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Quiet Time Tip #3 - No Time for a Quiet Time!

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Women Living Well Blog: Quiet Time Tip #3 - No Time for a Quiet Time!

Women Living Well Blog

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Quiet Time Tip #3 - No Time for a Quiet Time!

First, I have to share with you the joy of seeing the Good Morning Girls summer session begin! We are now at over 90 groups, 600+ women, 31 states and 5 countries represented. And I have one word for these groups - PERSEVERANCE!


As we walk with the King it takes perseverance. There will be days you literally cannot find a minute to be alone and just drink a tall glass of God's living word! Those can be frustrating days when you are honestly longing to sit at the feet of Jesus.


I have a solution for Mommies who are so busy caring for their little ones that they literally do not have the time. First let me share my dreamy ideal quiet time. I rise early and feel well rested and wide awake. I sit alone with a hot drink in my hand and bask in the presence of God. I can linger over his word with no interruptions and remain focused in a long steady prayer time for all my loved ones. I finish by journaling a few bits of what I have learned and then I move on into my day.


Here's my reality some days. The alarm goes off and I hit the snooze. The alarm goes off again and I drag my sorry self out of bed. I find my way to the kitchen and pull out my Bible and journal. I go to the cupboard to get out a mug and lo and behold a fuzzy haired sweet pea is staring at me. I say - "sweet heart go back to bed, it's very early and mommy needs her quiet time." And from behind her is a giggle of my other child - argh! How can you both be up and with so much energy? Please oh please, give mommy just 5 minutes alone with Jesus!


Some days it just can't happen. And it would be wrong for us to legalistically put pressure on ourselves to always create this dreamy scenario - as we would selfishly have to push our children's needs aside.

So what's the solution?

Learn how to meditate on God's word.
Joshua 1:8 says "Do not let this Book of the law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it."


Meditating goes hand in hand with last week's tips on memorization. If you are memorizing then most likely you are also meditating. But it is possible to meditate and not memorize. Here's how a busy mom can meditate on a passage of scripture day and night.


1. Choose a passage of scripture for the week.


2. Write out the passage of scripture on a note card and slip it in your pocket - pull it out periodically and read over it. Keep it in your purse all week long and pull it out at convenient times and read through it.


3. Open your Bible in the kitchen on the counter to the passage you want to meditate on. All day long when you walk through the kitchen, pause, read the passage and then move on.


4. Read the passage out loud to the children during breakfast and lunch time. (This is our regular Bible reading time in our house - along with bedtime.)


5. Read the passage first thing in the morning as soon as you get out of bed.


6. Read the passage again one minute before you go to bed at night.


7. Write out a verse or two at the top of your to-do list so every time you look over it you can read over them.


Squeeze EVERY drip of nourishment out of the passage you have chosen all day long through these short readings of scripture. Meditate on God's word day and night. And you will soon find a life transformed by the renewing of your mind! (Rom. 12:2) Persevere!


Walk with the King!
works for me wednesday at we are that family

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19 Comments:

Blogger Mrs. J said...

I think this is what I love about my GMG group the most!! It makes me to sneak in the time to have my time with Jesus :-)

Love my GMG group and especially YOU Courtney for all your encouragement!

~BA~

May 27, 2010 at 7:26 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Thank you so much for these great reminders. They will be very helpful in memorizing scripture. I love the GMG and so glad that I jumped on board for the summer. It really helps me stay accountable with my walk!

Luv ya Courtney!!

Serving with Joy,
Sonya

May 27, 2010 at 8:14 AM  
Blogger melissa said...

Great reminders! Thanks so much for posting this!

May 27, 2010 at 8:20 AM  
Blogger Traci Michele said...

Great reminder Courtney! Thank you so much. I have 2 little fuzzy headed sweet peas, and I love them to pieces. A great reminder that I should never push them aside for the sake of "Jesus".

I have verses all over my kitchen cupboards, but I LOVE the idea of taking 1 passage and meditating on it throughout the week!

Love you to pieces! Lord willing, I will be meeting you at Relevant. I'm going! :-)

May 27, 2010 at 8:33 AM  
Blogger Jen said...

What a terrific post Courtney. I really need this encouragement right now. Thanks for your wise and practical advise. God bless you today.
www.soulfullcafe.com

May 27, 2010 at 9:40 AM  
Blogger Michelle said...

What we do now that our children are older, (14, 11, 8) is synchronize our personal quiet times. Our 11 year old son has ADD and is usually done in a short amount of time. Our 8 year old girl listens to a Bible and song CD and can get done quickly too. So what I do is set the timer for 40 minutes and let them know that after they are done they need to stay in their rooms and play quietly for the remainder of the time!

I hope that might help!

May 27, 2010 at 10:02 AM  
Blogger Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

Awesome post! That is my favorite time - in the morning- to read and pray!

May 27, 2010 at 10:08 AM  
Anonymous amy said...

Thank you for the tips! I am always trying to find time to sit when I'm awake and alert (and there isn't a little one running around).

May 27, 2010 at 10:52 AM  
Blogger Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

Beautiful post! Sometimes life makes it hard to focus on a dedicated quiet time. I'm starting to write our weekly family Bible verse on the chalkboard in our kitchen, the heart of the home. You're right, Scripture memorization is what keeps God's Word fresh in our minds and hearts. Thanks! (Looking forward to meeting you at Relevant conference!)

Blessings,
Stacey

May 27, 2010 at 11:02 AM  
Anonymous Tiffany said...

I so needed this. I have two babes under the age of 4 (one is 10 mos!) and finding just a few moments to be with my Savior is hard. I find that after they are all asleep has been the best way for me to study....but some days I am so tired after a long day that I will fall asleep while reading!

I am sure I am not the only one. I have begun the process of memorizing scripture. It especially helped this morning when I was feeling extra impatient with my 4 year old. I recited the Galatians 5:22 and I could feel the peace return to my impatient heart.

Thank you for this Courtney!

May 27, 2010 at 11:32 AM  
Anonymous The Diaper Diaries said...

This is a really great tip. And perfect for busy moms whose kids wake up WAY too early :)

May 27, 2010 at 1:47 PM  
Blogger Christy said...

Thanks, Courtney. I actually just read a great chapter in Real Moms, Real Jesus on this very thing - about having "meal" times and "snack" times with Jesus as a mom. You should see if she will guest post on your blog! :) GREAT book about remembering that Jesus understands everything we are going through.

Would love to hear more about how you do Bible reading at breakfast and lunch without your kids getting sick of it. Right now, I am trying to do a morning devotional time at breakfast with my 4 and 3 year old and go over Scripture memory and song at lunch. Wondering if they will start getting tired of this though, and I always want God's Word to be exciting to them and not beaten over their heads. Always praying about ways I can do this...

May 27, 2010 at 4:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would love to be able to sit down and memorize some scripture and spend time learning about God's word. I am a very new beginner and my question is - where do you start? I don't belong to a church and have been intimidated on how to get started along this journey. I feel like if I just open up the Bible and begin somewhere, I'll be lost or extremely confused since I have not read the Bible before at all. Any suggestions for me? My email is klynnedesigns(at)gmail(dot)com if anyone would like to share some advice or wisdom with me! :)

May 27, 2010 at 4:56 PM  
Blogger Leighann said...

I love the tip on meditating on scripture. I have three kids under six - the youngest with some heafty medical issues that require a lot of time so this tip really helps. Thanks!

May 27, 2010 at 5:59 PM  
Blogger Eos Mom said...

Wonderful advice, I think I'll try this! Thanks!

May 27, 2010 at 6:16 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This reminders will help me thank you for sharing this tip with us.
This encouraged me!!!!!!!!!!!
Serving with JOY.
Kisses from France

May 28, 2010 at 4:39 AM  
Anonymous Tracy @ Hall of Fame Moms said...

Very good suggestions! I think I'll try in my home.

May 30, 2010 at 7:06 PM  
Blogger Marie said...

Anonymous, I *do* hope someone answered your question. If not, I would recommend starting in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. They are all found in the New Testament. Your Bible should have an index page in the front that will tell you what page to look for. Praying for you!

I absolutely loved the ideas on how to sneak in quiet time. I often find myself overbooked and overtaxed from running so much. I have 2 teens and a pre-teen. These ideas are priceless for us moms on the go! Thank you so much!

May 31, 2010 at 4:14 PM  
Blogger Courtney (Women Living Well) said...

Marie - I answered the anonymous question and Christy's on the next day's blog post (last Fridays) - I should have posted that here - so sorry! And you said the same as me - start in a gospel - I suggested John!

Much Love,
Courtney

May 31, 2010 at 9:47 PM  

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