Friday 19 September 2014

Quiet Time for Moms

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm sure a few of you saw the title of this post and just groaned. Maybe you even tossed in an eye roll for good measure. I can relate. Here I am a mom in my early 40s and I still struggle with being consistent in my quiet time with the Lord. Yes, I know how important it is. Yes, I know I should do it first thing in the morning before the rest of the day gets away from me. I certainly know it's the most important thing I can do each every day. And I always seem to make time for all my other tasks each day.

But let's be honest. It's hard to get in the routine. So I'm not going to sit here and tell you all the things you should be doing. I simply want to encourage you to find a way that works best for you. 

Oftentimes as a young mom I would hear people say to get up before your children. That way you could have your quiet time when the little ones weren't being loud and vying for attention. However, if like me you are so not a morning person but birthed a child who is a morning person, you know how difficult that can be. I would have had to be up at about four in the morning in order to beat my middle son out of bed each and every day. He arrived in the world that way and at age 13, he's still the first one out of bed every morning. As a sleep deprived young mom of three active boys, there was no way I could have been up that early every day and been able to function adequately.

I remember trying one time to get up before my early bird child. I thought if I could get up around 6am, I would have time to exercise and do my quiet time before 7am. My middle kiddo was about 4 or 5 at the time. I placed a Thomas sticker on his clock on the number seven and told him that when the little hand reached that number, he could get up in the morning. 

The very next day around 6:30am I heard loud wailing coming from his bedroom which he happened to share with his two year old brother who was also now awake. The problem? "Mom, the hands are never going to get to Thomas!!" <sigh> So I understand the difficulty, ladies, I really do.

So here are some practical tips that you may find helpful.
  • Use naptime to your advantage. Yes, it's very tempting to clean the house or chill on the computer during that time, but take a few minutes and give those to the Lord first. If your children have outgrown naps, I recommend implementing a quiet time for them as well. Have them in their rooms looking at books or playing quietly on their beds. Remember, children model what they see. Make sure they have a picture Bible to look at and begin teaching them how to do their own quiet time. 
  • While mornings are best, if you are a night owl like me, you may find giving the Lord some time in the evening is what works best. Just make it consistent. I would also recommend not doing an evening quiet time while laying in bed. That always ends with me snoozing!
  • Find a Bible study to attend. I was very blessed when my boys were young to be able to participate in a wonderful mom Bible study. We took turns in the nursery watching the children so all the rest could enjoy some mom time and study time. Being accountable each week to others for having done my homework helped me to find the time each day to complete it. 
    • Mothers of Preschoolers or MOPS is a fantastic support group for moms of young ones. There is typically a book that is read and discussed each year. There is typically a nursery and MOPPETS for the children to participate in as well. I was active in my MOPS group for a few years when my youngest was small and I have some very found memories of that time and made some lasting friends as well.
    • Proverbs31 Ministries leads online an Bible study if the thought of getting out of the house with lots of little ones is daunting. In fact, their next study starts on this Monday, September 22nd. They will be going through Lysa TerKeurst's new book, The Best Yes
  • Include your children in your study. Read out loud from the Bible while you have lunch and then discuss what you just read. Do you have very young ones? Read a picture Bible and then talk with them about what you just read.
There is no right way to do a quiet time. The most important thing to remember is to make the time to just do it. Give your best to the Lord first and the rest of the day should go just a bit easier.




Lisa is a wife to Bob. They just began their 21st year of marriage. She is also a mom to three boys (ironic, no?). Her oldest will soon be 18 but still has one more year at home. Her middle son is 13 and her youngest is 10. She also stays busy by homeschooling her children and watching a two-year old (a boy of course) full-time as well as other assorted children as the need arises for family and friends. She is very active in her local and state homeschooling community. She is also a very avid reader, enjoys writing, loves dancing at Zumba class, and checking Facebook a little too often. Lisa strives daily to become more Christ-like. She is reminded often of the Lord's mercy and grace and is thankful that He is so gracious to extend to her on a much needed basis. She lives in Maine on her own piece of "no-where land" with her family.

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