Care of Your Time

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

John Wesley, the father of the Methodist movement back in the 1700s, believed that the first rule for holy living is care of your time. A Christian must take great care, must be very intentional, in how she spends her time, because the things you give your time and attention to form you. But I think Wesley’s rule could perhaps use an update for the 21^st century. In a world of omnipresent electronic media, “care of your time” often just means “care of your screen time.”

Think of all the time you spend in front of screens during the day—besides the hours you put in for work or school:

You turn on cable news when you get home and leave it on in the background all evening.

You scroll social media first thing in the morning, while you’re eating, before bed, or in between chores or tasks, looking at folks’ vacation pictures and laughing at their memes.

You peruse the news or opinions from your preferred outlets or newsletters.

You window shop on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, or you place a grocery order through the Walmart app.

You login to Netflix or HBO Max after dinner to jump back into your latest TV binge.

You open Twitter to find out what we’re indignant about today or join in the rant of the hour.

You rush home from church to catch the Saints game or start the morning with College GameDay before the big game Saturday night.

Really, how much time do you get without any screens or media trying to grab your attention? How much actual peace and quiet is there in your day?

There’s a verse from Romans I think about often that says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (12:2) Do not be conformed, but be transformed.

The things we give our time and attention to will form us—whether that’s a steady stream of media conforming us to this world, or the powerful presence of God’s Spirit transforming us. One way or another, you’re going to be formed, but, with a little care of your time, you can be strategic about who or what is forming you.

Step one towards “care of your time,” may simply be paying attention. Paying attention increases awareness, and awareness facilitates intentional change. Maybe start asking yourself some questions like these:

• Have you noticed how much screen time you’re getting every day? Do you have a way of keeping track (like the Screen Time feature on an iPhone)?
• Are you being purposeful when you turn on the TV or pick up your phone—or are you doing it out of sheer habit?
• What gets put off or neglected in your schedule (or in your relationships!) because of time carelessly lost to electronic media?
• Are you as consistent in daily spiritual practices as you are in daily media consumption? If not, is there some screen time you can repurpose for seeking God’s Spirit and transformation?