In a world of endless scrolling, notifications, and entertainment, we rarely stop to ask a deeper question: What am I becoming through the way I spend my time?
In this excerpt from Chapter 7 of inSPIRE®—Faith for a “Whole” Life, we explore that question together.
Join me as we consider how our choices about how we spend our time shape our minds, hearts, and behaviours …
Quality Time
There’s an expression we use to make small amounts of time seem better than large amounts of time—quality time. We mean focused time. But sometimes our aspirations to spend quality time with someone can become an excuse to make us feel better for not prioritizing an adequate quantity of time with them.
Practice Time
When I wanted to become a good athlete and earn a spot in the starting line-up of our high school basketball team, I knew that selecting a few quality moments to practise basketball wouldn’t cut it. In order to play games, I had to be willing to make every practice—and trust me, our coach expected all of those times to be focused. There wasn’t a non-quality or a non-quantity option.
Time and Passion
Outside of practice, I worked on building muscles and endurance so that I’d be better prepared for practices and more competitive in games. The more time I spent working out, dribbling the ball, and shooting hoops, the more my strength and skills improved. The more I improved, the more I wanted to play. Basketball became a passion.
Time and Desire
After high school, I joined the first class of women to attend Canadian military colleges. There was no women’s basketball team at my new school. Slowly, without time practising and playing basketball, I had less desire to play. I became more interested in other sports. As I spent increased time and effort playing volleyball, it replaced my love for basketball.
The time I spent in a sport was directly related to my increased joy and skill in it.
Time Pursuing God
The same principle applies to our faith lives.
The increased time you and I spend pursuing God will fuel our passion for God. The absence of time pursuing God will result in our diminished love for God, though he continues to reach out with an unchanging love for us. As a young adult, I experienced the difference it makes to be on the depleted side of faith input. I lived closer to temptation and sin, doubt and contempt there.
Why linger there when joy, healing, and power in Christ are most easily accessed in the bull’s-eye of God’s will and ways?
Instead, let’s lean into the Apostle Paul’s advice on time and faith, so relevant for us today:
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity… Ephesians 5:15–16 (NIV)