Quiet times first thing in the morning are so beneficial. The house is still, you're alone with the Lord, you're {hopefully} refreshed from a night's rest, and you're feeding on His Word. You're preparing for the battle of the day: living your life to the glory of God.
If it's possible, taking the time first thing in the morning, is a great thing for a wife and mum {and anyone for that matter}. But, for many, it just doesn't work. And it's easy to feel guilty or you're lacking in some area where other women seem to thrive.
Don't feel guilty. Don't feel lacking. Quiet-times are not a law. They're a gift and God loves you spending time with Him whenever, all the time, and the fact that you make it a priority.
I never have my quiet-times in the morning. When I was a stay-at-home wife, I did! I would spend hours in the Word, reading and praying. I am so thankful for those times. But that isn't the season of my life right now.
This is why I don't:
- my husband leaves for work at 6.30am.
- my son wakes between 5.30-6am
- I'm 25-weeks pregnant and sleep allows me care and manage my family
I help my husband by making his lunch, we have a small time with Toddler J and we chat and prepare for the day. Waking up at 6am is early enough! Plus, my post-natal anxiety was partly caused by my great sleep deprivation.Wisdom dictates that I don't want to go there again: I'm getting as much sleep as I can before Baby Girl comes!
So, what works for me - the wife, mother and manager of my home?
If it's possible, taking the time first thing in the morning, is a great thing for a wife and mum {and anyone for that matter}. But, for many, it just doesn't work. And it's easy to feel guilty or you're lacking in some area where other women seem to thrive.
Don't feel guilty. Don't feel lacking. Quiet-times are not a law. They're a gift and God loves you spending time with Him whenever, all the time, and the fact that you make it a priority.
I never have my quiet-times in the morning. When I was a stay-at-home wife, I did! I would spend hours in the Word, reading and praying. I am so thankful for those times. But that isn't the season of my life right now.
This is why I don't:
- my husband leaves for work at 6.30am.
- my son wakes between 5.30-6am
- I'm 25-weeks pregnant and sleep allows me care and manage my family
I help my husband by making his lunch, we have a small time with Toddler J and we chat and prepare for the day. Waking up at 6am is early enough! Plus, my post-natal anxiety was partly caused by my great sleep deprivation.Wisdom dictates that I don't want to go there again: I'm getting as much sleep as I can before Baby Girl comes!
So, what works for me - the wife, mother and manager of my home?
Nap Time
In the last month, Toddler J has gone down to one nap around lunchtime. Everyone said he'd start sleeping for two hours. Ah, no. I get an hour, an hour twenty, at most. So that time is short, precious - but just enough for what my soul needs.
God has been challenging me to use this time more wisely. It's easy to get on the laptop and surf the net and blog - that's so relaxing for me. But what is best for me is to use that time with the Lord and be fed. I haven't got it down to a 'T' - so please don't think I have it all together, because I don't! But I am *trying* to have a weekly routine to help me have a variety of ways to spend with the Lord.
It tentatively looks like this:
Mon: Study in my Mum's Bible study for Thursday
Tues: Concentrated prayer from my {newly made} prayer journal
Wed: Read the Bible and journal
Thur: Read current book
Fri: Choose what takes my fancy
{All of these are done with prayer.}
This way, I am hopefully really going to use my time well. One of my personal goals as a woman {before all my other roles} is to maintain my mind. I want to continue to be a thinker, sharp and focused. It helps me so much and flows into all facets of my life, and being involved in various types of quiet-time continue to equip me in this way.
God has been challenging me to use this time more wisely. It's easy to get on the laptop and surf the net and blog - that's so relaxing for me. But what is best for me is to use that time with the Lord and be fed. I haven't got it down to a 'T' - so please don't think I have it all together, because I don't! But I am *trying* to have a weekly routine to help me have a variety of ways to spend with the Lord.
It tentatively looks like this:
Mon: Study in my Mum's Bible study for Thursday
Tues: Concentrated prayer from my {newly made} prayer journal
Wed: Read the Bible and journal
Thur: Read current book
Fri: Choose what takes my fancy
{All of these are done with prayer.}
This way, I am hopefully really going to use my time well. One of my personal goals as a woman {before all my other roles} is to maintain my mind. I want to continue to be a thinker, sharp and focused. It helps me so much and flows into all facets of my life, and being involved in various types of quiet-time continue to equip me in this way.
Other Ways To Spend Time with God
Sometimes, nap times don't work. And when Baby Girl comes, I know my time is going to be even more limited. So here are some thoughtful ways that we can use and implement into the short bursts of time we have as busy wives and mother's to spend time with our Father:
- Continuous prayer: short "Please, Lord..." or "Thank you, Father..." are so important. We're relying on Him in the moment and He becomes more of an integral part of our daily lives.
- Online sermons: if your church uploads previous sermons, listen to your minister; or find some other great preachers, like Timothy Keller or John Piper at The Gospel Coalition.
- Bible verses around the home: Pinterest has great ideas for making creative ways to get Bible scriptures up around the home - in picture frames, index cards or even with a whiteboard marker on your fridges.
- Rest time: Many mothers implement rest time for the children where they spend time in their rooms reading or playing. That way you can make some time for yourself and be refreshed.
- Annual retreat: Organise with your husband one weekend he can care for the family, book a place for yourself and just get away. Plan what you're going to read, write and pray about and spend that time to re-evaluate your life.
A great resource for busy mothers and wives is the Mahaney girls' book Shopping For Time. They encourage us to make the best use of our time and offer helpful, gracious ways in which we can make God a priority in our lives for the different seasons we go through.
How about you? What do you do to make sure you get some time with God? During nap time, in the evenings, at a cafe once a week? I would love to hear your ideas.
- Continuous prayer: short "Please, Lord..." or "Thank you, Father..." are so important. We're relying on Him in the moment and He becomes more of an integral part of our daily lives.
- Online sermons: if your church uploads previous sermons, listen to your minister; or find some other great preachers, like Timothy Keller or John Piper at The Gospel Coalition.
- Bible verses around the home: Pinterest has great ideas for making creative ways to get Bible scriptures up around the home - in picture frames, index cards or even with a whiteboard marker on your fridges.
- Rest time: Many mothers implement rest time for the children where they spend time in their rooms reading or playing. That way you can make some time for yourself and be refreshed.
- Annual retreat: Organise with your husband one weekend he can care for the family, book a place for yourself and just get away. Plan what you're going to read, write and pray about and spend that time to re-evaluate your life.
A great resource for busy mothers and wives is the Mahaney girls' book Shopping For Time. They encourage us to make the best use of our time and offer helpful, gracious ways in which we can make God a priority in our lives for the different seasons we go through.
How about you? What do you do to make sure you get some time with God? During nap time, in the evenings, at a cafe once a week? I would love to hear your ideas.
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