Let's Not Waste Our Isolation -- 10 Tips for Redeeming the Time during Coronavirus Sheltering

Today begins week three of the unofficial shelter-in-place recommendation our governor has implemented for South Carolina. As a dental professional, I’ve been working shorter hours with limited patient contact. Our office is open for emergencies only for the foreseeable future. 

My husband was sent home two weeks ago from his full time job. As a bi-vocational pastor, he continues to minister to our small congregation through phone calls, text messages, Facebook Live, and Zoom. 

Together we’re struggling to find our new normal. 

We’re grateful to be healthy and vacillating between enjoying the slower, less-stressful days and chafing at all we could be accomplishing if we weren’t sheltering at home. We wish the crisis was over and life would get back to normal. 

Normal meaning plenty of chicken, canned food, and toilet paper. Birthday parties and weddings. Bible studies, worship services, neighborhood gatherings and coffee with friends. I long for the days when I can hug a friend in the grocery store instead of waving at her from six feet away. I miss dropping in on my parents without being afraid I’m going to infect them with a virus that might kill them. 

We’ve Been Given a Trust 

But until the sickness is vanquished and life returns to normal, we’ve been given a trust. First Corinthians 4:2 reminds us, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” 

Like a lawyer administrates a financial inheritance or the state oversees a guardianship, the trust of time at home comes with the understanding that we will give an accounting.

When the stay-at-home orders lift and we resume our day to day activities, what will we have to show for the hours and hours and hours God has given us at home? 

Will we have stored up wood, hay, and stubble? Or gold, silver, and precious stones? Intentional acts? Or mindless inactivity? Will my body, my relationships, and my spiritual life be better because of the time I’ve spent at home, or worse? 

I don’t want to waste a minute of my isolation. 

I want to redeem it. I want to squeeze everything good out of every moment. I want to leverage the time God has given me by doing things that will advance God’s kingdom and benefit my family, my neighbors, my community, and the world. 

I don’t want March, April, May, and who knows how long to go down on my calendar as wasted months with nothing to show for them. We’ll never regain these days of our lives. 

I want to spend mine well. Don’t you? 

10 ways we can redeem our time at home during the coronavirus isolation: 

1. Read the Bible. How often have we raced past our Bibles on the way to work, school, or some other responsibility, lamenting, “I’d love to read my Bible more. If I only had more time.” Now we have it. The possibilities for diving into God’s Word are endless. Why not organize a study online with a few friends through Zoom or FaceTime? Pull that Bible study book off the shelf. Watch a video study online. Read a book of the Bible you’ve never read before and record what you learn about God. 

2. Pray. Dedicate some time every day to pray for the lost, the sick, and those who are caring for them. Pray for our leaders. Ask friends how you can support them through prayer. Reach out to missionaries, especially those overseas. Many serve in countries with poor healthcare systems far away from family. Start a prayer journal to help you remember requests. Be sure to date the requests and leave room for answers. 

3. Exercise. We all know regular exercise promotes physical health. This is especially important now, when a strong immune system could make the difference between life and death. 

Exercise also promotes mental and emotional well being, giving us reserves to combat the extra stress of social and physical isolation. Many communities allow individual exercise like walking a dog or going for a run. If you’re confined indoors, you’ll have to get a little more creative. Check Youtube for workout videos or, if you prefer a live class, visit Planet Fitness’ Facebook page. There you can work out by working in. Their free “Home Work-Ins,” sessions provide a series of 20-minute classes that don’t require equipment. 

4. Connect with someone you haven’t talked with in a while. In the past two weeks I’ve exchanged text message conversations and phone calls with three out-of-state friends, a missionary in Mexico, and a friend from high school. We’ve caught up on the events of our lives, swapped book and movie recommendations, and prayed together. 

5. Look for creative and safe ways to serve others. Reach out to the elderly, the sick, and the disabled in your church and community. Check in with those who depend on Uber and Lyft services to get around. Ask them if you can pick up groceries or prescriptions. Be safe and use precautions, but don’t let fear prevent you from helping those who can’t help themselves. 

6. Share. Rather than thinking about what you don’t have, look for ways to share what you do. Residents of my daughter’s neighborhood set up a card table in their driveway and filled it with colorful bouquets of poppies stuffed into Solo cups. They posted a picture with the message, “We are a small business, and since we are unable to sell to our usual restaurants, we thought we’d share with our neighbors!!! Come by and grab [a bouquet] to brighten up your home.” This creative couple turned a bad circumstance into a good one, looked for a way to share, and made a lot of neighbors smile. 

7. Read good books. Remember that stack of books on your bedside table or bookshelf? Now’s the time to dust them off. Immerse yourself in fiction with redeeming value, classic literature, or Christian living titles. Revisit old favorites or pick up a new one. If you’re looking for a story-driven devotional, I’d love for you to pick up a copy of my new book, Refresh Your Faith, Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible. 

8. Explore something you’ve always wanted to learn. My friend Heather ordered a calligraphy book. James is experimenting with acrylics. Other friends are digging out piano books and polishing their skills, writing the next American novel, and learning to sew. Renee and Jimmy played tennis for the first time in a long time, and Jean’s researching how to record online Bible studies. Many websites are offering free classes. 

9. Play a Game. If you’re sheltering at home with others, break out the cards or dig out the board games. Some of our family’s current game favorites are Exploding Kittens (no cats are hurt during this game), Rummikub, and I Should Have Known That Trivia Game. 

If you’d like to have some fun with others but can’t leave your home, download the free version of Psych in the App Store. Start a game, download the password, and invite others to play along with you in this Balderdash-type game. Several years ago, while visiting our daughter and son-in-law in Spain, we invited our youngest daughter and her husband in South Carolina to join us in a game. Through the wonders of technology, all six of us were able to play in real time despite being separated by almost 4,000 miles and the Atlantic Ocean. 

10. Spread truth and light. First Peter 3:15 reminds us, “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” Many around us are frightened and filled with questions. Their spirits are tender and searching. As believers, we can share hope, truth, and light. 

Every morning, ask God to show you where He is at work and how you can join Him. Invite Him to speak through you in person, through texts and messages, and on social media. And remember to smile. One smile in a sea of worried faces can change the atmosphere and lift someone’s burdens. Thank the cashier that rings up your groceries for coming to work that day. Express your appreciation to those who serve you. 

These weeks (and maybe months) of social isolation don’t have to be lost time. With forethought, prayer, and creativity, we, our families, our communities, our churches, and our nation can come through stronger, wiser, and more like Jesus.

Update on Refresh Your Faith!

On April 13, Refresh Your Faith, Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible will officially launch. ChristianBook.com is offering a 27% discount and will begin shipping tomorrow. Amazon has it available for pre-order. 

Will you join me in asking God to direct this book to everyone who is looking for a way to energize their quiet time and gain new insights into God's Word? I especially hope to reach those who find themselves approaching their quiet time out of duty rather than delight. 

Thank you so much!

HOT OFF THE PRESS: FREE Bible Study Guide and Small Group Discussion Questions! Did you know there is a FREE Bible study guide and discussion questions to accompany the Hungry for God...Starving for Time devotional? Click HERE to download your copy. Now you'll have everything you need to use Hungry for God as the basis for your next small group Bible study. 

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