Spending Time with God

Hi, there! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has checked out the website, read the blog, followed me on Instagram and Facebook, and downloaded and is using the Advent studies. I hope you are finding everything as a source of encouragement to grow in grace and knowledge! As much as I love that people are reading my stuff, I do want to take a minute to remind you that blogs, devotionals, studies, and anything else of the like are not replacements for spending time with God. They are wonderful resources, but to truly grow in knowledge you have to know God. I encourage you to make it a priority each day to spend some time in prayer with your Father and to read his Word beyond a few verses that are in a study. I know sometimes it can feel like you don’t have time or you’re not sure where to start. Here’s my advice: Be flexible.

I used to think my quiet time with God had to be first thing in the morning, with a cup of coffee and my bible opened on the table in front of me. I would try to wake up before the kids to have this time but it seemed like no matter how early I woke up, shortly after I began reading or praying, a little voice would call for mommy. I was tired from waking up early, I was angry at my children for interrupting my time with God, and instead of using that time to fill my soul with words of encouragement and peace, I was fueling a fire of rage and resentment. I decided to try at bedtime. I’m sure you can all guess how that went – about two sentences into a prayer and I would fall asleep or find that I had somehow magically wound up scrolling social media four an hour instead of reading my bible app.

I’ve learned that I have to be flexible about when I spend time with God. Sometimes there is the perfect morning with sleeping children, hot coffee and a quiet moment to read in my bible. But most of the time, there isn’t. And that’s ok. No matter what my day looks like, if I want to spend time with God, I have to be intentional about it. That means taking advantage of the random moments throughout my day that I can turn into moments with God. When my children ask me to read a book, I can choose to read my bible out loud. When I’m out running errands, I can turn off the radio and listen to God. When someone asks me for prayers, I can stop whatever else I think is important and pray for them right in that moment.

This year I became a carline mom. And I’m that carline mom. I’m the one at the front of the line who gets there about an hour before school lets out. I’m the one the other parents surely think, “she must have no life”! But the truth is, those moments are some of the most life-giving moments of my day. I load up my one and two-year-old and we drive through Starbucks or simply circle our neighborhood for about five minutes until they fall asleep. Then I go to carline and sit. I sit and read my bible. I sit and pray. I sit and listen.

Know the season of life you are in. If waking up and having quiet time first thing in the morning isn’t realistic, then don’t try to do it! Look at your day and see where your moments are, then use them! And be ok when things need to change. You won’t always have babies calling for you at the crack of dawn, you won’t always have your job or school. As your life changes, assess how your time with God is going and change it too. Be flexible, but be intentional.