It was a phrase we heard a lot at training camp but I didn't quite understand what it meant at the time. My brain was still accustomed to operating according to a strict time schedule, with each and every moment accounted for.
After working in the business world for a number of years, I quickly learned how important time is; after all, "time is money" right?
While working as a retail manager, each employee was paid to the minute and we were all expected to report to and depart from work on time. I would receive notifications when one of my team members worked passed their scheduled end time in an attempt to reduce, if not completely eliminate, overtime pay. The last thing we wanted was to spend more payroll hours than what was forecasted according to our sales goal.
Like I said,time is money and we would do whatever possible to increase the bottom line.
Let's just say the rest of the world isn't as time conscious as America!
The rest of the world operates with much less emphasis on time. Since I am not accustomed to operating in this fashion, I have been forced to practice "hurry up and wait" on several occasions.
Over the last two months, there have been countless times when we were told to be ready at a certain time. For example, during our month in Haiti, we were told that our revival meetings would begin at 5:00 pm.
The first night of our 8-days of revival, we showed up at church a few minutes before 5:00 only to discover that 5:00 in Haiti doesn't actually mean 5:00!
Time is used very loosely.
The service didn't begin until well after 5:30 and people continued trickling in for the next 30+ minutes. It was at least 6:30 before the service was completely underway.
We learned relatively quickly how to best use the time in which we're forced to practice "hurry up and wait" – be sure to carry your Bible or journal with you at all times. You never know when you'll have time to kill, so be prepared with your Bible, journal and pen. Of course, you can always spend the time getting to know your team mates better as well 🙂
