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Build Spiritual Habits in Just a Few Minutes

Build Spiritual Habits in Just a Few Minutes

DECEMBER 31, 2021 | SARAH EEKHOFF ZYLSTRA • MEGAN HILL


I (Sarah) never used to make the bed.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like our bed to be made—I really did. A made-up bed is nicer to slide into at night, creates a level surface for folding clothes, and makes the whole bedroom look more orderly. But I just didn’t have time. Making a bed takes forever.

I sighed over this until I happened to run across some advice to time your everyday tasks—folding a load of laundry, emptying a dishwasher, making your bed. The reasoning was solid: if you know how long it takes to do something, you can better judge if you have time to slide it in before you need to run out the door.

Curious, I gave it a try. I straightened the sheets, spread out the comforter, and stacked the pillows as slowly as possible, ready to confirm there was no way something this time-consuming could fit into my morning routine.

Ninety seconds.

I was floored. My entire mindset shifted. I wasn’t too busy to make the bed. I was just bad at estimating how long it would take to accomplish. I was giving up before I’d even begun.

Maybe you run into the same problem with time estimation. How could I possibly have time to fold the laundry? Read a book? Go for a walk?

We even do this with spiritual disciplines, where the consequences are more serious. Who has time to read a chapter in the Bible? Write in a prayer journal? Memorize a verse?

My friend, we do. If you need proof, grab your phone and measure for yourself. Or if you don’t have time for that, Megan Hill and I have been busy with our stopwatches. While we were at it, we found it helpful to pair one of these spiritual habits with a daily task that takes the same time. While you are putting on your jacket and grabbing your car keys, you could be growing in grace.

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30 Seconds

If you have 30 seconds (the time it takes to put on your shoes or feed a pet), you can

  • Pray for a friend
  • Sing one verse of “Amazing Grace” (or most other hymns)
  • Read a Bible verse aloud
  • Find Shane & Shane on Spotify
  • Sign up to receive daily Bible commentary from TGC’s Read the Bible plan

1 Minute

If you have one minute (the time it takes to start a load of laundry or take out the trash), you can

  • Read the first prayer from The Valley of Vision
  • Sing two verses of most hymns
  • Print out a Bible reading plan (we recommend this one)
  • Write a Bible verse on an index card
  • Give online to a charity
  • Tell your coworker you’re sorry for being impatient
  • Invite someone to church

3 Minutes

If you have three minutes (the time it takes to vacuum a room or make a K-cup of coffee), you can

  • Read (or listen to) Philemon, 2 John, or 3 John
  • Write down three things you’re grateful for
  • Send someone an encouraging message
  • Sign up to serve in the church nursery
  • Text someone to ask if they’d like to have coffee
  • Share the gospel with someone on the subway

5 Minutes

If you have five minutes (the time it takes to fold a load of laundry), you can

  • Read (or listen to) Obadiah or Jude
  • Sing all of “In Christ Alone”
  • Listen to TGC’s podcast devotional commentary for today’s Bible reading
  • Read a chapter in The Pilgrim’s Progress or The Screwtape Letters
  • Read about Christians facing persecution in a particular country and then pray for them
  • Order a pack of low-cost Bibles to give away

10 Minutes

If you have 10 minutes (the time it takes to make a cup of tea or take a shower), you can

  • Read (or listen to) Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, 2 Thessalonians, Titus, or 2 Peter
  • Write a page in a prayer journal
  • Call your spouse at work and pray together
  • Read a chapter in Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Who We Are in Christ
  • Listen to the storyline of the entire Old Testament or New Testament
  • Send an encouraging email to a missionary your church supports

15 Minutes

If you have 15 minutes (the time it takes to wash dishes after dinner or walk the dog), you can

  • Read (or listen to) Ruth, Joel, Malachi, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, or 2 Timothy
  • Walk a mile, praising God for the creation around you
  • Read a chapter of John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life
  • Buy the person in line behind you a cup of coffee and offer to pray for her
  • Use your church directory to pray for members whose last name begins with a particular letter

30 Minutes

And if you have even more time, in less than 30 minutes, you can

  • Read (or listen to) Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy, James, 1 Peter, or 1 John
  • Read a chapter of Augustine’s Confessions
  • Complete a Bible study lesson (some of our favorites have only a few minutes of homework)
  • Make a meal for someone in your neighborhood or church
  • Listen again to Sunday’s sermon online or catch up on a sermon you missed
  • Use your church directory to pray for 50 members by name
  • Do family worship with the people in your home


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