I don’t know about you, but I’ve at times been perplexed trying to figure out how to have a quality quiet time with so many little ones around. I’ve tried to get up early, but sneaking out of our room without waking the baby is nearly impossible. I’ve done my quiet time after the kids go down for bed, but I’m often so exhausted by that time that I sometimes end up crashed out on my kitchen table studying the word by osmosis.
Lately I’ve been thinking about how some things really are
all about perspective, or at least largely about perspective, and I’ve come to
see that some of my issues with quiet times as just such an issue. This perspective change
came in the form of a simple change in wording that has transformed my expectations
and freed me from much irritation. I’ve stopped calling my time in the word
a “quiet time” and have started calling it my “loud time!” It sounds really silly, but renaming this time
helps me not be unnecessarily frustrated when my time in the word and prayer is
interrupted or less than serene. I need that time with the Lord, and though
peace and uninterrupted time are wonderful and to be sought after, and even at times necessary, they are not always
absolute necessities for meeting with Him.
I like to have my “loud time” each afternoon when the
littlest ones are napping and the bigger ones are semi-occupied doing homework,
playing games, or doing crafts. This is
about the quietest that my day gets, but seeing as the three of us are often
cramped in our little kitchen since all of the other rooms are occupied by
nappers or a working husband, it isn’t exactly quiet uninterrupted time. But
that’s ok!
God knows my season of life and the loudness that surrounds
me at nearly every waking moment. I truly believe that He receives my “loud time”
sacrifice just as much as He would if I actually managed to find many consecutive quiet moments
each day. It’s about prioritizing our relationship with the Lord and making
sure to spend time with Him however we can. He loves to meet with us and desires to speak
with us, and it comes as no surprise, but the Lord is perfectly able to speak up loud enough that I can hear Him loud and clear above the noise of my young and busy family.
How about you? Are you in a quiet-time or a loud-time season of life with your kids? How have you met with the Lord throughout the various seasons of mothering?
Bless you, Ashley! I think it's great that you're flexible to call it LOUD time. I think it's so true that being flexible in our approach to seeking God throughout ife seasons is important. (I remember breast feeding a sleepy baby so they'd then sleep in long enough for me to have a QUIET time...)
ReplyDeleteI think an attitude of seeking God throughout the day is important. I used to get bent out of shape if my quiet time was interrupted, or if I just couldn't do it, and then I realized that defeated the purpose. :-)
You are so sweet, Betsy. Thank you for the encouragement. =) And I've had those same thoughts about how my getting frustrated about the atmosphere of my quiet time is probably not what God had in mind for my time meeting with Him!
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