What does my extended time with God look like?
An in-depth look at the monthly rhythm that has changed my life
Quantity gets a bad rap. “Quality over quantity,” they say. But I like what Timothy Ateek said: “Quantity of time will lead to quality time.”
So today, I wanted to share how to spend quantity time with God. Over the last few years, extended time with God once a month has helped me grow deeper with the Lord and find clarity when I was really out of sorts. The crazy thing is, I’ve rarely talked about it and never shared my method in depth.
But it’s time for me to share. Everyone I know is dealing with something heavy, and I genuinely think this could make such a difference in how we experience those things.
Several years ago, I prayed and asked God how He wanted to increase our giving through Val Marie Paper: either to tithe my work time or increase our giving from 10% to 15%. I knew He wanted me to increase our generosity. Little did I know He’d say both. So we increased the giving to 15% (for every $100 that comes through our shop, $15 is given to our partners in Haiti), and I mapped out how to title my time.
At that time, 10% of my time was about 10 minutes of each workday and one entire workday a month. So, I started using the first 10 minutes of my workday to pray. I also took the first work day of the month off as a Sabbath. Similar to a weekly Sabbath, I wanted it to be the first fruit of my time instead of at the end of the month as if it were some reward for the hard work I had done.
No, this was different. This was an exercise in trust that I desperately needed. I gave the time because I trusted God with my business. I didn’t give based on what I had.
As a small business owner, it’s too easy to think everything depends on you. The very idea that I could take a day off when I should be working sounds crazy because there’s literally always something that could be done.
But that’s not a healthy way to run a business or to live.
So, I started taking that first day off, even when it was hard and painful. And the thing is, I’ve never felt shortchanged by taking the time off. God has always over-delivered through needed rest, answers, joy, or a deeper desire for Him.
And when the day is done, I always wish I did it more often!
But honestly, even if none of those things happened, having a monthly rhythm of stretching my trust muscles with God would be enough. I am fully dependent on Him, but it’s easy to think we are the hero God is waiting for to save things.
Whether you’re a business owner, stay-at-home mom, student, or work for someone else, this simple practice could change your life, too.
It won’t be easy, but nothing worth having ever is. I know for me that the first day of the month never seamlessly falls on a good day. It’s always a sacrifice but always worth it. I say all this upfront because I know some of you think this can’t work for me. And listen, maybe you have some unique circumstance that puts you in the 1% of people who can’t do this. But I think more often than not, we want to believe we’re the exception, that good things can’t happen to us. And trust me, a monthly Sabbath is a really good thing. I want this to work for you!
If God wants you to make time, ask Him to show you how. And be open to sacrificing screen time, free time, a babysitting session, or even an office-wide day off.
Spending hours alone with God may seem daunting. When I went to camp with our high school youth group, one day, we had what was called a “solo.” It was basically three hours alone with God on the side of a mountain. I thought I would be bored, but I was blown away by what can happen when we give God space in our day.
OK, let’s dive in. What’s my routine for my extended time with God?