Tough Seasons of Life
I am in a tough season of life right now.
I’m six months pregnant with our second child, our house is being completely renovated which means we are living with my parents for an indefinite period of time, and apparently there is this thing called the “2 year sleep regression” that my two year old has decided he is fully participating in.
What this means is that his naps are no longer than half an hour and he wakes up habitually between 4 and 5 in the morning. Letting him cry-it-out a bit isn’t an option when you’re not in your own home and you’re sharing a house with four other people.
Needless to say I am often very tired.
I’m not telling you any of this to complain or make you feel sorry for me, but to give you a bit of context for this post. There are seasons of life, like the one I’m currently in, where having a daily, extended, uninterrupted personal time of devotion is almost an impossibility. I would love nothing more than to have an hour or two of uninterrupted time to spend praying, studying scripture, and reading devotions every morning. But to do so would require me to get up at 3:00 am and that’s just not feasible!
Are these then lost years for me with regard to my spiritual growth? Absolutely not! This season is tough, I am tired, and life is busy. But all of life can be worship. From changing diapers, to washing dishes, to quick sentences prayers throughout the day, to repeating memorized scripture, it is possible for me to make the daily grind one continuous act of worship and spiritual growth.
But it is tough to find time for consistent Bible study, devotional reading, and concentrated prayer. I sent out a survey before launching my blog to gain an idea of women’s habitual Bible study habits and what it is that keeps them from studying the Bible consistently. By far the most popular answer to “What keeps you from studying the Bible?” was “not having enough time”. Perhaps this is tough for you too, whatever season of life you may be in.
Despite the restraints on my time, I still actively pursue Bible study, devotional reading, and concentrated prayer each day. How I do that during this season of life will probably look different during another season. Read on for some tips on how to make these things a part of your routine as well.
A Matter of the Heart
Before I lay out my best tips for finding time for a quiet time, we need to address the heart of the quiet time issue.
I have made innumerable charts, logs, graphs, and printable organizers to help me get into the habit of having my quiet time daily. Every New Year’s Eve I resolve to be better at having my quiet time. I’ve bought yearly Bibles, devotionals, and journals to help me in this pursuit.
But I inevitably fail in this endeavor. Every Sunday, during the time of confession at my church, I confess that I have not given God the time that I ought to have given him. I have not pursued my quiet time the way I ought to have pursued it.
What’s the problem? The problem is that I’m a sinner and my failure at keeping a consistent quiet time is caused by the sin in my heart.
So any attempts I make to modify my behavior without addressing the sin in my heart will always ultimately fail.
Because the truth is, no matter what season of life I’m in or how busy I am, the problem is not that I don’t have time for a quiet time, it’s that I don’t make time for it. My problem is a matter of misplaced priorities.
I certainly find time to check social media every day. I find time to read other books and articles that are of interest to me. I make time for Netflix binges and long walks and fun hobbies.
I’m not saying that we need to give all these things up to make time for a quiet time. What I am saying is that we always make time for the things that are important to us.
Therefore, finding time for a quiet time is not a matter of behavior modification or time management, but rather heart change.
If you, like me, are struggling to find time to spend in daily Bible reading and prayer, the first step is to go to the Lord, repent of our misplaced priorities, and ask him to do a mighty work in our hearts so that daily Bible reading and prayer become irresistibly desirable to us.
It is impossible for us to meet the standard of having solid alone time with God each day because we are sinners. But Christ came and met this impossible standard on our behalf. Now, because we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, we can come before God, admit our failures, and ask for help. And God continues the good work he started in us when we believed in Jesus. He is continually making our hearts less and less prone to misplaced priorities and more and more like Christ’s own heart.
Have courage, my friend! There is so much hope for those who are in Christ!
Finding Time
Now that we know that the heart of the problem of finding time for a quiet time is a problem of our hearts, what practical steps can we take to make our quiet times more of a priority?
If going through rapidly changing seasons of life has taught me anything, it has taught me how to be flexible! What follows are several tips on how to practically and flexibly incorporate solid times of personal devotion, study, and prayer throughout your day, no matter what season of life you’re in.
Banish “All or Nothing” Thinking
I used to think that if I slept through my dedicated morning devotion time, then that was it for the day. I had failed to have my quiet time and there was no making up for it now. This kind of thinking changed once I started having children. It’s very rare that I have extended alone time in the mornings in which to have my devotions. Here are some things I remind myself of to banish “all or nothing” thinking:
- Although morning is the best time to have a quiet time, it’s not the only time to have one.
- An interrupted quiet time is better than no quiet time.
- Quiet times don’t always have to be quiet.
- Quiet times don’t always have to be alone. We can invite those “unwanted intruders” (aka. your young children) into personal worship with us.
- Quiet times don’t always have to be long and extended.
As much as I would love a quiet hour or two to myself in the morning for Bible study and prayer, this isn’t always practical. While it’s good (and necessary) to make time for uninterrupted devotional time, it’s not absolutely necessary in order to have a good quiet time for the day. If we stop requiring that all of our quiet times be uninterrupted, alone, and quiet, we are much more likely to have one each day.
Get Up Early
There is nothing better than making meditation on God’s Word and prayer the very first thing we do each day. Morning is often the best time for a quiet time. For many of us, this will require getting up earlier than we normally do. This is hard, but it’s not impossible! I like to think of establishing the habit of having a daily quiet time like training for a marathon. In order to train for a marathon you need to start small. Likewise, you are not likely to get up early for a marathon quiet time if you’re not in the habit of doing so. Instead of getting up an hour early, why not start by getting up 10 minutes early for a short devotion and prayer? Once you’ve established the habit of getting up early for a short quiet time, try extending it in 5 minute increments. Slowly you can establish the habit of getting up early for your quiet time in a way that is sustainable and can keep you going for the long run.
Use the Time You’ve Got
Getting up early in my stage of life is not always practical (remember the 2-year-old who wakes up at 4?). Yet, I still strive to find ways to incorporate my quiet time activities throughout the day. I might read the Bible out loud while we’re both eating breakfast. I might leave my journal open on my kitchen counter and journal my prayers in several-minute increments throughout the day. I might spend the first twenty minutes of nap time or bedtime doing Bible Study before completing the other tasks I’ve saved to do during those times. For me, this is not ideal. But when I can’t have consistent extended alone time each day, I give God the time that I do have.
A good way to find time throughout your day to dedicate to quiet time pursuits is to note when you’re most likely to distract yourself. When are you most likely to check social media? When are you most likely to flip on Netflix? What times throughout the day do you find yourself reading trending articles or interesting blog posts? I am not asking you to give all of that up, but could you give up just one of those times or a portion of one of those times to pursue quiet time with the Lord? Remember, we always make time for the things we think are important!
Plan for Periods of Extended Study
Choppy, interrupted quiet times can work for a while, but it’s good and necessary for us to plan extended periods of study and prayer throughout the week as well. This might mean giving up one evening of watching television each week or asking grandma to watch the kids one morning. This might mean setting aside our normal hobbies or routines on occasion to have some extended time in God’s Word. Doing this will take some planning and sacrifice on your part, but having occasional extended periods of time (in addition to your daily quiet times) in which to read God’s Word and pray will always be worth the planning and sacrifice involved.
Bible Study vs. Devotional Time
One more thing to make note of is that there is a difference between studying the Bible and having personal devotions (or quiet time). Personal devotional time is something that I strive to have every single day. This time might include reading a devotional book, reading through (but not necessarily studying) a book of the Bible, and prayer. This can usually be accomplished in 15-20 minutes each day.
Bible STUDY, on the other hand, typically requires more time. I like to plan to do personal Bible study during longer, uninterrupted periods of time (like when Grandma offers to watch my little boy). I don’t typically study the Bible every day. I usually aim for one hour of solid Bible study once a week and hope to build on that with time. I make sure to read scripture daily, but I save in-depth study of the Bible for when I have uninterrupted periods of time.
To read more about what is really involved in Bible study, check out this post here called, “What is Bible Study?”.
To learn how to engage in personal Bible study on your own, check out this first post in my series on “How to Study the Bible”.
To learn why Bible study is as important as devotional Bible reading, check out this post on common mistakes we often make when reading the Bible.
To download a free Inductive Bible Study workbook that will walk you through each step of an Inductive Bible Study, enter your email here.
Time is something we all wish we had more of. But the truth is, that God always gives us exactly what we need in order to be obedient to him, including enough time. May God bless you as you seek to make quiet times more of a priority in your life and dedicate yourself to spending daily time with Him!
For young moms wondering how to fit Bible study into an already chaotic schedule, check out this transcript, from Risen Motherhood in which Jen Wilkin talks about finding time for Bible study even when your kids are little.