So, in case you haven't noticed, my procrastinating nature has already kicked in! I didn't write anything last week, and I would claim pure "busy-ness" but that's only half of it - the other half is my new fascination with Pinterest. In case you don't know what that is, Pinterest is a virtual pinboard - you can personalize your account to have a variety of pinboards, to which you "pin" (i.e., bookmark) things from the web that interest you. For example, I have a pinboard for recipes, one for grown-up crafts, one for kids' stuff, etc. I have found TONS of great ideas for activities to do with Avery when she gets bigger, recipes I can't wait to try, DIY house projects, sewing patterns and tutorials... Every time I log on to that website I get sucked into a virtual time-warp as I browse through thousands of pins. It's amazing, but also amazingly addictive!
Recognizing my growing addiction to this fascinating website, I do have to exert some self-control: I only log on during the day when 1.) Avery is down for a nap, and 2.) I do not have any pressing chores or tasks to do (pressing being the operative word there!). But even with implementing some self-control, I've come to a realization about myself (and, I would venture to add, society in general?): I spend far too much time on "time-wasters." Perhaps everyone's definition of time-wasters is different, but mine focuses primarily on web-based things (um, like Pinterest and Facebook) that you mindlessly spend hours on when you could and/or should be doing something else that's more constructive. Does that mean that websites like Facebook and Pinterest are bad things? Not necessarily! Facebook can be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family and Pinterest can be a great tool for keeping track of constructive ideas and projects you want to try. The problem comes from the amount of time that's spent on them - it's probably not necessary to spend hours at a time on either of those websites. These harmless little time-wasters can all too often grow into something not so little, or harmless.
One of the many things I truly love about my husband is the way he challenges me, sometimes without even realizing he's doing it. He expressed to me this week the need for adults in our church to be willing to give up just a little bit of time each week to spend with a student in our youth group who desired some discipleship. Chris and I both share a conviction (born of experience and Biblical truth) that deep spiritual growth will not happen if people just come to church on Sundays and Wednesdays or even attend the occasional extra Bible study or prayer meeting; deep spiritual growth requires personal investment, both by the person seeking growth and by an older Christian willing to invest in personally discipling the seeker. There are some older youth who are ready for that, but not enough spiritually mature adults who've expressed an interest. Chris's comment was that people don't realize that they don't have to plan anything extravagant to disciple someone, all they have to do is being willing to spend some time with them. He turned to me and said, "I know you're busy, but isn't there just one hour every week when you could hang out with a girl from the youth group? Invite her over while you take care of Avery, cook or do laundry, take her with you to get groceries...just invite her to be a part of your life for one hour? That's really all it takes; [the students] just want someone to talk to and be there to answer their questions."
Now, Chris was just trying to prove a point - that people really do have time for discipleship - and he didn't know that I'd already been contemplating and praying about how I organized and spent my time during the day, so I know he wasn't trying to give me a guilt trip. I also know he wasn't trying to express a disappointment in the fact that I haven't been intentional about discipleship since before Avery's arrival (believe it or not, stay-at-home-moms do not just sit around all day - I have been a little occupied). But his words really did hit on something God had already been speaking to my heart about: Couldn't I take an hour that I might normally spend on a little time-waster and instead spend that hour investing in the life of a teenage girl who's longing for spiritual growth? Yes, I could.
So here's my question: What are the time-wasters in your life? Would you be willing to pray that God would open doors for you to somehow make an eternal investment with some of that time you'd normally spend on [you-fill-in-the-blank]?
