The Odd Five Minutes

Francis Bourdillon, 1873
 

A lifetime is made up of so many years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes. Much may be done in a day, much even in an hour — yet an hour is but twelve spaces of five minutes.

But many people think nothing of so short a time as five minutes. Because it is no more, they will make no use of it at all. If it were an hour — then it would be worthwhile to do something in it; but as it is only five minutes, they will do nothing. But why make use of twelve five minutes, and not of one?

Generally speaking (though by no means always), people are wiser with regard to money than they are with regard to time. You do not so often hear any one say, "Oh, it's only five shillings," or even "five pence" — as, "it's only five minutes."

There is an old saying, "Take care of the pence — and the pounds will take care of themselves." But that is equally true of the small portions or fragments of our time. It might be said with at least equal truth, "Take care of the minutes — and the months will take care of themselves." For what are months but minutes multiplied?

Time is better than money — it is more precious and more important; more can be done with it; and the consequences of wasting or losing it, are more serious. And just in proportion as time is more precious than money — so is it more important that none of it should be wasted. A thrifty person will not waste even an odd sixpence; but "the odd five minutes" is of more consequence still.

Much may be done by taking care of "the odd five minutes." You may teach yourself to read; you may learn a new language; you may make yourself acquainted with a thousand things which otherwise you would never know.

There was once a servant-maid in a hard place, who could sometimes make sure of no other time in the day for reading the Bible than when she was carrying in dinner. What did she do? She would set the things on the table, and then wait in the hall till the bell rang for her to change the dishes, with her Bible in her hand. Thus she got five minutes several times over in the course of the dinner; and at the end of the year how much of Scripture had she stored up in her mind, and how many good and happy thoughts had she had! And all through making use of "the odd five minutes."

This is the way to get on in the world. I venture to say that if you were to inquire about any very thriving tradesman or any laboring man who had raised himself to be a wealthy farmer or any great lawyer or merchant who had got, as they say, to the top of the tree — I venture to say you would find that these men had been in the habit of making use of "the odd five minutes." It is true that industrious and thrifty men do not always prosper in the world; and yet, whenever I hear anyone complain that he does not get on, I cannot help wondering whether he has minded "the odd five minutes."

But what I am saying applies to spiritual things as well as temporal. "I have no time for religion," says one. "I am too busy to find a moment to read the Bible," says another. "It's of no use talking to me about praying," says a third. "I know it ought to be done, but with my family I really have no time."

No time? What, not five minutes? Is every five minutes in the day filled? Even then you would not be right. For we are to seek first the kingdom of God; and if you really were so busy that you had no time, then something ought to be given up to make time. Religion is to be first with us; it must be wrong to put it last, or even to let other things push it out so as to leave it no place at all. But you know you are not so busy as this. You know you might find five minutes. If that poor servant-girl could, though hurried about from morning till night — could not you?

Ah! How will some wish hereafter that they might have over again but one of those spaces of five minutes on which they now set so little value!

When the door of Heaven is shut — oh for five minutes then of the door open! When the day of grace is past — oh for but five minutes of it again! Five minutes for prayer, five minutes for crying for pardon, five minutes for laying hold of God's offered mercy in Christ Jesus!

How much has been done in five minutes! "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom," cried the dying thief. "Assuredly I say unto you, 'Today you wall be with me in Paradise,'" was the answer of our Lord (Luke 23:42-43). All was but a five minutes' work — the prayer and the answer. In five minutes, and the poor guilty man had sought and found salvation!

But stop, you who are thinking, "Then, if five minutes at the last will make all right, I will wait till then." Stop! Do not think such a thought in your heart — do not trifle with God's mercy. Are you sure of such a five minutes? And even if it comes, are you sure that you will then be able to pray or desire to pray? And if you mock God's mercy in this way — can you reckon on being heard at last?

The only five minutes you can make sure of, is this five minutes — the very time in which you are reading these words. If you put this book down and turn away and go on just as before, without Christ, without faith, without prayer, without serious thought — then, besides all the others before, you will have let slip another five minutes of your day of grace, another of those little spaces of time which will one day seem so precious.

Reader, do not so! At this very time God calls you. Listen to His voice; turn at His reproof; pray to Him; believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; seek the Holy Spirit. Thus this very five minutes may be among the best you have ever passed.