September 10, 2025
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
- Ephesians 5:15–21esv
Practicing our Christian faith and spirituality in our distracted time is difficult, but the hectic pace of life sometimes makes it feel impossible. When Paul says “the days are evil,” he is talking about the reality of the world as it is right now, as opposed to the world we will inhabit when Christ returns. One feature of this present evil age is the “atmospheric pressure” of hurry that we all live within without much thought to how it affects our own spiritual lives. Almost immediately after breakfast, my imagination was filled with a dizzying list of necessary things to do at work and at home: sermon points, the next step in our painting project, birthday party details (when can I take Lieve to help her complete her present for her sister?). Before I knew it, Becky and I were sending the kids off to school with a somewhat hasty prayer and getting ready to rush out the door ourselves. What does biblical wisdom look like for the busy family off to school and work? Some might say that we ought to reduce activity and order our lives differently to ensure a solid half hour of family devotions every morning. Don’t get me wrong - that would be great. But responding to pressure by creating greater pressure is unlikely to produce much peace or change. Moreover, not every tight schedule is the result of wasted time.
What we can do in the immediacy of our busy lives is orient the “seams” of our day into moments before the Lord. What do I mean by “seams?” In sewing, seams are the things that connect one part of your clothing to the next. Between the collar and the chest of your shirt is a seam. In our days, seams are the transition points when we are unable to move on to the next thing immediately; for example, the morning commute to work and school, time spent washing dishes or cleaning up after meals, time spent waiting between meetings. These are all often underutilized moments in our modern devotional lives. Times that can be used to pray with our kids, listen to a Bible or devotional app, time spent giving thanks for different parts of the day, and meditating on a favorite hymn…etc.
The fact is that we aren’t likely to improve our spirituality by turning “devotional time” into an overwhelming chore and burden - but by identifying and orienting these transitional moments towards the Lord, we can step into a discipline that is best described as prayer without ceasing and experience grace within the fabric of our busy lives. When are the “seams” in your day, and how can you orient them to the Lord?
