much does the Word of God tell us about the management of time? In one sense, there aren’t too many passages that deal with this topic – whereas there are many passages that speak about the management of money and possessions, there aren’t too many that speak about the management of time.

Then again, the Queen, the Accountant, the Statesman, and the Philosopher, equate time as a resource, like money and possessions. To a certain extent, this is not untrue. And just because the Bible doesn’t have as much to say about time as it does about money, it doesn’t mean that then what it says about time is not relevant. It is vitally important.

The Bible in Psalm 90:12 teaches urgency. It says, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." This Psalm was written by Moses where he contemplates the majesty of God and the smallness of Man. If God is so great and Man is so small, then what should be the attitude of Man? It is obviously to number our days, to see how we may best use the shortness of our lives to do what is important. How can our lives count towards anything if we don’t realize the shortness of our lives? The student who has a sense of urgency towards completing his studies in the time allotted to him, will most likely be more successful in that endeavour than the student who sees no urgency. This is wisdom.

This is what Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us too – "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." The phrase "redeeming the time" literally means, "buying the time." The act of buying requires the act of numbering, of evaluating. And when one is evaluating and calculating, there is a price to pay. And here, we are told that if this price is not paid, we lose out on something good – which is wisdom; but we reap something bad – which is evil.

So pay the price of using your time well, lest you miss out on wisdom, but receive evil instead. But on what should we be using our time well, especially during vacation time?

The Bible in Matthew 25:13-14 tells us to "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods." And here, Jesus proceeds to tell them a parable about how the man gave unto one servant 5 talents who in return gained 5 through trading; unto another 2 talents who in returned gained 2; and unto the third 1 talent who in returned gained nothing because he hid it.

The important lesson we learn here is that we must be responsible to use what we have been given for what we are supposed to do, to the fullest of our ability, within the time that we have. The vocation of the Christian matters to God, and he intends for the Christian to do the most with what he has been given and tasked to do.

The present secular vocation that many young people are engaged in is studying. And even during the vacation, his vocation is not made defunct. But practically speaking, many students do just about everything else during vacation but study, which is their vocation, even though the difference between the two is just a vowel. So students, it is good, that during the vacation, a certain amount of revision work and advance work is profitable, because that is your current vocation. This advice here is certain ammunition for parents.

However, it would be unfair if I didn’t arm the students. Just as the 5 talent man was not able to get a 10 talent return, the 2 talent man was not able to get a 5 talent return. Some zealous parents are anxious for their 2 talent kids to be 10 talented. This is not good. After all, "unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48). And God didn’t give as much to some as he did to others, and that’s okay. Success and intelligence are highly overrated things. Holiness is far better.

So please, parents, let your children play – let them have their vacation.

The Bible in Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." This is followed by a set of 14 opposite activities. And this tells us in our context that although there is a time to study, there is also a time to cease from studying. This is the time to cease, within reason. The farmer may cease from sowing at harvest time, but he does the work of reaping. He may not be watering the seeds in the ground, but he may be drying the seeds in the shed. His primary responsibility is farming, and he is a farmer whichever time of year. But even the farmer rejoices in his fruit, takes a break, and celebrates. But if he does this for too long, the seeds in his shed will grow mouldy. So he has a good balance between his vocation and his recreation.

While vacation and recreation are necessary for a variety of reasons, they really only satisfy the physical, mental, and also the emotional needs. However, the Christian has spiritual needs.

Galatians 6:9-10 says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Here we are told to do good. The phrase "as we have therefore opportunity," literally means "so while we have time." It is telling us that while or as long as we have the time, we should do good to others, especially to Christians. The phrase "as we have therefore opportunity" is not talking about extra time, as in, "while you have extra time, then do good to others." It is talking about time we have right now before that due season comes, in which we shall be rewarded. Meaning, we are to do good to one another before the coming of Christ, while we have time now. This means that the Christian is to fellowship with God’s people at all times.

Although we are to do this at all times, vacation is a more opportune time to engage in this joyful discipline. What better time is there to do this? And there are a host of camps during this vacation period. The Lively Teens Fellowship Camp is for pre and young teens and the Youth Fellowship Camp is for older teens and youth in their early twenties, to study the Word of God together and to be challenged in their faith, to live victoriously for Christ not only individually but corporately.

So don’t only study and play; come to church to fellowship with other Christians.

1 Peter 1:17 says, "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." What this verse tells us is simply this – that during our stay on earth, in the time that we have here, we ought to live reverentially to God. And the rest of the verses in Chapter 1 and 2 basically tell us that to live in this manner, the Christian is to live a holy life, to concentrate on his walk with the Lord.

While the student is to be constantly doing this everyday, it would probably be admitted honestly by most students that there is too little of that going on in their lives. Therefore, what an opportune time during the vacation to catch up on spiritual matters. What an opportunity for the family to take time off to catch up on spiritual matters together.

The life we live now can never be relived. The time spent now can never be redeemed in the future. Many look back and would give almost anything to redeem the time, regretting that they spent it unwisely. And often times the regret is paralyzing. But it does not have to be. That is why there is the necessity of redeeming the time now.