最美好的事情總是需要花時間

然而在現實的生活中，最美好的事情以及最值得珍惜的事情總是需要花時間－很多很多的時間。醫學生進大學花了很多時間在醫學院學習，並且在選擇的專業科目裡受訓；為了拿到MBA，職場專業人士在大學畢業之後也必須要繼續投資很多時間和付出許多的代價。

所有人都曾經面臨快速致富的誘惑，但是最確實能致富的方法卻是小心聰明的投資以及對未來通盤考量的計畫。如同聖經所說：「不勞而得之財必然消耗； 勤勞積蓄的，必見加增。」(箴言13章11節)「 殷勤籌劃的，足致豐裕； 行事急躁的，都必缺乏。」(箴言21章5節)

有些非常具有價值的生命特質也需要時間養成，例如身為青少年的父母經常覺得很焦慮，並不是因為他們不相信自己的孩子而是因為他們知道經驗不是用教的，只能自己去體會。無論是機師、電腦工程師或者是企業執行長，許多其他的專業也是如此。

智慧亦然。知識和技能可以在教室裡、工作坊中以及特訓中學到，但是智慧需要明白、洞見和應用，並且花非常多的時間練習才能得到。如果你可以發明能儲存智慧的裝置，將來你一定可以發大財。但是智慧不能裝瓶販售或是量產製造，而是需要在每天的生活中從成功和失敗的過程中發展出來。

那麼，我們要如何等待一些需要時間成熟的盼望、期待和目標？聖經給我們一些建議：

拒絕有問題的捷徑 如果我們執意要完成自己的計畫或慾望，情緒就會扭曲我們去做出沒有智慧的決定。我們要明白智慧需要時間培養並且願意不斷地在成功與失敗中練習。回顧上一段的經文：「 殷勤籌劃的，足致豐裕； 行事急躁的，都必缺乏。」(箴言21章5節) 另外一個翻譯說：神的計畫和努力的工作會帶來繁榮，然而急促的尋求捷徑導致貧窮。

保持往前看的態度 我們有時會被自己想要的抓住，或只是專注在最後的目標，就像是一個馬拉松選手，忽略了痛苦和煩惱。「弟兄們，我不是以為自己已經得皀了；我只有一件事，就是忘記背後，努力面前的，向著標竿直跑，要得上帝在基督耶穌裏從上面召我來得的獎賞。」(腓立比書3章13-14節)

勞勃．泰默西是領袖資產協會的傳播部副部長，這是一個總部在美國喬治亞州亞特蘭大的非營利組織。

In reality, however, the best, highly cherished things in life almost always require time – and lots of it. Prospective physicians attend college, then spend more years going to medical school and receiving training in their chosen specialties. To earn a prized MBA, business and professional must invest much more time and expense beyond college as well.

We all have been confronted with “get rich quick” schemes at one time or another, but the most certain way to attain financial security is through careful and judicious spending, wise investments and well-thought-out plans for the future. As the Bible states, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow” (Proverbs 13:11). It also observes, “Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty” (Proverbs 21:5).

Some of the most priceless qualities of life also are products of time. For instance, parents of teenagers just starting to drive feel anxious, usually not because they lack trust in their children, but because they know experience cannot be taught – it can only be gained through practice. Professionally the same is generally true, whether you are an airline pilot, a computer programmer, or a CEO.

The same applies to wisdom. Intelligence and skill can be gained through classroom study, workshops and special training. But wisdom – the effective application of knowledge through understanding and insight – must be acquired over extended periods of time. If it were possible to store wisdom in a package, it would generate an instant fortune. However, wisdom cannot be bottled or manufactured. It must be developed over the process of daily living, learning from success and failure.

So how can we successfully “bide our time” as our greatest hopes, aspirations and goals seem to remain just beyond our reach? The Bible offers some suggestions:

Resist questionable shortcuts. If we become fixated on achieving plans or fulfilling our desires, emotions can cause us to make unwise decisions. Acknowledging the time required and being willing to exercise the necessary patience can be the difference between success and failure. Looking again at one of the passages above, we are told, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5). Yet another translation of the same passage states, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Maintain a forward-looking attitude. We can either become caught up in what we have not yet achieved, or remain focused on our ultimate goal, just as a marathon runner ignores pain and weariness by concentrating on the finish line ahead. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

© 2015. Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.