What is the average amount of time it takes to solve a Wordle puzzle? I can’t locate any hard data on this question, but a guy who wrote a computer simulation to figure out the best two starting words for Wordle—and who claims he has played Wordle “a million times”—estimates that it takes about 15 minutes for the average person to play one game of Wordle.

I like Wordle. It’s fun. The game is challenging enough to get a thinking person to think, but not so challenging that someone playing it for fun normally gets overly frustrated. I try to solve a Wordle puzzle about once a week.

But let me propose a thought experiment. I’ll write it in the form of a question. Furthermore, I’ll write the question as gently as I can. Here’s the question:

Don’t you think that there might be at least the tiniest bit of a problem spending 15 minutes a day solving a Wordle puzzle if you aren’t spending 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word?

Granted, you may have adequate time in your day to do both. I know people who do. Wonderful! Then spend 15 minutes solving your Wordle puzzle after you have spent 15 minutes reading and meditating on God’s Word. (I’m suggesting “after” in order to give God’s Word priority). But, let’s be honest, since Wordle offers none of the long-term spiritual benefits of reading the Word, I find myself pondering whether it might make sense to spend twice the amount of time each day reading the Word as you do solving a Wordle puzzle. If you agree with that sentiment, however, this would entail blocking off 45 minutes a day to accomplish both—30 minutes of Bible reading and 15 minutes trying to decipher the word of the day in your Wordle app.

Some people have enough time to do what I’m suggesting. That’s great. That is, if you want to play Wordle each day—which on its own merits is a fine and useful mind game…far better than scrolling through social media or binge-watching television—I recommend that you block off at least 45 minutes a day to do it. Prioritize half an hour a day for concentrated time in the Bible followed by 15 minutes sometime later in the day for Wordle. Such a decision will grant greater proportional weight to God’s Word than to a random five-letter word.

This post and other resources are available at Kindle Afresh: The Blog and Website of Kenneth Berding.