Waiting followed by last minute panic, that about sums up my life. But what to do in the waiting? Jimmy Fallon clips and iPhone games are my usual go-to activities, but leave me feeling like I have wasted time.
I have an innate distrust of all things easy, so I always veer far away from anything I could get in "10 minutes or less." This is especially true when it comes to anything spiritual. How can it be valuable if it only costs me 1, 5, or 10 minutes? It seems cheap and insincere, plus it usually takes me at least 10 minutes to get focused in the first place.
In the last few months I have had a change of heart, as you might have guessed by the title on the front page. I still think that long periods of prayer, reading, and meditation are necessary for a healthy spiritual life, but I have found a place for the perfunctory, and it is in our breaks...
I have an innate distrust of all things easy, so I always veer far away from anything I could get in "10 minutes or less." This is especially true when it comes to anything spiritual. How can it be valuable if it only costs me 1, 5, or 10 minutes? It seems cheap and insincere, plus it usually takes me at least 10 minutes to get focused in the first place.
In the last few months I have had a change of heart, as you might have guessed by the title on the front page. I still think that long periods of prayer, reading, and meditation are necessary for a healthy spiritual life, but I have found a place for the perfunctory, and it is in our breaks...
The segmented life that many of us live can be a juggernaut that destroys our reflection time by dividing it up into pieces so small we consider them useless. I think we can take them back.
It doesn't have to be your ten minute break, but think of anywhere you might be tempted to kill time:
Remember I'm only talking about the times that we feel we waste, not the purposeful times to rest, relax, or unwind.
Now lets take our phone or whatever other distraction we use and replace it with a book or notebook. The book doesn't have to be the Bible, and in these cases a short devotional may work better. You can check out a list of easy reads inn The Library section for suggestions.
By practicing this in my daily routine I am learning to recapture time lost through a fragmented schedule. By taking back those short breaks I am able to reorient myself in a godly direction throughout the day.
This only works if we have a plan and come prepared. Picking out a pocket sized devotional, notebook or easy read to have with you is a worthwhile investment.
-Jeremy
It doesn't have to be your ten minute break, but think of anywhere you might be tempted to kill time:
- waiting for your fast food
- on the bus or trolley
- just before bed
- and of course...on the toilet
Remember I'm only talking about the times that we feel we waste, not the purposeful times to rest, relax, or unwind.
Now lets take our phone or whatever other distraction we use and replace it with a book or notebook. The book doesn't have to be the Bible, and in these cases a short devotional may work better. You can check out a list of easy reads inn The Library section for suggestions.
By practicing this in my daily routine I am learning to recapture time lost through a fragmented schedule. By taking back those short breaks I am able to reorient myself in a godly direction throughout the day.
This only works if we have a plan and come prepared. Picking out a pocket sized devotional, notebook or easy read to have with you is a worthwhile investment.
-Jeremy
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