10 minutes a day changed his life
Last week I spent a few days mountain biking with a group of friends from my years serving at FamilyLife. They were action packed days, full of exertion, and we all fell into bed exhausted at the end of the day. Even with the physical fatigue, I tried to keep my morning routine, getting up early to read the Bible and pray, hoping to catch a few moments of quiet before everyone started moving. As I settled into a chair with a cup of coffee, the house as still as my dog anticipating an Amazon truck, I heard the first creak of a door hinge turning, and my heart sank. Here came Greg into the living room and I assumed the quiet time was over. But he sat down on the couch without even looking my way. He was all business, going right into his own time of prayer and Bible reading without even pausing at the coffee pot (show off).
An hour or so later the other guys were up and stirring, and at that point Greg and I started talking. We shared about what we were reading and learning and eventually he said this, “John I’ve grown more as a Christian in the last year than I have in the previous ten years combined.” Whoa! That’s a bold statement and I wanted to hear more. He said, “I’ve found that I used to be overly critical with my wife. I would get testy about the smallest things. But now those little things don’t bother me like they used to.” That’s a big change. Especially for a guy who is 73 years old. I’m not saying that’s old, but I’ve heard it can be hard to teach an experienced canine new patterns.
What brought about his change? He explained,“I started doing 10 minutes of prayer first thing in the morning, on my knees, focused on giving thanks to God for who He is and what He has done in my life.” That’s it? Just 10 minutes? I was expecting something more profound, like a life-changing seminar or maybe a book (preferably one I had recommended to him). Nope. Just 10 minutes of prayer. “That simple exercise has brought me more peace of mind than I ever could have imagined.”
This year our theme as a church is to grow: as it says in Isaiah 61:3, we are striving to grow into “Oaks of Righteousness.” A mighty oak takes years, even decades, to grow sturdy and strong. Year to year growth is seemingly imperceptible, yet it keeps growing. What seems inconsequential, 10 minutes, can have a huge influence on your spiritual growth. Don’t discount the power of just ten intentional minutes a day to grow you closer to Christ. The enemy wants you to think the little things don’t matter (both the good and the bad). He also wants you to think that growth requires big changes, huge efforts; he wants you too feel too overwhelmed to even try, defeated before you start. But take Greg’s story to heart. God uses the little things to bring about a big change, and as He says in Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing will also be faithful with much.”
May God give you wisdom as you seek to grow in 2025. And may your growth lead to a stronger testimony all over the South End of Louisville!