intentionallyanne.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I don’t know if you have ever had someone say something to you, kind of in passing, and it just sticks with you. Well, I have. There have been many times someone said something or did something that they did not mean to be profound, but it was profound to me.
I met with a friend for coffee and she asked about my quiet time (time set aside to be with God by reading His word and praying). It was a time in my life when I was kind of struggling to find the time for it. She said, “Quiet time is not optional.” At first that may seem kind of harsh, but I don’t think it was meant to be. I think it was meant to be serious. Time with the Lord is serious because it is important, very important. I think that is all she was trying to say, “Quiet time is important. Very important.”
“Quiet time is not optional.”
I had another conversation with a friend about fitness. This friend always manages to find time for exercise. She once told me if she HAD to choose between getting a shower or 15 minutes of exercise, she would choose exercise. Meaning, if both were not an option, exercise was a higher priority. I honestly was impressed.
I think there is a lesson in the second story that applies to the first story. Because quiet time is so important, we need to choose it over other important things. You know as well as I do, we will find time for the things we value.
We will find time for the things we value.
I would love to say that I have never struggled with finding time for a quiet time since that moment, but I have, and when I do, I hear that statement in my head: “Quiet-time is not optional.”
If quiet-time is this important, I believe it is crucial to look for ways to fit it as naturally and effortlessly into our life as possible. We tend to do easy things and avoid hard things, so we need to find a way to make this as easy as possible.
There is another take-away that stuck with me from a book I have recently ready about family discipleship: It does not need to be magnificent but it needs to be consistent.
So, with this conviction, here are a few things that help me keep a pretty quiet-time since motherhood:
Focus on Consistency
I had times in my life where my quiet-time seemed ultra-spiritual. It could span hours. I could write long prayers and do cross-references and look up original languages. These things are good, but they are not necessary to qualify something as quiet-time. Sometimes this expectation shames us into not having a quiet-time at all. We say to ourselves: “Five, ten, or fifteen minutes don’t count.” This is not true. What I believe is true is that it is important to show up with your best you have to offer in the season you are in. Quiet-times will look different during different times of your life. Don’t let the enemy shame you so much that you do not seek the Lord. Consistency is what is most important. We need to daily seek Him. Giving Him our thoughts each day will keep us connected to Him. It will protect our mind and heart from thinking like one who does not know Him.
In seasons when I have struggled with my quiet-time, I started to think as the world thinks and that does not produce life. During this Covid season, where many of us are out of the routine of church, I have seen just how important a role the church plays, even in simply maintaining rhythm/consistency for focusing on the Lord. Rhythm and routine are essential parts of the Christian faith. It keeps us from forgetting God, forgetting truth, and forgetting where true life comes from. It helps us to continue to grow into the people we want to be.
Rhythm and routine are essential parts of the Christian faith. It keeps us from forgetting God, forgetting truth, and forgetting where true life comes from.
If you are ever tempted to forget your quiet-time altogether because it isn’t as “spiritual” as it used to be, don’t. Just show up. That will still be greatly rewarded by God.
Use Devotionals to Help You Stay Focused
For the first several years of my faith, I did not use devotionals. My reasoning was that I did not know the Bible well enough and I may have been able to discern if it was biblically accurate. I probably would have thought every one of them were. Now, I find devotionals can be helpful for those who do not know the Bible “well enough”. Some devotionals are great tools to know the Bible better or help it make sense.
At this point in my life, I like to consider myself decently biblically literate. I hope I know scripture well enough to perceive when someone is inaccurately applying scripture. With this in mind, devotionals are my friend. Since, my quiet-time is when my little is sleeping, my hope is to quickly dive into scripture and leave with some type of application to meditate on.
Devotionals take out the guess-work of what I will read, how much I will read, and what will I take away with me (obviously leaving some space for the Holy Spirit). A devotional tells me where I left off if my little one woke up early and I had to stop midway.
I am still selective about my devotionals. I still look for depth in devotionals and I want to share some of my favorites:
* I am also excited to start her devotional on David here soon!
Use Nap Time or Wake Up Early
Right now, I use my daughter’s first nap time of the day for quiet-time. There were times when I tried to wake up before her instead because her naps weren’t consistent and I knew I could usually count on her to sleep until 7AM.
Both are options to consider, but because we are sleep deprived, it is easy to forget that waking up early is even on the table. I know every ounce of sleep is precious, however, most times waking up 30 minutes early will not make a huge difference to how we feel overall during the day. And it is worth it. If your baby truly does wake up a lot of times and 30 minutes really does feel like it is a huge sacrifice, continue on.
Ask for Help
There are times during motherhood where it truly does not feel like you have a moment to spare. This is especially true during the newborn stage, and in that case, I want to suggest that your spiritual health is important enough to ask for help for. You could ask your husband to take the baby for 15 minutes so you can get some alone time with the Lord. If you aren’t married, maybe you could ask a baby-sitter to come 15 minutes early or stay 15 minutes late. Maybe you could utilize your lunch this way. Try calling a friend to ask for 30 minutes of their day.
I know it is hard, but it is also important. It is your soul we are talking about.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Lay out the Bible, the pens, and the journal all before you need them. During motherhood, our moments are rare and precious, and I can waste a lot of them looking for things. I have found motherhood to be much more peaceful when I do things in advance. It is much less stressful when I make lunch during a nap then when I attempt it while she is awake.
Well, the same is true for our quiet-time. I feel a sense of underlying anxiety when I feel rushed by the clock and I don’t know where my things are. It is a lovely feeling just to slide into a chair with our coffee and steal away those quiet moments.
Try this out for yourself. Create a space with everything you need and you will find it is much easier to slip into your quiet-time with ease.
I wish I could say this has never been a struggle for me but it has been, but it is so important. We are spiritual beings living an earthly journey, so having our eyes fixed on heavenly things is of the utmost importance. Plus, there is nothing more important for our children than emphasizing God as priority in our lives. I remind myself that if I am not leading myself well, I can’t lead her well. You can do it too momma. There is grace in all of this. If you have fallen, dust yourself off and start over. If you are being consistent, I rejoice with you. I think the fact you are reading this shows you care and God delights in that. You CAN do it.
Comentários