Everyone I know has at some point or another said they have difficulties making time to spend with the Lord.
I thought I had issues...until I had a baby. I could hardly take a shower or eat more than a granola bar. How was I supposed to sit down for a half hour to study scripture? I beat myself up over it for a while, until I had been back at work for months and I listened to an episode of the Journeywomen Podcast. It’s about spiritual disciplines and a man is the guest, but he gets it.
“If you’re a young mother and you’re getting up at five o’clock in the morning or maybe three o’clock in the morning with a fussy child, or a child that needs to eat, maybe the most spiritual thing that you could do in that moment is not beat yourself up because you’re not getting to read your Bible like you want to, but to recognize that right then, you’re serving! You’re serving! That’s a spiritual discipline. You’re serving your child and your family. Maybe the most spiritual thing you can do in that moment is to not be reading your Bible or practicing some more romantic spiritual discipline. Maybe the best thing you can do in that moment is to serve that child and then to go take a nap.”
Then, the very same podcast addressed this issue again two episodes later.
“Remember to give yourself some grace in this season. God has put you in the season you’re in. He isn’t caught off guard if you are exhausted from being up five times at night with a baby. Just do what you can. This may mean that you’re just reading Scripture and then maybe coming back at another time to dig a little deeper. Or maybe this is just the time for you to read through the entire Bible and then jump back into a more in-depth study when you’re able to. Utilize nap times. Don’t think that your quiet time has to be quiet! A lot of times, it’s just not. On the flip side, we also have to be willing to take a long, hard look at ourselves and give grace when we’re in those difficult seasons where it’s just a really trying season, and also be able to recognize when we really need to shift our priorities and prioritize God’s Word.”
How freeing is that? Time with the Lord doesn’t have to mean an Instagram-worthy moment with coffee and perfect calligraphy in your journaling Bible.
This doesn’t mean you’re giving God your leftovers. It’s letting him meet you where you’re at. It, of course, doesn’t mean making excuses to get out of spending time with him. But, it does mean that he gives you grace because of the season you’re in. So you should give yourself some grace too.
The Well-Watered Women blog hits the nail right on the head by addressing lies we believe about quiet time.
Quiet time doesn’t have to be quiet. It doesn’t have to feel good. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Don't put the pressure on yourself to make it perfect. Give yourself grace here. After all, it's a perfect God meeting with an imperfect human. He knows you're imperfect. Give him the best you can each day. If that best is two verses of a Psalm while you're finally using the bathroom in peace, then that's great! That is your best for that day.
(Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post, I’ll share some ways I’m able to fit in my own imperfect resemblance of a quiet time in the midst of having a young child and working a full-time job.)
I thought I had issues...until I had a baby. I could hardly take a shower or eat more than a granola bar. How was I supposed to sit down for a half hour to study scripture? I beat myself up over it for a while, until I had been back at work for months and I listened to an episode of the Journeywomen Podcast. It’s about spiritual disciplines and a man is the guest, but he gets it.
“If you’re a young mother and you’re getting up at five o’clock in the morning or maybe three o’clock in the morning with a fussy child, or a child that needs to eat, maybe the most spiritual thing that you could do in that moment is not beat yourself up because you’re not getting to read your Bible like you want to, but to recognize that right then, you’re serving! You’re serving! That’s a spiritual discipline. You’re serving your child and your family. Maybe the most spiritual thing you can do in that moment is to not be reading your Bible or practicing some more romantic spiritual discipline. Maybe the best thing you can do in that moment is to serve that child and then to go take a nap.”
Then, the very same podcast addressed this issue again two episodes later.
“Remember to give yourself some grace in this season. God has put you in the season you’re in. He isn’t caught off guard if you are exhausted from being up five times at night with a baby. Just do what you can. This may mean that you’re just reading Scripture and then maybe coming back at another time to dig a little deeper. Or maybe this is just the time for you to read through the entire Bible and then jump back into a more in-depth study when you’re able to. Utilize nap times. Don’t think that your quiet time has to be quiet! A lot of times, it’s just not. On the flip side, we also have to be willing to take a long, hard look at ourselves and give grace when we’re in those difficult seasons where it’s just a really trying season, and also be able to recognize when we really need to shift our priorities and prioritize God’s Word.”
How freeing is that? Time with the Lord doesn’t have to mean an Instagram-worthy moment with coffee and perfect calligraphy in your journaling Bible.
This doesn’t mean you’re giving God your leftovers. It’s letting him meet you where you’re at. It, of course, doesn’t mean making excuses to get out of spending time with him. But, it does mean that he gives you grace because of the season you’re in. So you should give yourself some grace too.
The Well-Watered Women blog hits the nail right on the head by addressing lies we believe about quiet time.
Quiet time doesn’t have to be quiet. It doesn’t have to feel good. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Don't put the pressure on yourself to make it perfect. Give yourself grace here. After all, it's a perfect God meeting with an imperfect human. He knows you're imperfect. Give him the best you can each day. If that best is two verses of a Psalm while you're finally using the bathroom in peace, then that's great! That is your best for that day.
(Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post, I’ll share some ways I’m able to fit in my own imperfect resemblance of a quiet time in the midst of having a young child and working a full-time job.)
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