Redeeming the Time

Over the past week what have you done to kill time? I have a book called “Kill Time,” which is made up of pages of puzzles or simple drawing activities that would use up minutes and quotes from famous people. It was a gift from a dear friend. At the bottom of every other page are the words, “Take your time.” The puzzle or drawing exercise is on the next page. My copy is as brilliantly clean as the day I received it. I’ve never used it. I find other ways to kill time. I also try to avoid doing that. Now you may remember, if you’re a regular reader of our newsletter, that just a short time ago I wrote about daydreaming and its importance. Isn’t that “killing time?” I don’t believe so. I think that’s intentional use of imagination. A mindless exercise is killing time… in all its gory extravagance. How might you use a moment that could be filled with the murder of minutes by talking with God? Over the past few weeks, I lifted up the use of a “trellis,” a regular routine in which we consistently walk ourselves into the presence of God. If we can recognize that we can get lost in our phone, or get lost in emails, or scrolling through our newsfeeds, or just kicking the dirt with our toe while we wait, might we not also fill that time in conversation with God? What if, when we have a few minutes to spare, sitting in a waiting room for an appointment or whatever, we talked with God… praying a blessing on each of the other people who are in the room (even if it is just the receptionist), or talking over an idea that’s floated in our minds, or asking God to provide guidance for an issue we can’t shake… we can avoid getting lost in the day, lay down our phones, and just pay attention, get quiet, reclaim peace, seek insight… with an out of sync prayer. Imagine a habit of talking with God, rather than scrolling through our phone. Blessings, Geoff