” Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes.”
Ephesians 5:15-16 TPT
” We should buy up each opportunity and view every minute as an investment.”
Time out. We can look at this phrase in two very different ways. The first is a punishment. This is the way many are viewing the present pandemic. Although God is a righteous judge, He is not using the COVID-19 plague to send us all to the proverbial corner in punishment for our sins and misgivings. This just isn’t in His character. I think rather, the second way to view this phrase is more aligned to what is going on here. During a sporting event, when a team needs to be rallied, or if there is a pivotal moment in the game, the coach will call a time out. During this moment, both teams have an opportunity to rest and receive a plan of action geared towards bringing them a victory.
As Charles Dickens so eloquently stated in A Tale of Two Cities, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. Everything that could be shaken, every world system, has been shaken. Every idle distraction- from Hollywood, to major sports, and financial systems have been brought to its knees by a microscopic organism named COVID-19. Who would have guessed that something so minuscule could wreak so much havoc? However, what future historians will probably acknowledge as The Global Pandemic of 2020 has provided the world a time out.
Certainly, for those families who have lost loved ones or are suffering at the hand of this viral menace, it has been the worst of times. I do not make light of their sufferings in any way. I pray for God’s comfort, healing and restoration in every area.
However, amidst the national and global closures of all non-essential businesses, limited and rationed resources, and millions around the world in either quarantine or shelter in place, there is a forced pause of life that has been able to provide most people “a breather.” During moments of rest, it is easier to see with clarity. We can see now, that what we had dismissed as merely idle distractions, have really been idols, vying for our thoughts and time….squeezing God out. I can personally attest that this enforced pulling away from everything has been for my family and me a time to grow individually and as a family, to set root in the things that really matter, and to pursue God more passionately.
Ephesians 5:16 in the Amplified version reads: “Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.” I mentioned earlier that time is a commodity and an investment.
During this time out where we find ourselves with more time on our hands than what we are used to, it is so easy to let it slip away. Minutes on social media, gaming, and binge tv watching can turn into countless hours. Before we know it, the day is done. Oh yes, I was guilty of it too. After spending a few days in my pjs on the sofa, I realized I had been given a gift that I was wasting. This scripture came to mind. We should buy up each opportunity and view every minute as an investment. Let’s take this time out we’ve been given to seek God’s direction for our lives by spending time with Him, to bless someone, to invest in our families by spending time with them, and affect positive change in our spheres of influence. You see, after a time out, the team is released with a plan to win the game. If we take the time now, to hear His voice, I believe we will see an unprecedented victory in our lives!