This pandemic has forced many to stay home and stay put to remain safe and protected from the virus. During these times the temptation to be idle is so strong that if we are not watchful or careful enough, we would fall into the sin of idleness. Although being at home gives us benefit of having so much time to be with our family, still idleness is just sitting around the corner. Anytime, we tend to be lousy and lenient of our time. This results in time wasted instead of being productive.
Ephesians 5:16 is so timely that we can break this sin of idleness by remembering that we need to redeem the time because our days are evil. “Is it possible to redeem time even though I am inside the house and I can just do limited things?” You may ask. Yes, it is. The things that we can do are not limited based on the places that we go to or the space that we walk in. It is being wise in using our time because we know that it is not our time but it is God’s time.
Here are some things and ideas that we can do to manage our time wisely.
1.Study and Meditate on God’s Word. There’s nothing more beneficial and productive than spending our precious time digging into God’s Word and meditating on it. While we are in lockdown, we have ample time to not just read His Word but really to study it. These past days, I have been studying the book of Galatians and I realized that God’s Word is inexhaustible. I had read this for a few times but still, there are new learnings that I just found out during this study time.
Along with studying and meditating God’s Word is the power of praying. We know that we need to be more prayerful today because of the evil things that have been happening around us. There are so many concerns that we need to cast and lift up to God.
2.Do Something that Interests You. Being stuck at home allows us to do something indoor that will benefit us in the long run. For many of us, I am sure that work takes most of our time. I remember when I was working, the only rest that I get to have is at night. Most of my time, I was at work or in the church. So, I did not have much time to pursue the thing that interests me like reading books or writing. So, this time, what I have been doing these few months is to read books. I have three books lined up for reading:
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- Surrender by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (just recently finished it)
- Return to Joy by Bev Desalvo
- The Quest for Character by Charles Swindoll
These books are great and I would recommend for you to take some time and read one of them.
My best friend, Marian always shares pictures of her baked goodies. She told me that she is learning and loving baking for her family. And I think baking is a way to de-stress and take our boredom away (though not for me, I’d rather write and read. =).
3. Minister to Our Family. Maybe one of the things that we can be grateful for during this lockdown is more time for our family. This is what I missed before when I was so focused on my career. I forgot about my family. And now, I realized that after all, our family matters the most. This pandemic brought so many lessons to many of us. It was a wake-up call to ponder on what really matters in life. As this pandemic progress to something we don’t know, we take advantage of this God-given time with our family. Spend more time talking to them and knowing their whereabouts. We can do things together like watching a good movie, cooking with our mother and sisters, and even eating together is a great way to redeem our lost time because of the word, “busyness” in the past.
4. Acquire a Skill. Acquire a skill that can help the church or ministry is a good way to invest our time. I am into learning and enhancing my English skill and writing.
Many of my colleagues are learning the skills of cooking, gardening, playing an instrument, and baking. There are a lot of things that we can learn while at home.
Instead of grumbling and feeling discontented because of what’s happening, while not spread positivity and use this time to do worthwhile activities?
There’s more to do than what I have suggested. Let’s remember that our time, if we do not use it wisely is wasted. Even during this lockdown, we are still to honor and please God. Let us not join the bandwagon of just being idle and do nothing but waste His precious time.
How about you? What can you do in the meantime?
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