nawinter.com

Like many people, my day-to-day schedule was radically altered last week as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. My kids are not able to go to school, and my husband and I are both required to work from home. In one sense, there is a great degree of uncertainty about how the coming days and weeks will look. And while we don’t know the details of our days, we are grateful that we can put them in the hands of our loving God. In another sense, however, it felt like we had been given something that is rarer than a green-eyed unicorn: more time. Suddenly, the number of commitments that we had outside of home and work were substantially reduced. While each day was still only 24-hours, it felt like they had grown – we had more time at home, more time together, and more “free” time to spend. In a world where it feels like time passes us by, having more of it is a significant blessing.

Of course, as with anything God gives us, it is important that we use these newfound hours for His glory. We don’t just want to spend this free time; we want to invest it for the sake of God’s Kingdom. Here are some of the ways that we can do that.

Serve Others More

When all of a sudden we were all home and had few outside commitments, it quickly became clear that there would be a temptation to focus on ourselves. After all, if you are not expected to be anywhere at any specific time, it is easy to fritter away the day doing what you want to do when you want to do it. However, this perspective is far from God-honoring. Instead, when we are faced with more time to spend, we should consider it more time to serve.

Of course, this intention is complicated if you, like many around the globe, have been instructed to self-isolate. How do you serve others while also maintaining social distancing? It turns out that there is a variety of ways. You can drop off items on your neighbor’s front porch; over the phone you can help less tech-savvy relatives with online ordering. You can refuse to hoard supplies and give generously of what you have. Serving others may involve helping a co-worker with the transition to remote working, or letting a sibling chose the family activity even if it’s your turn to decide. Under normal circumstance we think that service requires proximity to others, but has often been said, necessity is the mother of invention. And if you spend time thinking about it, you can figure out ways to serve other people even if physically distanced.

Pray More

Another way that we can use our extra time is to pray more. Shortly before my work started taking measures in response to COVID-19, I had the privilege of listening to a lecture about how God’s heart is for His Church to spread the message of salvation to every tribe, tongue and nation. It prompted me to download an app where every day I am informed about a people group who are considered “unreached.” If my schedule was like it normally is, I don’t know how consistent I would have been in utilizing the notifications. But having the “extra time” has prompted me to consistently petition my Father on behalf of these people groups.

However, it is not just unreached people that we can be praying for. We should be dedicating our “extra” time to pray for our local church, for the global Church, and for the individuals that are part of our “small group” church community. We should be praying that God uses the fear and anxiety that many nonbelievers are experiencing to prompt them to seek Him, and that we would be looking for opportunities to share His message of confident hope and assured salvation. An interesting fact that I often share with my classes is that when I worked for a Christian publishing company, our business often boomed when the economy faltered. The reason is that many people sought the truth of God’s Word when they could no longer rely on their temporal comforts and wealth. We would be wise to pray that this pandemic quickly ends, but also that God would draw many to Himself as they recognize the fragility of life.

Learn More

Still another way that we can use our extra time is to invest it in building our knowledge of God and His Word. This may come in the form of reading or listening to a good book or in engaging in a study of a part of the Bible. My recommendation is to avoid the temptation to spend the time listening to podcasts or reading magazine articles and blogs (although I realize that since this is written on a blog that recommendation is a little self-defeating.) These shortened published materials are designed for a fast-paced lifestyle. If your life has slowed down so can your mental consumption patterns. Invest in digging into something that you normally wouldn’t have time for. When things return to “normal,” you will be better for it.

Prepare More

You may be tempted to think that this is where I suggest building a survival kit, and you’re right – kind of. But I am not recommending the type of survival kit that is filled with bottles of water and dehydrated meats (although there may be wisdom in having one of those tucked away too.)  Instead, it would be wise to invest the time in preparing your heart to respond to life’s circumstances in a way that honors God by memorizing His Word. Luke 6:45 teaches us that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks, and in the last week we have seen a lot of people speak words of fear and division. Wouldn’t it be great if our words were ones of confident faith and love? The more that God’s Word is in our minds, the more that we’ll be able to respond to circumstances, good and bad, in ways that give glory to Him.

Encourage More

I shared on Instagram the other day that part of our new “Winter Learning Academy” was something that I not-so-creatively called “The Kindness and Encouragement Project.” When normal activities started shutting down, our family was in the category of those last impacted because we are relatively young and healthy. But we knew many people who were impacted right away – some in serious ways because of health conditions, and others in not-so-serious but still significant ways because the plans that they had for celebrations had to be shifted. To help get our focus off ourselves and on to other people, we made it a goal to use our extra time at home to encourage others.  This could be a letter to someone who is sick and unable to have visitors, or a birthday card to a friend whose party had to be cancelled. We didn’t have a plan of who all we would reach out to, we just made it a point to do something every day to lift someone else’s spirts. My kids’ eagerness to constantly add to our list of who should be next, reminds me that when we build others up, it often has the same impact on ourselves.

Teach More

I have never had so much time at home with my kids. Even during the summer when they are out of school, we are constantly on the move, scheduling playdates and engaging in activities. However, for the time being, we are just with our family which is a perfect opportunity to invest in their spiritual growth and development. If you’re a parent, I encourage you to not just take on the role of “teacher” in terms of your child’s school work, but to also think about what you want them to have learned about God when things return to the regular scheduled programming. What new attribute of God do you want them to understand? What God-honoring character trait do you want to help them develop? It is good if they understand the Pythagorean Theorem and the parts of speech, but you will be infinitely more grateful if, when they return to their regular classroom, they have a deeper understanding of Who God is and how He desires for them to live.

---

There is a lot that we can do with the “extra” time that many of us feel like we have been given. Let’s make sure that when we consider the abundance of things that could fill it, that first and foremost we invest in things that help our life, and the lives of those we interact with, look more like Jesus’.

If you are like me, the new year comes with mixed emotions. There is a sense of wonder as I anticipate new adventures and opportunities, and as I wait to see what God has in store for me and my family. However, there is also a bit of chagrin as I realize that, once again, Christmas passed all too quickly and the season marked by so much joy and delight has seemingly abruptly come to an end. It is back to the grind, and the sparkle that seems to characterize much of December can’t be found amidst the lackluster days of routine.

This isn’t a complaint. Seasons are good, both in nature and in our lives, and if the Christmas season really did last all year long than it would not be as special as it is with its dedicated time constraints. However, even though we may rightly recognize that this change to a new year and a new season of our lives is good, we can also acknowledge that it would be good if some of the Christmas spirit stayed with us as we switch out calendars and get use to dating documents with a new numerical notation. Just because changing seasons are good it doesn’t mean that we can’t rightly long to keep some of the good of the old season as well.

One thing in particular that I miss as the new year dawns is the general affability that people seem to have during the holiday seasons. I realize this spirit of goodwill is not always on display – if it were we wouldn’t hear about fights and violence during black Friday shopping – but on the whole, as people spend quality time with loved ones and create new memories while honoring cherished traditions – there seems to be an increased kindness and generosity to other members of the human race. Perhaps this tendency started because of how the King James Version translated the angels announcement of Jesus’ birth as proclaiming “peace on earth and goodwill towards men” Although other translations more accurately relate this as proclaiming God’s peace on those whom His favor rests (see the English Standard Version, for example), it seems to have not obliterated the concept of increased good will towards others during the celebration of Christmas. And if we want to keep this spirit going even after the start of a new year, here are four things that we can commit (or resolve 😊) to do:

1. Give others the benefit of the doubt

It is easy to ascribe the worst motives to others’ actions – especially to those with whom we disagree or those who have caused us harm. It is also easy to do this when we don’t really know someone (we assume that the person who cut us off on the freeway is a terrible driver, not that they were distracted by a sick or crying child). If we want to maintain a gentle spirit towards others in this new year, a good place to start is to resist the siren song of malicious presumption. Instead of viewing others’ action in the worst possible light, try to consider it in the best. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t acknowledge sin for what it is; our understanding of “right” and “wrong” should conform to God’s. But it does mean that, absent any direct knowledge of motive or intention, we can choose to consider people’s actions and responses in such a way that we give greater grace to them, not less. It costs us little except some of our own self-righteousness, but it could potentially pay eternal dividends.  After all, aren’t you more willing to listen to what others have to say when they have been gracious to you? Your generosity of spirit could open the door to Gospel conversations.

2. Talk about others less and to others more

The Christmas season often finds us spending a lot of time with loved ones. We are catching up, telling stories, and spending a great deal of our days in conversation. We are so busy talking with one another that I wonder if we have less time to talk about each other. I’m sure that everyone could tell tales that would refute this to some extent, but still, I think during the holidays we are so focused on creating memories that there is less of a tendency to create rivalries. Our words are used to engage, not attack.

If would be good for all of us if we carried this inclination into the new year. When we are tempted to tell a story about someone, go talk to that person instead. When someone wants to share with you the latest gossip, switch the conversation to something joyous and uplifting. When you want to get angry, remember “it’s the holidays” (at least in your heart), and choose to overlook the insult instead. Let’s use our words to bless, and not tear down; to build and not destroy.

Of course, if you are committed to spending more time talking to other people, rather than about other people, the greatest thing that you can share with them is the Gospel. If someone hasn’t repented and put their faith in Jesus Christ, aim to direct your conversations towards furthering the understanding of the Good News. If your conversation partner is a Christian, make sure you are sharing with one another the good things that God is doing in your life, and that you strive for each of your lives to conform more to Christ as a result of the time you spend together. James 3 makes it clear that our tongues are powerful tools. Let’s use them in ways that further God’s Kingdom, not our own agendas.

3. Fight the temptation to major on the minors.

There is so much going on over the holidays that we have to prioritize. Because of this, and due to the fact that we recognize that the Christmas season doesn’t last forever, we tend to work hard to focus our hearts and our minds on the most important things. This is good; it helps ensure we don’t waste time or energy on things of little consequence. Our propensity to laugh at life’s inconveniences increases because we don’t want to waste precious time being annoyed.

As with the previous two commitments, this would be a good mindset to take into the new year. Although we may not feel the pressures of limited time like we do over the holidays, the truth is that for all of us, the time that we spend on this Earth is limited. Unlike the holidays, we don’t know when our time on Earth will come to an end, but we know that it will. It would be good to think about this regularly and make sure that we are using whatever time that God gives us in ways that bring glory and honor to Him. Focus on the things that have eternal value; after all, those are the only things that truly have any value at all.

4. Be intentionally grateful every day

Thanksgiving officially ushers in the holiday season, and the spirit of gratitude tends to permeate the remaining weeks of the year as we experience so much of God’s kindness towards us through the family and friends He gives us, and the time we get to spend with them. After the clock strikes midnight and January 1^st becomes January 2^nd and 3^rd, we tend to forget about these blessings and remember all that we want, but don’t have. Instead of rejoicing over all that we have been given, our hearts are disquieted by discontent and desire.

To combat this, we need to be intentionally grateful every day. There is always a reason to give thanks. If we get to the end of a day and we can’t think of one thing to be thankful for, we can give thanks that the day is over and tomorrow will have its own mercies for which we can be grateful. Wage war against a complaining heart by committing to cultivating gratitude. Look for reasons to be grateful if none are readily apparent. Don’t let a day go by without telling God why you are grateful for Him. And further develop this spirit, by daily picking someone else and sharing with them why you are grateful for their lives. Root out discontentment and plant gratitude instead.

---

I fully recognize that my descriptions of the holiday season may seem overly idyllic. After all, celebrations aren’t without their own stress and challenges. But the reason we tend to mourn the end of the Christmas season is because we view it with idealized eyes and this propensity tends to help us remember all the good that the holidays bring. May we seek to carry this good into the new year, not primarily so that our own lives will be filled with more of the Christmas spirit, but in prayerful hope that others can know the only true Source of joy and peace, so that they too may become part of those on whom God’s favor rests.