Sometimes God forces us to hit the pause button on our lives. That has truly been the case over the last ten weeks of my life. All my plans went down the drain as the country went under lockdown for the Covid-19 scare. Sports were gone completely, restaurants were closed, shopping was done, meetings of all types were not held, and our lives were left with more free time than we have experienced in years.

I have kept note of the things people are doing with their time. Some people have undertaken house projects from cleaning to building decks, to landscaping. Others have played board games, assembled puzzles, and some have created art. Still, another group has gone for walks, hiked in parks, and tried to enjoy the outdoors. With more time, they have experienced things that their busy schedule was not allowing them to do.

My suggestion for everyone is to take account of this time. Before you jump back into your busy schedule with a thousand things to do every week, take time to think clearly about the last few weeks of your life. Reflect on whether this time has been good for you, your family, and your relationships to have more free time. Do you feel the freedom you have not felt for years? Do you feel healthier, both emotionally and spiritually? Has this experience been good for you?

Take the time to do an honest evaluation. Maybe the answer to your heart cries was not more, more, more, but rather less. Maybe doing less was precisely what you needed. If that is true, how long will it take before you give up and jump back into a rushed life? How long will you continue to live in a way that fills your heart and mind more than your calendar?

Let this time of shutdown be the doorway to a new start.