Sunday Snippet: Finding Time for Quiet Time…

I am often asked from mom’s at Church: “When do you find time to read the Bible and do your own personal Quiet Time?” I have had a couple of moms say “God will understand if you don’t get round to Bible Reading during the years that you are busy with young kids.” If that was the case then I would be excused from personal Bible reading for the past twelve years!!! I don’t think mothers are necessarily excused but we do have to be a little creative about finding our Quiet Times.

I do read the Bible with the kids for school, kids in different grades require different levels of Bible reading. That doesn’t count as personal Bible reading. I have no excuse not to read the Bible myself, considering that I find the time to read all day long, books, blogs, whatever.

In life before kids it was easy I had my Bible, my notebook and pencil next to my bed and either did my Quiet Time first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Now if I had a bedside table it would have Dr. Seuss books on it. Needless to say I don’t have a bedside table and their is no visual reminder when I wake in the morning or go to bed… neither is that the best time to catch me since I may not be conscious enough to absorb anything.

So here you go Se7en Quiet Time Tips in the Madness of Motherhood:

1. Read the bible like a book. I didn’t always. I used to use Quiet Time notes, but I found I remembered the notes more than the passage! Then I read a “Bible in a Year” format Bible for a couple of years and now I pick a book – Old Testament then New Testament. Because I read it like a book I often read more than the chapter I have set myself.
2. Quiet time first: Everyday when I wake up I stagger to my computer – the blogger must check for comments. I keep my Bible on the book shelf next to my computer, before I do anything online, I read a chapter of the book of the Bible I am busy with. Then again, I often need to be doing other motherly things and if we are dashing out for some reason then I sometimes just don’t get to it.
3. Try again later: If I miss my morning Bible Reading – life will go on. When I read to the kids from the Bible at lunch time I quickly read my own chapter while they clear the table. Sometimes we have guests or we are going somewhere and I miss the lunch reading as well.
4. Even alongside them: We always have a rest after lunch where I finish up any school reading that we didn’t manage in the morning. Often I will get them to browse their book so that I can quickly read the Bible for myself – I am not taking hours off their lives, just a few minutes.
5. I have to change nappies (diapers): I keep a Bible next to the change mat, if the day is getting away from me then I can read a chapter quickly at the end of a nappy change. Really it doesn’t take long to read a chapter of the Bible. Sometimes even that doesn’t work.
6. Last Chance: Finally if I have left it all day then I can do a quick Bible read, after bedtime and before I start blogging. Once I am online I know I will never go back – I blog until a short person calls me to bed, no one actually sleeps all night!
7. Don’t be a Quitter: Very occasionally our day is just so mad that my Bible reading doesn’t get done. This happens to most of us. Not because I am a mother but because I am human. It is a rare day that things go so totally awry. But when I do fail it isn’t worth giving up. Just start fresh the next day and persist.

There is more to Quiet Times than reading the Bible, it requires time to reflect and time to pray. I spend heaps of time day and night nursing a newborn, which means I am awake especially in the dead of night and all is quiet. There is plenty of time to reflect on what I read earlier and to pray for a couple of things I keep on my prayer list.

In a nutshell keep it light, keep it short and don’t panic when you get left behind. Just start over the next day and keep at it. I hope this helps!!!