Yes, Lord. I know, Lord. But I need to do this one more thing before I find time to sit and have a quiet time. I had literally done everything I could to ignore the constant nudging at my heart, my head, my entire body to just sit. And write. To just sit. And listen. To just sit. And be still. Each invitation to sit another reminder on my to-do list that had not gotten to-DONE.
Each morning started the same as I woke to Baby Boy’s little grumps as he started to wake. These little sounds are the best sound in the world, but my day began with those little muffled cries. Once my mind was awake, it began thinking, and the bossy entity that it sometimes is told my hands and feet what to do next. My eyes opened, feet hit the ground, and I was off.
But I wasn’t that out of practice with a quiet time.
I had just chosen to “take a break,” and in turn, filled my time with other more important things that hadn’t gotten done. Clothes needed to be sorted. The playroom needed rearranging. The whole house needed a deep clean before I could take a few minutes of solitude with God.
Each task that needed to be completed was taking me further and further away from the time I longed to have with God.
And all the while, I felt anxious, guilty, and extremely negative in my haste to get everything done before just. sitting. down.
After days of barely speaking to God except throwing up a prayer or two, I was actually sitting (in the ladies’ room…the only honorable place you get a chance to sit, amiright?) overwhelmed with what to do next that I looked up and just murmured, yes, Lord. He deserved all of my time and not just the couple of minutes I was going to throw his way like dried, moldy bread tossed to the birds.
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
Maybe you are bypassing all of the warning signs that you need to slow down and have some quiet time.
Maybe deep down you know that merely reading a bible verse and meditating on that one verse for a few minutes will provide you the peace you need…but you just can’t stop moving.
Maybe you think that these guilty, negative thoughts are from the Lord and He is merely waiting for you to show up so He can berate you for the NOT good job you have done.
Oh, mama.
Here are some signs that trigger me into immediate quiet time mode:
1. Anxiety over NOT doing something with your hands or feet. God doesn’t ask us to climb all the mountains, fight all the battles, and make all the plans. He literally asks us to be still, and know that He is God. That is first and foremost. Once we’ve established that He is the one creating our days, we can fall face forward in reverence and gratitude and open our hearts to Him. Psalm 41:10.
2. Guilty feelings about not spending time with the Lord. When I start to feel guilty, I say ok, stop. Guilt is NOT from the Lord. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and unfortunately, the enemy has you more than God. God will not guilt you into doing anything. He wants you to come willingly. So take those feelings straight to God and let Him sort them out for you. John 10:10.
3. Negativity invades every thought. When all that seems to enter my mind are negative thoughts, I am not thinking about things that are pure and good. And so my focus is skewed, only thinking of all the bad instead of rejoicing in the good. When I position myself toward God, my thoughts seem wildly out of place to His goodness. Talk about a mental shift in the right direction. Philippians 4:8.
4. Feeling lost or aimless and without direction. When I basically start going in circles, picking up the crumbs that I just dropped, I am merely running a rat race that will never be complete until I am utterly exhausted or just plain burnt out. And then what do I want to do? Nitpick every little thing everyone else is doing instead of looking at my own heart. Because who has enough energy to look at me when I am constantly looking at others’ faults. I need to sit down and start asking God to search my heart, pronto, and uproot any evil or hatred. Matthew 7:3-5.
After noticing one or all of these things, I smack my head and immediately walk to my quiet time space.
Yes, Lord. Please forgive me for…already forgotten. Yes, Lord. I’m so sorry for…please, my dear. You are forgiven. Yes, Lord. I feel so bad about…it’s ok, my child. Please, just sit and enjoy with me.
Look at the way your son’s nose crinkles like yours and your dad’s as he laughs. Isn’t it remarkable how he loves to laugh like you?
Is your mind present during the moments your whole family is together, playing on the floor? Yes, the floors need a good cleaning, but I want you to enjoy that time together. Breathe in every single moment because I created that time for you.
Do you love the house that has been given to you? I thought it fit you perfectly when I saw it. I know cleaning is not your thing, but remember me even as you clean, for everything you do is for my glory.
Are you speaking encouragement into your husband or just nitpicking everything you are not content with? Just as I give you grace, give your husband and the people in your life grace as well.
And most of all, my child? Please don’t run from me because you think I’m mad at you. Just take time to sit and enjoy me.
Yes, yes, yes, Lord. And Amen.
And as the power of the Holy Spirit washed over me with peace that surpasses understanding, grace that sufficiently covers me and all of my shortcomings, and humility to bear the knowledge that He continues to pursue me, the sinner in this story, I realized that I continued to DO everything under the sun to fill my time EXCEPT just sit and be with God.
The one thing He asks of me: to love Him.
And do you know what?
He was already waiting for me when I began my quiet time. I hadn’t even DONE anything to experience all of God’s goodness in those first few moments of our time together except to just show up.
Convicted in the best way and brought back to center, I felt rejuvenated after this quiet time with God. Thank you, Lord, for giving your best to me even when all I could offer was my worst.
Looking for some tips to have a successful quiet time? Here are a few I find to be most helpful.
Designate space for all of your materials.
That way all you will need to do is show up in that space. You won’t need to spend time gathering everything together. Your mind will also be prepared because when you go to this same spot each time, your mind knows exactly what to do.
Choose a time each day that you will have your quiet time and stick with it.
Schedules are ever-changing and can’t always be kept especially in the throes of figuring out a newborn/toddler. But just like the gym, when you prioritize and have a specific time in your schedule for quiet time, there is nothing else to do but go to your space and begin.
Join up with an accountability person or group of people.
This helps me a lot. I love having a close friend or small group ask me what I’m learning about God or what He’s teaching me during this season of life. These people also offer conversations that reveal different aspects of God. This way, you can be on the lookout for the mysterious ways that God works. And thank Him for those ways.
Determine what your quiet time will look like.
Are you reading a specific book of the bible? Are you focusing on one verse? Do you have a devotional or bible study that you begin with? Yes, the Holy Spirit moves, but I find when I have a plan, my heart may need a little coaxing before opening up and pouring out. When I am able to get in a groove with quiet times, I can usually sit and journal. But during this time of changing schedules, I have enjoyed the She Reads Truth studies of scripture. Beginning with reading a Bible Story has been very helpful before I begin to write and journal.
I hope these tips help you as you establish a quiet time. Please share any tips that work for you in the comments below. Let’s continue to encourage each other and spur one another on to love and good deeds! Hebrews 10:24.
