Is this you? It’s summer, and you’re trying to provide great opportunities for your kids. You’ve got them signed up for camps, sports, VBS, skills clinics, etc…Whatever your kids are up to this summer there some truths that are the same for all of us parents. One, we are driving all over creation making sure our kids get there on time, have the right gear, and feel supported. Two, we’ve got a ton of intermittent down time in between all the activities. If we take a second to do the math, it’s easy to see we have a ton of potential time that we can leverage for good. This is why I’m giving you 4 ways to stop wasting downtime and start maximizing it instead. Good news, this works for any time of year, but I am definitely feeling it right now, so I know you must be too.
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If I added up the minutes of how much time I spend either waiting in the car, sitting in the stands at practice, or at a coffee shop in between pick up and drop off, I’d be getting close to my 10,000 hours in waiting around on my kids. You know this too. I know you’re with me on this. There’s summer fitness for your middle school athlete from 9am-11am. Then, there’s swim lessons for your little in the afternoon. Don’t forget you signed all three of your kids up for that soccer clinic at the local high school, and that’s from 5pm-7pm.
So, do you make your work day go from 4am-8am, then begin the random drop off/pick up schedule, have a friend drop off the kids at the soccer clinic so you can work another couple hours, then hope to squeeze in reading your Bible somehow before your head hits the pillow? Wow, that sounds terrible and unsustainable (and no shot if you have clocked, assigned hours). Sometimes I think summertime can make schedules even crazier than May and December combined (shout out episode 291 on how to survive May Madness). Thank goodness you’ll get to hear 4 ways to stop wasting downtime.
Reality Check
Let me pause to say that if you’re feeling like your spiritual growth is thrown off, this is not the episode for you (yet). First, listen to episode 294 for my 4 ways to stay connected to Christ over the summer. Then, listen to episode 297 for 3 tips to stay consistent with those things. After you’ve gotten those strategies, come back to this episode 301, and hear these 4 ways to stop wasting downtime during all the summer activities.
There is a principle in the leadership world, with Biblical backing, about active waiting versus passive waiting. The name of the game is waiting, and we all have to do it on both macro and micro levels. Different seasons, duties, and agendas all come with both large and small scale times of waiting. Here is where you get to make a pivotal move. You can either choose:
- Active waiting: maximizing your time and effort, moving in the direction you’d like to go
- Passive waiting: minimizing your time and effort, not moving in the direction you’d like to go
There are no neutral options. You’re either passively spending your time, or you’re actively spending your time. These two options typically present themselves at the same time, so it’s important to continuously keep your relationship with God in the forefront of your mind.
Colossians 3:23 tells us to work willingly for the Lord, Ephesians 5:16 tells us to make the most of every opportunity, and Hebrews 12:1 says to run with endurance on the race God has set before us. Make the most of your time by working hard on the path God currently has us on. Remember, when it says run with endurance, that doesn’t mean sprint. You will burn out way too quickly. Quality over quantity! All right, now that you know actively waiting and working towards a deeper relationship with Jesus are in God’s plan, let’s get after it! Here are the 4 ways to stop wasting downtime this summer (and anytime!).
Tip #1 Keep your Bible Handy
One of the best ways to grow your relationship with God is to read the Bible. Sounds so simple, because it is! Hooray! Take a moment to think about this, can you have a deep, loving relationship with someone if you don’t know them? You can’t. On the flip side, what if you spent some time and wrote an intricate, beautiful love story to the one you cared about, and they never read it. Maybe they glance at it from time to time, or they pull one sentence out of context.
See where I’m going with this? You can’t have a solid relationship with God if you’re not reading His word. Hear me, my saying this has no intention of condemning you, but perhaps you’re feeling something called conviction? Let’s get to the practical part. How do we actually do this? How do we sit and read our Bibles while sitting in the stands during summer track practice? Glad you asked, here’s exactly what I do with tip #1 of my 4 ways to stop wasting downtime:
My Bible goes where I go:
I keep my hard cover ESV Bible, Bible pens an highlighters, and all of the fun supplies in a sling bag that lives in my car. It goes with me to church, practice fields, waiting in the car line. When I’m at the house and I use it, I get it out of my car, use it, and put it back into my car. I always keep it there, so that I always have an opportunity to bust it out while I’m waiting around. Could I keep another Bible handy in the house? Sure, but I use my hardcopy to write on, take notes, and write prayers. Ideally that Bible gets filled up and passed on when I’m go hang out with Jesus later in life.
Bring Two Bibles:
Along with my ESV hard cover, I also have the YouVersion Bible App on my phone (I’ll brag on this app in an upcoming Fall episode, so sit tight). It has every translation, and has amazing features. I use my Bible app a ton! I highly recommend both a physical and digital copy of the Bible to go wherever you go. Pro Tip: Download your favorite translation to your phone that way you always have your digital Bible available, even if Wifi isn’t. There were times that I wanted to look up a verse or read, and whomp whomp whomp, I had no service so I couldn’t even read my Bible. Darn waiting rooms with no cell service.
How tip #1 looks for me:
One way this looks in our summer is this. Our girls are in summer track, and those practices are four nights a week, for two hours each night, plus all day track meets every Saturday. That’s a ton of time. When Rhett Bo (too young for summer track) is sitting next to me at practice, it gives me the chance to let him watch a show on my phone while I have uninterrupted Bible study time. Or, sometimes we switch, and he colors on a journal I bring while I read on my Bible app.
Another way this can look: I do a lot of work in the car. Basically, the car is my mobile office. If I have a few minutes, that’s the perfect time to open my Bible and read or do my Bible study work. You don’t have to wait until 10pm when you summer day is over and then go, “Oh no! I haven’t read my bible today!” Build it into your day. There are plenty of Bible apps out there that have built in daily readings, so you don’t have to stress out about what to read. YouVersion and First 5 are two great examples that do this. Don’t overcomplicate something that can be simplified into a 5-10 minute session.
When your Bible is always with you, you always have the opportunity to read it! If you even only had five minutes, that’s five minutes more than what you would have done! This is tip #1 of my 4 ways to stop wasting downtime this summer.
Tip #2 Any Time is a Good Time to Pray
No Bible? No problem! Tip #2 of my 4 ways to stop wasting downtime is another great component to build out your faith. Any time is a good time to chat with God. Spending time in prayer is an amazing way to deepen your relationship with Jesus. Think about it, would you claim to be in a good relationship with someone you don’t ever talk to, or even maybe talk to on occasion? What if that person only talked to you when they needed something? Ew, sounds like a relationship no one wants to be a part of. Praying is a way to talk to God, and any time is a good time to pray!
Quick Facts About Prayer:
Now, there may be some hang ups for you praying with others around or in public spaces. I’m here to help you through that by giving you a few facts about prayer that will help you with whatever is holding you back in this area.
- Praying is both talking and listening. So you can just sit there in the bleachers (or wherever your chauffuer self is), and just listen to God’s voice.
- You can pray with your eyes open (or pray while you’re doing anything). Don’t feel like you have to shut your eyes to pray. I pray while driving all the time. That would be wild if I felt I had to close my eyes every time I went to talk to Jesus. Can you imagine?
- Praying doesn’t have to be spoken aloud. You can tell God the thoughts in your mind.
- It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Listen, if you don’t talk to your friends using King James Version, then don’t do that with God. Just show up as you are, using the language you use them your regularly speak.
- You can tell Him anything. If you’re tired, tell Him. Have your mind stuck on a work thing? Express your feelings. If you’re dripping sweat at summer track practice, and thankful that it’s almost over for the evening, say it. The more you talk, the deeper the conversations go (true with any relationship).
How tip #2 looks for me:
The more I make prayer a priority, the deeper I feel connected to God. If I see something or think something, I can turn that into a prayer. Trust me, you can too. Let’s not overcomplicate it. A recent example it church camp. Our eldest recently went with our church to her first overnight camp away from us. I prayed on the way to church, while dropping her off, and then while driving home. I prayed over her friendships, hearing God speak to her, her safety…Anything that came to mind about her being gone, I prayed over it. I know satan was trying to put different fears in my headspace, so I turned those suckers into prayers too.
- What if she gets hurt? God, please keep her safe.
- How about if she’s lonely? God, help her feel your comfort.
- What if something mean or sad happens? God, help her seek Biblical wisdom.
If you don’t know what to pray about, think about what is bothering you. Whether it’s a situation or a person, take it to God. Also, prayers can be random! When I catch that green light when I’m in a rush? Thank you, God. When that Starbucks order was “free” with stars and tastes phenomenally while cruising the isles at Target while the kids are at VBS. Praise God for these blessings.
These 4 ways to stop wasting downtime and start to maximize your time with God, are as easy and simple as you let them be. Again, don’t overcomplicate something that is meant to be simple. God made a way to for growing relationships easy, free, and available for everyone to do. All you have to do is say yes.
Tip #3 Check in with Your Team
God created us to be in community. We are not meant to walk alone, and there is scripture after scripture that paints this picture in the Bible. When we can connect with friends who follow Christ, it gives us the opportunity to dive deep with one another and encourage each other. This, in turn, helps us grow deeper with Christ. Tip #3 of my 4 ways to stop wasting downtime is to check in with your team. By team, I meant your Biblical community, your life group, your home group. Who are those few people who speak life into you?
If your focus in your downtime isn’t reading your Bible of spending time in prayer, it can be time set aside to check in on your people. This is great, especially if you’re a bad texter backer, or keep saying, “Oh yeah, I meant to text them.” Here’s your sign. This is also great for those in between meetings. For example, if your community group meets weekly, how about do a midweek check in with each other? You can do this individually or in the group chat. It gives them the opportunity to reach out with updated prayers and praises, and provides a way for you to encourage and pray over them.
How Tip #3 looks for me:
The kids are currently in summer piano lessons, and there’s a 15 minutes window during their sessions that I’m kid free. Here’s where I’m tempted to scroll social media the most or to get a few minutes of quiet work done on the podcast and blog. Sometimes, I do those things, remember no one bats 1,000. We’re just doing the best we can, people. Generally, I try use this time to call and check in on a friend, or fire out a few texts to my inner circle with a check in or updates if I have any.
My childhood best friend, Emily, and I have an agreement we joke about. We prefer talking on the phone instead of text (which is also great too), but I just love to hear her voice and all the joy she brings to an actual phone conversation or FaceTime session. Our thing is, if our convo is five minutes it’s five. If it’s ten it’s ten. We’re thankful for whatever time we have to stop and chat. With this understanding of “we’re thankful for all the minutes we can get”, and the almost always abrupt phone call end of, “Hey, I’ve got to go, somehow we brought slime into the house! Bye!”, we have trained ourselves to get deep in conversation quickly, and stay kept up on the regular check ins.
Other ways this can look:
- Group chat update: You can update on your prayers and praises, and you can ask if anyone has updated info they want to share.
- Individual texts: If it’s more sensitive warranting a more private conversation, send a quick text with a “Hey, just checking in on _____. Love you.”
- Encouragement: Ask God to put a few people on your mind, and then send them a text of encouragement. When I do this, sometimes it’s a throwback to a high school friend, or it’s a college teammate that had a facebook status asking for prayers. God can guide you on this one if you’re out of ideas.
This is low pressure! You’re just chatting with friends, no big deal. The difference is that it’s intentional. It’s a way to actively invite God into the conversaion. Ask Him to guide your words, and pray over the people you’re talking to. Tip #3 of the 4 ways to stop wasting your downtime is probably something you are already doing. Just tweak it a tad here and there, and your conversations can help grow your faith.
Tip #4 Start Conversations
Who doesn’t love a good chat with a random stranger? Wait, did all my introvert listeners just rip out their ear buds so they don’t have to hear this anymore? Friends, growth is good, and growth does NOT happen in your comfort zone. If you want to grow your relationship with God, stretching yourself tends to happen. So, sorry introverts, we’re just going to have to deal on this one, and pray the Lord does a work in your to compel you to talk to the people around you.
Tip #4 of the 4 ways to stop wasting downtime to grow your spiritual life is to start conversations. All relationships start somewhere. We know that all humans are designed to live in community. It’s true that God wants us to tell others about Him, and wants everyone to come to know Christ. He just might be using you in such a way that you can play a role in helping someone see God for who He is.
No, I’m not saying come in guns hot with a “Hey, do you know my Lord and savior Jesus Christ?” You can certainly to that, just know that there is a tact and tone that can also be helpful here. If you’re feeling a little nervous, this is when you start praying. It can go something like this:
God, I know I’m supposed to tell others about you. I know that I’ll be around new and random people while my kids are all these things. Please prepare my heart and spirit. Help me be attuned to how to speak to each individual. Give me the right words to say. Please prepare the hearts of those I’ll be speaking with. No matter where the conversation goes, I know that if you’ve ordained it, whatever needs to happen will happen. Please help me not come off as awkward or uncomfortable. Thanks for even giving me the opportunity to openly profess my faith. Thank you for being with me during all of my conversations. Looking forward to seeing the work you’ll be doing in peoples lives! Amen.
a prayer for new conversations
How tip #4 looks for me:
Here are some good conversation starters if you’re totally drawing blanks. Basic principles would be to start with what you have in common, ask open ended questions about those topics, listen more than you talk, and smile:
- Hi, I’m Brooke. How did y’all get involved with ___ (sport, event, clinic, camp)?
- What would you say the best parts have been with your kids doing ____ (sport, event, clinic, camp)?
- Do you have any tips that would help us with ____(sport, event, clinic, camp)?
A recent example for us would be track with the girls. After a few chats with one woman in particular we realized we both love Jesus, and our kids ended up at the same church camp this summer. There are times that it doesn’t shake out that way, and that’s okay.
I’m telling you, soccer Saturdays are a great place to start conversations. Anyone with multiple kids in the same rec sport knows they’ll spend a good chunk of their Saturdays hanging out at the fields. Over time, you develop relationships, bump into each other, and you just make it a habit to subtly mention Jesus. Turns out, my kids are strong social butterflies (shout out, hubs) and love saying hi to every human they know. This means that I have the opportunity to meet a ton of parents.
The big take away from tip #4 in the 4 ways to stop wasting downtime is to just relax and start simple. Let God move the conversation where it needs to go. When you feel prompted by the Holy Spirit, step out in faith and speak what He puts on your heart. Have confidence in who God is. He put you in that role for a reason.
Episode 301 Recap:
Cue the confetti cannon and congratulations! You’ve now been equipped with 4 ways to stop wasting downtime and leveraging it into growing your faith. If you’re tired of wasting time, let this be a sign to you that you can do more with five minutes than you may have originally thought. Let’s recap the 4 ways to stop wasting time:
- Tip #1: Keep Your Bible Handy
- Tip #2: Any Time is a Good Time to Pray
- Tip #3: Check in with Your Team
- Tip #4: Start Conversations
The more you practice these 4 tips, the more you’ll begin to notice a deepening in your spiritual life. Stick with it, have fun, and watch God do some amazing work in you, and in the lives of those around you. Have an amazing day, and I’ll see you next week!
Links from the Show
