The Economy of Time

Hey bloggers!

Jordan here. This is my first appearance on this blog other than helping with the design. I am in the middle of what anyone would call "crunch-time!" today marked exactly one month before I walk across the NGU stage and receive a college degree! Time is most definitely flying by! I should have known. Everyone warned me it would. With graduation quickly approaching and projects and papers being turned in left and right, I have been keenly aware of my time and how I spend it.

I find myself constantly trying to stay focused on my studies. The workload seems insurmountable at times. I find myself feeling guilty for time that I spend outside of being productive with my schoolwork; however, one of my guilty pleasures is TED. TED, if you've not been introduced, is a website that puts up different talks from very smart people from all walks of life. Al Gore discussed global warming, Rick Warren discussed The Purpose Driven Life, many PhD types shared their dissertations and why the world is going to turmoil. Among all of these videos I found, Jake Shimabukuro.

Jake Shimabukuro, from Hawaii, opens by stating his belief that if the entire world played the ukulele, there would be much more peace in the world. He went on to play an incredible rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" using only four strings and two octaves.

Being the time nut that I am right now, my first response to this incredible performance was, "wow, what an incredible waste of time." Out of all of the things this guy could be doing with his precious time, he decides to learn "Bohemian Rhapsody?" At that moment, I got it..

Shimabukuro truly believes that if more people played the ukulele, there would be much less violence in the world. It was obvious he believed it because of all that he had invested in learning to play the ukulele. It made me think. Is what I'm using my time for evidence of what I believe can change the world? Is my personal training in godliness such that I am influencing those around me to seek after Christ or am I just like everyone else?

I am convinced that if I were to invest my time more fully on God's word, my sphere of influence would broaden and lives would be eternally changed; much more so than a guy playing a ukulele.

With my growing appreciation and much respect for Jake Shimabukuro, I hope someday I can learn how to play the ukulele; who knows, if someone gets one for me for a wedding gift, it might help some of our newlywed disagreements! (hint, hint lol)

Enjoy for yourself, Jake Shimabukuro's rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody!"