The Unlimited Time Delusion [1]

…Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Look carefully, therefore, how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise people, redeeming the opportunity, because the days are evil.  Because of this, do not be mindless, but understand the will of the Lord. [2]

           Why do individuals and groups make huge decision-making errors?   Many of them are caused by logical biases—thought patterns that skew the facts and filter them, misinterpret the available information, and thus lead to errors in judgment.  The apostle commands us, “do not be mindless, but understand the will of the Lord.”  Logical biases fail to do so.  Many of these fall into a biblical category I call “Mindless Blindness.”  Here we’ll consider just one, The Unlimited Time Delusion—a bias that fails to consider human limitations of time, and the unintended consequences of expending that time.  This reflection isn’t intended to tie us up with anxiety or frantic work.  The Lord knows we also need rest and can enjoy every moment of both labor and recreation, in communion with Jesus.

           Yet we must face the hard reality: because we do not have unlimited time, whenever we say “Yes” to one choice, we are de facto saying “No” to other alternatives.  We can expand the church building with either a new wing or a new floor, but not both;  Mike can remain the principal of the Christian school or leave, but not both.  If members of a group choose to spend their time going in a particular direction, it also means a choice not to go in a different direction.  If you do one thing, something else will be left undone. That’s the price we must pay for every choice we make. 

The Death of Moses

(James Tissot 1836-1902) [3]

Moses witnessed an entire generation of Israelites perish in the wilderness, and he reflected on life’s brevity:  “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty…” (Psa. 90:10).  Perhaps the average lifespan has increased by ten years or so in the past few millennia.  Yet what is that in light of eternity?  Our lives on earth are precious, and they are severely limited.  “They are soon gone, and we fly away.”  Time is life, measured in smaller units—years, days, hours, minutes.  Once we spend it, it is gone forever, and we never get it back. We must “count the cost” (Luke 14:28).

More sobering still, the Christian worldview embeds our present lives at the center of eternity, with confidence that the Judge of all “will reward each person according to what they have done.” [4]  Include “according what they have not done.”  That certainty of ultimate accountability moves us to flee to Christ for forgiveness for squandering our time, and earnestly to pray for discernment to use it well.  We need his wisdom so that we will be quick to recognize the opportunities set before us with the priorities the Lord has given us.  With Moses, we cry out, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psa. 90:12).  With such wisdom, we will avoid the delusional thinking of the “Unlimited Time” Bias in which we pridefully behave as though our lives in this world will last forever.  

Case Study[5]

           The first thing to go:  Prayer. The pastors and elders from the twenty churches of The Presbytery of Lincoln and Madison Countiesgather three times per year to conduct business related to the regional church.  For decades, their primary focus has been fellowship, sharing of church needs, and especially prayer.  But over the past five years, those extended prayer times have been squeezed out by one recurring problem:  a conflict between two churches and their leadership teams. Grace Community Church (GCC) and Peace Presbyterian Church (PPC) began as a single congregation, but ten years ago they agreed to divide according to geographic location. This move made practical sense at the time because it reduced long-distance travel for its widely scattered members. 

The next thing to grow:  Conflict.  The dispute was unending and convoluted, and seemed like a moving goalpost from one presbytery meeting to the next.  One recurring issue involved a property commonly-owned by both churches which had been given as a bequest before the church divided.  GCC’s pastor (a “favorite son” who was raised in the church) was using it as a parsonage—the primary residence for him and his family. The PPC session had always understood this informal arrangement as temporary until the pastor found other housing.  But when the PPC session informed the GCC pastor that they planned to start using the building for their Wednesday Youth Group, the pastor said, “No way!  This is my house, and we’re using every available space in it.” 

           Lawyers abound:  The two sides became entrenched in their positions, and it wasn’t long before both sessions filed formal charges in the church courts.  One church member was even threatening civil action to remove the “squatters.”  Fortunately, starting a lawsuit gained no traction among the leaders.  Yet litigious attitudes abounded—and the presbytery did little to discourage them.  At one meeting, it erected an investigative committee which spent a year sorting through the charges and chronology, and attempted to place everything in proper order.  It was difficult for anyone to make sense the parties’ intractable positions because there seemed to be no end to the complaints of each session against the other.

           Light breaks in:  Finally, after three years with little progress toward a solution, one striking fact came to light:  the conflicted parties were nearly all from two extended families. The hurts and grievances between them spanned generations.  And only a few of those grievances had anything to do with the churches or their properties!  They were “personal issues” related to long-standing broken relationships.  Once those began to be addressed directly, a measure of reconciliation happened—and amazingly, the “product issue” of the property was resolved fairly quickly.

           The price paid:  After the dust settled, one pastor spoke to another, “Why couldn’t this have happened sooner?  We spent thousands of man-hours trying to fix these problems—and the whole church has suffered.  “I know,” another reflected. “We put off a new church plant, I had to cut my counseling way back—and my wife and kids are still hurting from all the time I’ve spent on the road.” 

          Human Limitation Sanctified:  First, remind yourself that it is okay to be human.  You cannot know everything or do everything.  Yet we have to ask ourselves, “How can churches and other Christian groups navigate the complexity of biblical mandates, confusing situations, and confused sinners without being sucked into the black hole of the ‘Unlimited Time Delusion’?” 

To begin, we suggest four questions a group should consider when faced with weighty choices that involve large amounts of their limited time.

1. “What is this choice trying to accomplish?” [6]  Define that clearly. The question expands our horizon so we can see beyond the noisy clash of competing groups, driven by their strong desires.  Keep the long view, remember the big picture, and avoid tunnel vision.  Those three metaphors are highly appropriate here.  When our destiny is the New Creation, all lesser goals shrink to the right proportion in that journey we’re taking together.

2. “What consequences are likely to accompany this choice?”  Remember that nearly every choice brings with it unintended consequences—both positive and negative.  We must think this through carefully.  Sometimes faithfulness to God requires a high cost, even death itself (Rom. 8:36-37; Rev. 12:11).  But most of the time, it does not.  Typically, we can find less costly options while still remaining faithful to Scripture. 

3. “Are there better alternatives for accomplishing this goal?”  If there is no other morally right way to handle a situation other than the one that consumes enormous amounts of time—and we would be sinning if we failed to do it—then we must.  Yet often that isn’t an accurate read on the situation.  Other viable options exist, and we can seek and find them in the context of Christian fellowship and open communication.  The strength of a group is that more people can offer ideas for elements of a “package,” providing effective alternatives that move toward the most important goals—with positive results and less needless consumption of time—which (remember) is life.

4.  “Of the options available, which one would reflect most clearly God’s grace and power through the gospel of Jesus Christ?”  Sometimes there are several legitimate options, but one will rise to the surface as the most Christ-exalting choice.  Any alternative that displays once-broken relationships reconciled through genuine confession, forgiveness, and restoration, should be at the top of the list.

May you trust in Christ and live before him with wisdom and joyful freedom. 

[1] This reflection is excerpted from Andrew H. Selle, Make Smart Choices (not Foolish Ones)—Together!  The Theology and Practice of Church Decision Making (WestBow Press, 2025).  Not yet available, but we hope by the end of this year.

[2] Psalm 90:12 and Ephesians 5:15-17 (author’s translation).

[3] Painting by James Tissot, The Jewish Museum. “A gift from the heirs of Adam Schiff”

[4] Matt. 16:27 NIV; cf. 25:31ff.; Psa. 62:12; John 5:28-29; Rom. 2:6; 1 Cor. 3:13-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Col 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 20:12-13; 22:1). 

[5] An important disclaimer from the book’s Preface:  “All case studies used are ‘fiction, based on fact’—compilations and recombinations of situations that Christian groups have faced and will face.  All identifying information is removed.  If you think you know the identity of an individual or church in any of these cases, you are mistaken.  On the other hand, if you think I’m talking about you… if the shoe fits, wear it!  If the Lord places his hand on your life, submit to his discipleship with humility and joy.”

[6] A simple illustration to make the point about the question, “What are you trying to accomplish?”:  if you’re traveling and want a cup of coffee, you can just breeze into the drive-through lane, say “Large coffee, please, one cream,” tap your credit card, and you’re out in five minutes.  That’s good because you have a lot to do today, and your goal is to get it done. Yet in some coffee-drinking cultures, you would discover a rather different custom:  you walk into the local coffee house and sit down at a table with several others, then order your particular beans—which the proprietor would slow-roast to perfection before brewing your beverage.  Then you would sip it slowly together with the others at your table. You’re spending a high price in time.  Is it wasted time?  It depends on your goal.  Ask, “What are you trying to accomplish?”  One possible answer:  joining in a shared experience with others at the table, bonding with them in significant conversations, showing interest in their lives and families—and being an “ambassador for Christ” by your gracious manner.  And all that while delighting in God’s good creation of a wonderful beverage.