So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Ephesians 5: 15-17

Are you struggling to stay focused with all the discouraging things going on in the world around you? I know I am. I feel like life has been turned upside down and everything I took for granted has changed.

I had big plans for this month. After working two jobs at home for six years, I was finally able to semi-retire the first of March and cut down to one part-time job. I envisioned getting up early in the morning and spending hours living the life of a writer, working long hours on my book, and taking a walk through the woods when I needed a break. I joined a few groups at my church and was excited I would finally have time to get out of the house a few evenings a week and socialize. I was looking forward to attending my grandchildren’s sporting and school events and have the grandchildren over for sleepovers, which was difficult with my previous work schedule.

My first week of semi-retirement got off to a bad start. Instead of waking up to start working on my book, I woke up not feeling well. A sore throat led to a fever the next day followed by several more days of a bad headache, chills, sweats, exhaustion, and a nagging dry cough that developed on day seven. Whatever I had knocked out my plans for a solid two weeks. My days consisted of going from the chair to the sofa. Week three arrived and I was finally feeling well enough to go out when the COVID-19 virus began ravaging the country. With my low immune system, my doctor advised I limit my outings to a single trip to the grocery store each week and remain at home the rest of the time. No visits from anyone, including children or grandchildren. This was disheartening, as I had already been isolated due to being ill.

I’m used to being at home most of the time due to working from home for six years, and I would rather be home than any other place. That being said, I miss being able to get out for church and lunch with friends, etc. As each day passed, I found myself struggling to get motivated to do much of anything other than watch the news, answer text messages, and talk on the phone with friends and family about what was happening in our world. I lost all desire to write and found myself coming to the end of each day wondering if I had accomplished anything at all. Each evening I had good intentions of starting fresh the next day and being productive. However, when morning arrived, I found myself back in the same dreary cycle of news and phone calls. I found myself feeling grumpy, lonely, and depressed.

My pastor posted a mid-week update online, and it brought a smile to my face when I heard him say, “Don’t waste your quarantine!” It helped me put things in perspective. While this new season of life is anything but normal, I need to choose how I will use my time. I was wasting a lot of time I could have used for doing the work the Lord gave me to do. It was my wake up call.

This morning I woke up to fog and rain. The weather has been dreary more than not the past few weeks. As I looked across the mountain I thought, this is the day the Lord has made. I’m going to choose to rejoice and be glad in it. In the midst of all the uncertainty and discouraging events taking place in our world, I still have so many things to be grateful for. I have food, a home, beautiful scenery outside my window, friends, family, and plenty of things to do.

There are so many positive ways we can use our time wisely while we are practicing social distancing. We should be spending more time praying for our country and for all the healthcare workers and for those who are ill or have loved ones with this virus. We can reach out and encourage someone with a note, an email, or a phone call.

It’s also a good time to do something new to keep our mind focused on positive things. I know a friend who is reading the entire Bible in 90 days. My son-in-law is working on writing the lyrics and music to a song since he isn’t able to be at church practicing with the worship team. Some people are learning to make homemade bread and are doing crafts with their children.

I just signed up for a Bible journaling class online. I’m excited to learn a new hobby that will help me focus on drawing nearer to God through spending time in his word in a creative and artistic way. And I’m going get back to writing my book. There’s no reason to sit around and spend my days in front of the TV or scrolling through the news online. Keeping up with the news is important, but it should not be my main focus. I want to make sure I’m using my time wisely and not foolishly.

These are uncertain times for sure, but we should be making the most of our days, whether we are living with a pandemic raging across our country or not. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, even when life is going well. If we wake up each day, it means God isn’t finished with us yet. He still has us on this earth for a reason. Only we can decide whether we will choose to use our time wisely or whether we squander it foolishly doing things that distract us from what is truly important.

If you’re quarantined at home, what can you do to use your time wisely? Don’t waste your quarantine!