Most people, when they are young, spend time to acquire money – and then, later in life, spend money to buy time. The irony is that this is not wrong in either case: the young and old differ from each other. There is a time for all things under heaven, after all.
Changing our priorities over time is not a failure or a weakness: it is an observation that as we grow, we quite rightly mature and change. A single person has different priorities than one who is married, or has children, or is planning for retirement.
The Torah tells us of similar story arcs. Avraham, for example, effectively starts his life when he listens to G-d, and travels to Canaan. He was promised an enduring and impressive legacy. G-d says:
“I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. And curse the one who curses you; And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.”
Very impressive, indeed! But not particularly concrete, is it? After all, what is Avram supposed to actually…. DO? Beyond moving to Canaan, what is expected of him? It is not clear. His actions reflect this uncertainty.
What Avram does, in a way, is a foreshadowing of what Solomon laid out in Ecclesiastes as the path of a man’s life: first, acquiring and maximizing goods (even at the cost of other people – Sarai and Lot). Then, the pursuit of children (even at the cost of other relationships). And then he recognizes that one’s wife, his life companion, is the ultimate comfort and investment (although this happens after Sarah has died). At the end, Avraham gives everything to the next generation, focusing on maximizing his legacy.
The Torah lays each of these stages out – in considerable detail!
At the end, Avraham dies a happy and fulfilled man. Hindsight teaches us that Avraham was the father of Judaism and Christianity and Islam: the single most influential man in the history of the world.
Perhaps being open to growth as we age and mature is precisely what G-d expects from us?