Faithful Stewardship of Too Much Time

For some of us, it has already been almost three months. For others, the ordeal has begun only a couple weeks ago. For all of us, the COVID-19 global crisis lingers on, as weeks turn into months and social distancing continues to be the order of the day. In some countries where the worst seems to be over, life is starting to open up. Even in those places, however, people from at-risk groups are still required to stay isolated, with no end in sight. A few weeks ago, I wrote about seven things you could do during lockdown, but what about when weeks turn into months and we start to run out of creative ways to use our time?

STEWARDSHIP OF TIME

At ILI, we teach that time is a gift entrusted to us by God, that it is limited and does not discriminate anyone. That teaching often assumes a busy life filled with more activities than we have time, thus the need to prioritize and even edit our schedules. But how about when you have more time on your hands than you know what to do? How are we to be faithful stewards of time when we have too much of it (which may be your case now)?

1.    Schedule Your Priorities. You and I know setting priorities is at the core of time management, but I wanted to emphasize the “schedule” aspect. The key to faithful steward of too much time is to keep scheduling priorities even when it seems like you wouldn’t have to do so (because after all, you have the time). One way to waste time is to go through life without a plan. So, make sure you have and keep a schedule, even when you are confined to your home.

2.    Look Out for Opportunities to Serve.  This was part of my original post, but I think it is worth repeating. What can you do to help build your church during this time? How about opportunities to volunteer in your community? How about other nations, where starvation is a reality during this time of pandemic?

3.    Learn a New Skill. The world is changing around us. Businesses are closing down, people are losing their jobs, economies are collapsing. On the other hand, there are certain activities that are booming and companies that are hiring by the thousands. How will the future hold for people with your skillset? Do you need to acquire new skills to remain competitive in your field, perhaps even find another professional activity altogether?

4.    Seek God. Again, this is obvious for Christian leaders, but I can’t restate it enough. This is a unique opportunity for you to accelerate your Spiritual growth and get closer to God than you ever were, or even imagined.

If you are already starting to go back to your normal activities, this is the time to leverage your time of lockdown to further your vision. If you are still required to stay put, let’s continue to steward our time with wisdom and purpose. Remember, we are accountable to God as the Master for the resources He entrusted to us, including all the extra time you and I now have right now.