Time, Money, and Talents: A Lesson in Wise, Faithful Choices

For a while, a small church we occasionally help out received two short cables as a gift. It wasn’t entirely clear whether they were DMX or audio cables (probably DMX?), and one of the two sometimes didn’t work properly. Unfortunately, nobody knew which one.

Normally, in such a case, you would remove the connectors, throw the cables away, and solder new ones. But when I looked at the time and cost involved, a red flag went up.

  • A complete DMX cable of the same length, including connectors, costs $3.07.
  • The same length of cable without connectors costs $1.89.
  • The difference? Only $1.18 per cable.

Reusing the connectors would take about 30 minutes per cable: preparation, desoldering, soldering, and cleanup. Two cables mean roughly one hour of work to save $2.36.

When I suggested it would be faster and more reliable to buy new, ready-made cables, the board said there was no budget for complete cables, only for raw wire. I then decided not to even start, and received a look from the board that seemed to say: “Come on, it’s only an hour of work. Why are you making a fuss?”

Although volunteer work can save money, it’s important to use time and resources wisely. In this case, the time investment absolutely did not outweigh the small financial saving. Your time is worth far more than $2.36 per hour (what is your hourly rate?), and there are other tasks, possibly left undone for months, that would yield a much better return on your effort.

To make it even more fun: all four connectors were different….

They are now cut off and stored for potential future use, although at this point I already have enough for a lifetime.

But there is a deeper lesson here:

The Bible calls us to be good stewards of the talents entrusted to us. Money is a talent, yes, but so are your time and energy. Every heartbeat is an opportunity, and we only have a limited number. Take good care of your talents. Don’t waste them. (Matthew 25:14–30)

This also applies to what we give away. Think carefully: can the recipient truly use it? Is it something that enriches their life, or will it cost them more time, energy, or money to fix than it’s worth? As Paul writes: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23). Give thoughtfully, so that your time, resources, and energy bear fruit for the right purposes.

Conclusion: Sometimes the cheapest option is not the smartest. Invest your energy and talents wisely.