Wish You Had More Time?
1 It seems that everyone says that there is not enough time to get everything done. But is it not true that most people try to find time to do the things they really want to do? Do you wish you had more time for theocratic use? How can you find more opportunities for field service? We encourage you to examine your own activities to see what uses up your time.
2 Most of us have to spend time in taking care of our families and supporting them. This puts us in contact with people of the world who may have lots of suggestions on how we can use our spare time. They may be sincere and friendly in offering social activities, but is it in these activities that we want to use our time? Paul counsels: “Go on walking in wisdom toward those on the outside, buying out the opportune time for yourselves.” (Col. 4:5) When we have necessary contact with people of the world, are we taking advantage of appropriate opportunities to talk to them about the Kingdom message? By giving thought to it, perhaps you will find more opportunities to tell the good news, when it is appropriate, while engaging in your daily routine of work.
3 Perhaps you want to find more time to be with your family and to do things with your children. Have you thought of making arrangements for the whole family to spend more time in the field service together? It is good for children to see their parents serving Jehovah and to listen to how they talk about the truth. Doing things together in this way helps to keep the family close together.
WORKING WITH GROUPS
4 Meetings for field service are very good, but they can also use up valuable time. It is helpful if the conductor prepares ahead of time and knows exactly what is to be done. Usually ten minutes spent in such a meeting is sufficient time. There can be a brief consideration of the text for the day, a few pointed suggestions on the current presentation, a word about where each publisher or group will work, and a prayer.
5 Sometimes, when arriving in the territory, valuable minutes are lost in trying to decide who will work with whom, and where. If If traveling is involved, why not make all these arrangements while on the way?
6 If you work scattered territories, do you have several people sitting in the car waiting for one or two? In many cases publishers can be dropped off by the driver and then picked up a little later.
7 Winter presents problems, and weather may at times disrupt plans for field service. What can be done? If we get snowed in, would it not be good to use the time we had set aside for field service to speak to someone on the telephone or to write some letters to stir up interest in the truth? This is making good use of the time. Health problems, too, may interfere with our getting out, but, again, we may be able to write to people or mail out some literature and thus not lose out altogether on having a share in the service.
8 There is a limit as to how much time we have for preaching the good news, so we like to get the most out of the time we can serve. For example, if, when we are out in the field service, we notice that there are many not-at-homes, is there another time when we could go out, when we might find more people, perhaps in the late afternoons or in the evenings? If we find that we are doing our magazine work on the streets when few people are there, could we accomplish more, contacting many more people, by working in another place? Also, do we approach people and speak to them? These are a few of the things to consider when we ask ourselves whether we are just counting time or really making our time count.
9 The body of elders may wish to discuss how the schedule of meetings affects the congregation’s field service. When do most publishers go in the field service? Do publishers get into the service on Sundays? Some congregations may find that an adjustment of times of meetings will allow for more field service and still be convenient for the majority of the congregation.—See Organization, page 103.
10 Organized people get the most out of the time they have available. Preparation is vital. Each one of us should have a schedule. We do well to ask ourselves: “What do I really want to do? Do I want to serve Jehovah? If so, what is a good goal as to field service to set for myself? Can I try for a full day instead of just an hour?’ Talk it over in the family. If we make an examination with these things in mind, we may find that, indeed, we do have more time for field service than we had thought. How wonderful it would be if, by doing this, each one of us could find another hour or two a month to add to the public praise that we give to Jehovah.—2 Tim. 4:5.