Guest Post by Lindsey Bell
Let’s be honest. Quiet is something that’s hard to come by as a mom.
I have two boys, and they are on the go from the moment they wake up until the moment they crash in their beds at night. So for me, finding quiet time with God has been…how should I word it…challenging.
But there are a few things that have helped.
1. Change your expectations.
I had great (and long) quiet times with God BC (before children). That all changed the day I brought home our first child from the hospital.
My quiet time does not look the same as it did before I had kids. And neither will yours.
Instead of trying to recreate the magic you had before, change your expectations. Stop expecting to have 30 minutes of uninterrupted time with Jesus, and stop expecting the entire house to be quiet as you study (unless of course you plan to do this in the middle of the night).
Instead, learn to commune with God in the midst of the craziness.
2. Get creative.
Because your time with God is going to look different than it did before, you might have to get creative as you think of ways to make it happen in your household.
Here are a few possible ways to find time with God throughout your day:
Get up early and spend time with God before your family awakens.
Have quiet time with God right when your husband gets home from work. (You get a break from the kids and time with God!)
Use the first few minutes of nap time to commune with God.
Read your Bible as you dry your hair. The hairdryer will block out the sounds of little ones in the other room. (Just make sure your kids are safe and can’t break anything before you begin!)
Pray as you wash the dishes, do the laundry, or run errands.
Listen to praise music throughout the day.
Turn your car into a prayer closet (but keep your eyes open!)
Have family devotions with your children every night before bed.
Make Bible reading a part of your bedtime routine. (Better yet, read the Bible and pray with your husband each night.)
Put your multi-tasking ability to good use as you talk to the Lord in the midst of your daily chores.
3. Do what works for you.
My days go much smoother if I spend time with the Lord in the morning. My attitude is much better. And most days, this works for us. I’m able to get up before the rest of the family and read my Bible.
But this might not work for you. And that’s okay. If you’re not able to read your Bible in the morning, don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, find a time that works well with your family.
God doesn’t require us to read our Bibles at certain times of day, so we shouldn’t put that burden on ourselves either.
4. Look at your time-wasters.
How many of us say we don’t have time for God, but then find time for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, television, or reading? (Ouch, huh?)
If you have time for your phone, you have time for God.
5. Get accountability.
One great way to make quiet times happen is to have an accountability partner or group. Check in with each other once a week to hold each other accountable. Ask each other these questions or ones that are similar:
- How many days this week have you read your Bible?
- How many days this week have you spent time in prayer?
- What is God teaching you this week?
Our time with God before kids was quiet, long, and peaceful. Now, it’s probably not quiet (at least not for long), probably pretty short, and most-likely not super-peaceful.
But you know what? It can still be just as life-changing.
Let’s Talk: How do you find time for God in your busiest seasons as a mother? Leave a comment to be entered to win a gift card from Lindsey for her blog tour contest!
This post is part of a Lindsey’s blog tour for Searching for Sanity, her new parenting devotional. You can read other posts in this tour by going to her blog.
About Lindsey Bell:
Lindsey Bell is the author of Searching for Sanity, a new parenting devotional. She’s also a stay-at-home mother of two, minister’s wife, avid reader, and chocolate lover. You can find Lindsey online at any of the following locations: Her blog, Her website, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
About Searching for Sanity:
Have you ever looked at your beloved children and wondered, what in the world am I doing? Why did God trust me—of all people—to raise them?
Motherhood is the most difficult job many of us will ever take. Searching for Sanity offers moms an opportunity to take a breath, dig into the Word, and learn from parents of the past. In short devotions designed for busy moms, this book uses the parents of the Bible—both the good and the bad—to inspire today’s mothers.
[…] Day 2 of the Searching for Sanity Blog Tour! Here’s a sneak peek at the post I have today on Katie Ganshert’s blog. (Don’t forget to visit her blog and leave a comment on my post there to be entered to win a […]
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I have ignored God way too often in my busy life. I have five children ranging from 11 to two years old and I am a stay at home mom. I also run a small family farm as well as keep the household running. I feel I am already spread so very thin and I try to consider having more time for my Creator but most days I am forgetful. I try to stay consistent with prayer…by my prayers are usually very short. Like “Thank you Father for this beautiful day…” or while my kids are driving me nuts its “Lord please help me not lose my temper!” And sometimes I can go days or even weeks without speaking to Him at all. Those are the times I get lazy.I don’t read my bible or pray. But God usually has His ways of getting my attention.
Us mothers/wives often have a huge responsibility of doing everything for everyone and taking care of our homes that we forget about God. And to be honest it is so easy to forget because if we dont see someone in needor something that needs our attention, we simply ignore it. So this is a good reminder to take little moments through our day to acknowledge our Father and give Him the attention He so deserves. I am on a journey to put Christ at the very top of my list…to make Him number one. It has only been about a week but so far I am seeing benefits. I just pray I can keep at it. Lol. Thanks for sharing this….I really needed these tips today!
I go to sleep at night talking to God and when I first wake up in the morning I talk to God.
What a great way to start and finish your day, Jackie!
I love your creative suggestions…God should be involved in our daily life so praying while doing the dishes seems like a little thing but could really be a big thing! Thanks!
Great post Lindsey. These 5 tips are valuable in all stages of our “busy” lives. Even though my children are grown I still need to adjust my expectations at times. I also struggle with “time-wasters”. Thanks for the encouragement.
I am pregnant with my first child and have thought a lot about how this will change my time with the Lord. This post was encouraging, especially the part about changing my expectations and also not being tied to a certain time of day. Morning has always worked best for me but baby’s schedule may change that, and that’s ok!
Mandy, that’s so wonderful that you are planning NOW to make this happen after your baby is born. That will help tremendously to know beforehand that things might have to change a little bit. Good for you!
Love having you Lindsey! And I love your practical tips!
Well, I’m not quite a Mom, but being the caretaker for 27 dogs (we have a sanctuary for abandoned and abused Pit Bulls), I can perhaps relate.
I spend time with the Big Fella through the day – and I see His hand in the love and gratitude these small and precious souls show.
Generally I’m up all night (PTSD and a serious illness), so I have Trinity Broadcasting on. Generally Christian music videos!
It works. The illness may kill me before too long, but it doesn’t matter. The Big Fella’s got His hand on my collar, and He’ll yank me up when He needs to.
27 dogs! I think there are certainly some similarities. Listening to Christian music is definitely huge for me too…a great way to find God in the midst of the chaos of whatever your day brings!
Oh, how this is a challenge for me. I am not a morning person. I am exhausted by night time. I’ve hit the brick wall by supposed nap time for my toddler (who fights it). And am up half the night most nights with her. So the motivation and discipline to try and focus my mind is not easy. But I recently have decided to at least try to sit down and have a quiet moment with God as soon as I get Zoe breakfast. I’ve started letting her have a cup of cheerios in front of the tv to watch a couple episodes of PBS. She usually is in a trance as she wakes up. If that doesnt work, my next goal is when I “put Zoe down for a nap.” Before I clean up lunch. Before I pick up the house. Before I do whatever is on my “to do list”. So we shall see. Thanks for the pointers, Lindsey. Can’t wait to get home from a trip and get your book I ordered. Should be there when I get home!!! Woo-hooo.
Breakfast time is when I often read my Bible too. I think it’s because the boys have food in their mouths so it’s at least somewhat quiet, lol:) Keep trucking along, Kayla! And thank you for ordering my book!!
This post was perfect. I know God is using it as a reminder. Just yesterday morning, our pastor’s message dealt how we can often leave our “first love” because we get busy doing what’s right but forget who we’re doing it for. God convicted me. I had gotten so busy doing the “good things” as a wife, mother, church member, that I wasn’t spending time with God. After lunch yesterday, I opened my Bible at the table and did “Our Daily Bread”, short but poignant. I also read read in Psalms and Proverbs. I applied 2 (plus) of the suggestions of this post: Changing my expectations (before kids versus after kids), learning to focus in the chaos (both boys were at the table, too – one playing Mine Craft, the other trying to do homework in between helping his brother play Mine Craft).
Now I have a chance to apply another suggestion. After I finish this post, I can go spend some time with God versus reading more emails and blog posts. 😉 thanks for this one.
I love this honest comment, Tammi. “We get busy doing what’s right but forget who we’re doing it for.” Such wisdom in this quote.
you just keep rolling out the great advice. I am a time waster. I hate it. My husband now asks me what I am doing on the computer and then appropriates a response of should I be or can I do it later. He is helping me so lovingly in assisting the dividing of my time. I am a lot less stressed out and find that my communication with family AND God have increased.
My big problem is computer (or phone) time too. I’ve been trying to get up earlier so I have all of my email and social media checked before my boys wake up.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Katie. It is a true honor!