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Redeeming the Time

I used to think redeeming the time was a big, complicated idea, something lofty, meant for the spiritually attuned. Like something only people with their lives perfectly together could do; however, maybe, just maybe, it is simpler than that. Maybe it is about taking small steps toward something meaningful, one day at a time.

If I am to be very honest, last year was not easy for me. Most weekends, I would lock myself in my room, overwhelmed and tired in ways I could not explain. My mental health was stretched thin, and as much as I love my sons, I could not bring myself to engage with them the way I wanted to. They would knock on my door, their little voices calling for me, but I just wanted to be left alone. I told myself I needed the quiet and maybe I did, but looking back, I see how much I missed.

Fast forward to this past Sunday. My car needed washing, so I decided to take the boys along. One of my sons, 7 years old, suggested that we bring the chessboard. In the past, I would have said no, preferring to stay on social media, feasting on the latest gossip. Instead, we grabbed the chessboard to keep us entertained while we waited. It seemed like a simple plan, nothing special, but the greater teacher, the Holy Spirit, had something much deeper in store for me.

As we sat around the chessboard, I found myself reflecting on how each piece had its own unique role to play. The queen could move freely across the board, but even the smallest pawn had value. If it kept moving forward, step by step, it could become something far greater. That is how life feels sometimes, doesn’t it? We might feel like pawns, small, ordinary, and oftentimes overlooked. However, with our Abba Father, even the smallest steps we take matter. He does not rush us. He simply asks us to keep moving forward, trusting that He is working out something greater.

Some say life is a race, but as I watched my boys carefully plan their moves, I realized something deeper: life is not about rushing. It is about intentional steps, one move at a time. Every move matters. Every moment counts. How often do we rush through our days, treating time as if it is endless, only to look back and wonder where it went? That Sunday afternoon, sitting with my sons, I felt like I was finally redeeming the time. Not in a big, flashy way, but in the quiet, intentional way that matters.

As we played, I thought about a verse from 2 Timothy 3:1-6 that reads: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” It is not hard to see how true that is today. Everywhere you look, people seem so distracted, caught up in their own worlds. Even at the car wash, families sat together but were not truly together, each person glued to their phone. There we were, playing chess and laughing. It was not anything dramatic, but it felt like a small rebellion against the “busyness” of the world. It felt like choosing to be present, to invest in each other, instead of letting the moment slip by.

Our church theme this season is “Redeeming the time by the grace of God.” I will admit, I did not fully understand what it meant at first or what I was supposed to do. However, as I sat there with my boys, in what felt like the Holy Spirit’s classroom, I began to see it more clearly. Redeeming the time is not about being perfect or getting everything right. It is about showing up. It is about finding beauty in the small things and letting God use those moments to remind us of His grace.

For me, it was choosing to leave my room that day. It was playing a simple game of chess with my boys. It was laughing at their jokes and listening to their little strategies. It was not much, but it was a start. By the time the car was clean and sparkling, I felt lighter. I did not just have a clean car; I had a clean perspective. The Holy Spirit had used that ordinary Sunday to show me something I desperately needed to see, that time is a gift, and it is up to us to make the most of it.

As we packed up the chessboard, one of my sons looked at me with a big grin and said, “This was fun. Can we do it again next week?” My smile in that moment said it all, and inwardly, I felt so proud. So, if you are like me and you have felt stuck, let me encourage you: start small. Take a baby step. Whether it is a walk with your family, studying your favourite book in the Bible, a quiet moment with the Lord, or even just a game of chess, let the Lord meet you where you are. The days may be dark, but His grace in every season is sufficient.

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