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Sophie - Struggling here too!! I do okay during the week, because I get up before my husband and kids. But on the weekends? STRUGGLE does not even describe it, more like NONEXISTENT. And then, if one of my beuatiful kids decides to wake up with me at 5:30am during the week (like my daughter did this morning), I am lucky to get a bath!! Needless to say, pass on the wisdom gleaned from our wonderful sisters in Christ who are more successful at the quiet time thing.

Thanks for writing so honestly, rebecca in e. tx

I have the same struggle day in and day out. I will get back in a good pattern and think ok - whatever I did (really what He did) is working, thank you. And as soon as I get to that point, I am off the pattern of setting aside that incredibly valuable needed time, not just for me but for every member of my family and ever person I encounter, I owe it to everyone to spend that daily quite time in the word - revealing the truths He has given us. But sometimes I just miss the appointment.

One thing that I will say has helped is to think of it as an appointment - you would not just miss a meeting with a client, friend, doctor, etc…so make Him an appointment everyday - schedule it in your Palm or Blackberry, don’t pencil it in use ink!! Perhaps it will make a difference in your daily routine.

He has never not shown up when you needed Him!

My solution isn’t as complicated as brain surgery, but is the only thing I have found that works for me.

I make myself get up about 30 minutes before my kids normally start stirring. I work through a daily quiet time book which gives scripture, application and helps focus my prayer.

Then I try to do something revolutionary for me, just sit in the quiet. I try, as best as I can, to clear my mind and just listen to God.

This has been my “habit” for the last 6 weeks or so and seems to be really helping me consistently remain in Him!

Thanks for the encouragement!

I have been struggling all summer with getting my quiet time with the Lord. What I lack in the summer months- a schedule-

School just started for us- yes, I know- we are on the year round schools here. So, I can force myself to get up at 5 blearry-eyed 30 in the morning for my quiet time.

What helps me to smoothly insert myself into the Word- I just lie (or is it lay?) in bed for a few minutes or 30 and praise Him quietly (i.e. in my head I sing praise songs and thank Him, out loud would be painful for dh) then I get up with my coffee and pray and try to journal a psalm and read the bible. Then most mornings I try to watch Joyce Meyer at 6 a.m. and Beth Moore on Weds. Some days- my 5 yr. old wakes up but the teen girls, not so much at that time of day. It really does set a better tone for my day and it gets easier to do if I am consistent. That said- I still haven’t done it yet this summer.

I don’t have any great insights on this topic, but I do know one thing: if I’m struggling with this at age 23, I best be getting it FIXED now before I have kidlets running around at my feet.

I’ve been asking God to show me not only how to fix this, but WHY it is so hard for me. I feel like knowing that would really help me. The only conclusion I’ve come to so far is that there is something wrong with the fact that I don’t want to spend time with him. Because, let’s be honest: when I’ve got a boyfriend, I have NO problem chatting him up for a couple of hours each night. I want to be in communication with him and he had better want to be in communication with me.

Why then should it be any different between me and Him?

Quiet time with the Lord? Does “Thank you, sweet and merciful God, for this cup of coffee” count? I’m just not a morning person. Anyone have any ideas for quiet time AFTER the sun has risen?

After riding the roller coaster of having/not having time with the Lord for YEARS and really struggling with it, I read “Shopping for Time” by Carolyn Mahaney. This small book changed my life.

I get up 90 minutes before my family, and spend an hour with the Lord. I sacrificed some tv watching to go to bed earlier…otherwise I’d never get myself up. At first, I was reluctant to let go…but I soon learned that there’s no comparison to spending time with the Lord versus watching some drivel on tv just because I’m still awake.

I never thought that I would rise early…I was a night owl & figured I’d never change. But HE changed me. Some nights, I’ve gotten to bed late & prayed HE would wake me…and He always does.

I admit that there are still mornings when I fail to get up in time to have good quality time with Him…but on the days when I do, my attitude is entirely different. I FINALLY understand why Scripture points us to spend time with Him early…it’s a blessing I missed out on for years.

Sophie —

You are not alone in this boat! Satan pokes and prods people everyday with TONS of excuses about why they don’t really have time (or need) to spend with God.

It IS a struggle… really a war that satan has waged… but it does’t have to be a lost battle every single day!

I have learned the hard way that my life S-U-C-K-S BIG TIME when I do not put my self under the direction of God on a daily basis. And, how can I know what that direction is if I don’t ask?!

People are constantly failing before they start because they put these huge stumbling blocks in their OWN WAY. Your prayer and study in the Word does NOT — I REPEAT DOES NOT — have to be any set time limit or after any sort of fashion that some other guy has told you works for him. What we all have to do is find out what works for US!

I do my prayer and study in the morning, hopefully before the children wake up, but even then I’m not always finished by the time they do get up. Ya know, they won’t die from hunger or the elements if they don’t get breakfast or dressed right away :-) It takes time but you can teach your young’uns that this time is quiet time and hugs and love are welcome but conversation isn’t. I always have mine (who are older now) read their Bibles, too. It helped that we had many children’s Bibles laying around when they were little and so they always wanted to do what we were doing. Best compliment for our parenting is to have them mimicking us, right?! Reading their Bible has been the #1 best thing we’ve taught our kids!

Currently our Bible study at church on Wednesday and Sunday nights is on Revelation. Group Bible study is a two way street.. it is meant to be interactive. How can I do anything other than sit like a bump-on-a-log if I don’t spend extra time during the week studying? So, I study. And don’t let satan win the war. I definitely don’t want to say something completely unscriptural just cause I think I know what I’m talking about. If someone questions a thought I have, then I want to be able to go to scripture to point it out. I couldn’t do this if I didn’t make the time to study.

Like I said, you have to decide what is gonna work for you. Will praise music first help ya? Will complete quiet help ya? Will getting up even earlier help ya? Will doing it at night or during naptime help ya? Will taking a walk with an ipod full of scripture help ya? Something WILL work for you :-)

Have a blessed week!! Sallie

Either first thing in the morning when I get to work early. Or at the table with my son while he does his homework. Or at night after my son goes to bed.

The only thing that worked for me when my child was younger was getting up early. In fact, it’s what I still do. But some days it is SO DIFFICULT to pull myself out of bed. I find with me that if I don’t do it early in the morning, I may not find time for it later on in the day. What throws me way off schedule is when my husband is on vacation and I’m not. On those days, I want to stay in bed as long as I can. It’s a constant struggle, and what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for all. When your children are very young, you grab what quiet time you can find whenever and wherever you can find it!

Sophie, You are SO not alone on the struggling thing. My most frustrating part about the whole thing is that I seriously CRAVE having a consistent quiet time. I want it SO badly! But like you, I have a million excuses why not to. Beth Moore wrote a blog post about a week ago about people who were mailing letters to LPM telling all the stuff that they were doing that was sinful. Beth’s response was “STOP IT.” Right now, stop it. I feel that it can be switched a little for my/our situation. We aren’t doing the Godly things that we should be doing. I can hear Beth saying “DO IT!”. We just have to do it. Right now. Every day. And I’m totally preaching to myself, too. I am convinced (to quote D Platt - have you noticed that he says that a lot?) that a committed heart, a willing spirit, and a honest approach will be glorified by Him for good.
Praying for all of out there who are also struggling. 21 consecutive days of doing something makes a habit. Let’s make a habit of quiet time!

I bet every single Christian struggles here…or at least that’s what I tell myself.

And the reason I say that is because there is NO WAY the enemy is going to make it easy for us to put on our armor against him every single day.

I have struggled here for YEARS, but I have been praying through it and asking God to give me a passion for His word, and He has.

I love His word, but I get sidetracked SOOOO easily. So the very best advice I can give (not that I am perfect at it, mind you) is that you do it first thing before computers, tv, phone…whatever. You will think of 678 things you need to do and even get anxious about them, but do your quiet time anyway…it’s just the enemy trying to distract you.

Oh, and one more thing to this mammoth comment…I pray my heart out in the shower. That’s about the only uninterrupted time I have anyway, and it works.

Sorry this got so long.

One word for you, sister-PRIORITY! (And that is not being said with a condescending spirit) That is what God has shown me over the years of being in and out of seasons of committed bible study. What else am I making a priority over my time with Him? We need to examine areas of our lives that we are making a priority over our relationship with Him. And make some modifications. I’m with Sallie on the time schedule; IT DOES NOT have to be any set time. So many well-intentioned leaders I’ve heard over the years have advised that in order to have the best day possible, you MUST wake before everyone else in the house (how ‘bout that infant who is awake at 3 am before you even want to think about being awake). I could not disagree more with this pressure put on women to be in His word first thing in the morning. We’re not making our time with Him any less of a priority because we are doing our study at midday, lunch, evening or night. I’ve been highly disappointed by that advice. It definitely works for many women, but for those of us that it’s doesn’t work for, I think we are feeling like failures if it’s any other time. That is so NOT TRUE. God wants our time at any time of day. Sitting in lines, in traffic, in waiting rooms, in parking lots, during lunch hours or half hours, before we go to sleep at night. The latter is one of my favorite times to be in His word because I am ending my day with Him, meditating and pondering His word and learning what He has shown me throughout the day about Himself. And the quality of our time with Him is just as important as our quantity. Let’s take the pressure off the non-early birds and give God some glory that we can spend time with Him any time of day!!!

Now that the children are sixteen and twenty (and it’s summer time) I’m finding it easier to have a quiet time. Snort. I suspect for me that it is a matter of priority. Having quiet time before I do anything else in the morning. But it is a struggle to get there. Don’t give up!

I try my hardest to get up at 5:45 (eeeeeek!) and jog/walk around my block and talk to God. I’ve slacked off big-time these past 3-4 weeks, and I can SO tell!

I hate getting up, but after awhile, it hurts a lot less. When I’m in the groove, it’s AMAZING. I feel sooo close to God, and it’s so exciting to really pray for my family for more than 3 seconds at a time.

I come home after 30 minutes or so and sit at the table and do my Beth Moore study and write in my journal. Then everybody gets up, and I’m actually HAPPY to see their faces (and smell their morning breath).

Lately I’ve been getting up at the same time as my kiddos. They eat breakfast in the living room and watch one Brady Bunch episode after another while I have my “quiet” time.

I need to go to bed earlier (eek!) so I can get up earlier. Everyone benefits when I’m spending time with the Lord first.

I’ve been a crappy wife and a semi-crappy mom lately. You’re not alone. I’ll be praying for you, Sophie!

Sophie,

So glad you posted this today, as it’s the very thing I’m struggling with so greatly right now. I go through periods where I’m doing GREAT with it. I know why. Once I get going, I get so hungry for more, more, more, that time is no longer an issue — this is a priority and it happens regardless of what else is going on.

What throws me off the most is when schedules get thrown off — I go out of town, or have company over — and am really busy and off-schedule for two or three weeks in a row. Then I lose the momentum, and strangely enough, the longer I go without “food”, the less hungry I feel. :o( And that’s when Satan is SO able to throw me off with ANYthing. I don’t even think about it as I waste time doing all these things he keeps me busy doing and by the time I remember, it’s way after my bedtime and I’m too tired to even keep my eyes open to do it, and I vow that tomorrow will be better. But it never is.

What helps me most to get back on track is accountability. If I have something “due”, i.e., if I’m meeting weekly to discuss with someone else, I’m far more likely to brush away the excuses and just DO it, and as I said, once I START, I take off and do great. Having someone to be accountable to is the ONLY thing that can keep me on track.

Thanks again for posting on this. It’s good to know it’s not just me, though that doesn’t mean I don’t need to worry about it… it’s nice to have a place like this where we can all extend a hand and help our fellow strugglers.

Becky Tirabassi said one line, “Make an appointment with the King and keep it.” My life was forever changed. I didn’t get it right for a long time, but 7 years later it’s rare thing to go more than 1 or 2 days without having my quiet time. Plus, the guilt factor is no longer a problem.

It started as a discipline and now it’s just what we do. Everyday. Every year. Even if I missed journal days, I never miss a day with Him.

Start asking Him for a passion for Him and His word. Not that you don’t, but maybe for an increase and by golly don’t think He won’t do it!

Make an appointment with the King, and keep it.

I have been a christian for most of my life and have always struggled with my quiet time. I go in spurts where I do well for a while and then next thing I know a week has gone by sometimes longer. I heard a sermon recently that talked about our quiet time. He said we don’t have quiet time out of obligation it is because the Master wants to spend time with us, that is pretty amazing. God is waiting for us, wanting us to spend time with Him that is why He created us. If I could only grasp that. I have learned over the years for me, that I must meet with Him first thing in the morning otherwise it is really hard to make that time later in the day. I long for the day when I just wake up in the morning and without hesitation or hitting snooze one more time, long to spend time with my Heavenly Father.

Lord, I pray that you will change me; whatever you do - don’t leave me the same make me like you!

So cool how God’s timing works… have really been struggling lately. Have a 9-month-old who has never consistently slept through the night, and many nights he is up more than once. So, 2 nights ago as I prayed for the 5000th time how to help him sleep through the night… what I was doing wrong…because I’m so exhausted every day from being up with him, and having quiet time in the morning is “impossible” because I’m so tired and I have a 2- and 6-yeard old up early… God spoke very clearly to me that if I would start making more time for Him in the morning, regardless of how the night went with the baby, that it would work out. So I am trying… and it will undoubtedly be a struggle… but SO worth it if God blesses baby with sleep and me (and everyone I encounter) with good quality time with Him!!

There’s been so much wisdom shared - The Lord surely must be blessed by each heart that desires to spend time with Him.

I wanted to share something that worked for me when my children were in each stage of growth - babies, toddlers, young children, and now pre-teens.

When they were babies, it seemed that no matter how early I set my alarm to get up and spend time with Jesus, they got up earlier. One morning, just as I settled down with my coffee and Bible, I heard one of them stirring (but not crying - I tried to always get them up while they were still happy) in their baby beds. Out of desparation, I cried out for the Lord to “hold my children” for me until I could fill up with Him for the day. About that time, the baby settled down. When the next one awoke, I did the same thing. And so did the Lord. From that moment on, I would get up to meet with Jesus and ask Him to hold and entertain the children until we were done. (I’d help out a little by putting some things at the foot of the baby bed for them to play with when they awoke.)

When they moved into regular beds, it took some training, but we trained them to stay in their beds until I came to get them. (Usually for no more than 10-15 minutes after they awoke.) I’d put books and fun things for them to do at the foot of their beds after they went to sleep. They would wake up, and play in their beds, and I’d finish my quiet time.

As they grew, we put a sign over the clock telling them what time they could get out of bed. When they could get up, if I was still having my quiet time, they would come into the dining room with me, sit in my lap, and I’d finish by praying with them. It became one of my favorite times of the day with them.

Now, they get up and have quiet times of their own. I think that at an early age they learned it was a priority, and today, we hold each other accountable. It makes a difference in all of our lives.

When we ask Him, the Lord will taylor-make a special time for us to spend with Him that fits each stage of our lives. He is so good to love us like He does!

I agree with the other commenters on making it a priority. I have my quiet time immediately after my shower, and there are some mornings that I feel it just can’t happen cause I chose to sleep late. But, I do it anyway. As Beth Moore says, it’s a way of acknowledging Christ’s authority over my life. For me, it starts the day right. I don’t have children, so I don’t have that hurdle, but it took me several years to finally get this established and I am so thankful now.

I have an almost 2 year old and still am trying to find the balance of time with God and a little one. I am not satisified that it is ok not to have that time when you have small children. I think that is a cop out that to many of us try to hang onto. I was told OVER and OVER again that in this season it would hard and that was ok….God understood. But I don’t think that God is ok with us not digging into His Word in different seasons. Kay talked about this a little during Deeper Still.

For me, I have not been able to just wake up before my little one. I am already crouchy enough when she wakes up! I have found that the best thing for me to do is let her watch a show like Mickey Mouse ClubHouse, Hermie and Friends, etc… while I have my time in God’s Word. I know…I am allowing my little one to watch TV (Gasp!) but really feel like it is what I have to do to get time in the WORD. I am not 100% at this yet but that has been one thing that has helped!

I tell ya - one sister to another (to anyone who reads this) - it’s hard. The question in my mind is: Have you had a routine in the past and that’s just not working for you any longer? Or are you like me and just me and never really got a routine going?

I have struggled for years.. I mean YEARS. It wasn’t until last summer when I hit ROCK BOTTOM emotionally that I resolved and it happened. It wasn’t deep, it wasn’t earth-shattering, but it was there. I made my bleary-eyed self get up by 5:30 am to read some Bible and pray a short prayer before starting my day.

Then, this spring I really got the sense that God wanted more. I then began reading while looking for His attributes. It gave me something to focus on and helped me wake up a little. I have been amazed at what I’ve seen, and now, can’t seem to imagine starting my day any other way.

So, I guess my encouragement is just to start small. The Lord will take you further when it’s time.

Blessings, Donna

My answer will just sound ….silly. But it works.

To have quiet time:

I just DO IT….I just sit my buns down on the couch, open my Bible and get out all my stuff, and I just do it…because I decided one day, after hitting and missing my quiet time constantly, that I just needed to DO IT, and sit down and stop coming up with “just one more thing” which I’m a pro at doing.

It works for me! When you “think” about having quiet time….JUST SIT DOWN AND DO IT….the laundry will wait, the phone will wait, the kids will wait. God was always waiting, I didn’t want him to wait anymore. :)

Blessings, Kelly

Hey Kelly -

That’s a good word. :-)

When I was a young mother of an infant and a toddler, I read a wonderful book by Anne Ortlund titled FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS. One thing in particular that she wrote gave me a huge and greatly needed attitude adjustment: “We make time to do the things we really want to do.” And I believe that is so true. At the time, I was a new Christian and was enrolled in a Bible Study Fellowship course. There was lots of homework and I “struggled” with finding time to get it done in between changing diapers, doing laundry, cleaning house, etc. I prayed numerous times, “Lord, PLEASE help me find time to do my BSF homework!”

One day as I was reading my Bible, a verse in Psalms jumped off the page at me: “My times are in Your hands.” The Lord used those words like a double-edged sword, as He lovingly and gently opened my eyes to see my hypocrisy and answer my prayer. As that verse from Psalms pierced my heart, I realized that I had reserved every day from noon until 2pm, as my boys napped, to watch As the World Turns and Oprah Winfrey. I called those 2 hours “MY TIME.” But according to King David, MY TIMES are in GOD’s HANDS! I humbly asked the Lord to forgive me for thinking that even one minute of one day belongs to me, for every second I take a breath is truly a gift from Him! And do you know that with that simple confession, the Lord took away any desire I had to watch daytime TV. Suddenly, I had 2 more hours in my day, and plenty of time to get my Bible study done while the boys napped. I haven’t turned my TV on during the day in 20 years — except when OJ was being chased and on 9/11! :)

I know how hard it is, young mothers. But if you truly desire to make quiet time with God a priority, ask Him to show you how to find time in your busy schedule. He is so creative! But if you ask, be prepared and willing to make some adjustments!

This is something that I too have struggled with on and off. Most recently, as I was leading a bible study by Lysa TerkHeurst, I was challenged to be intentional about my time with God. During the school year I can pretty much stay on track with having a Quiet Time, but the summer is a train wreck. So as we wrapped the study up, I challenged all of us to decide ahead of time how we would spend time with God during the less structured, kid friendly, summer time! That has been a life saver for me; having a plan (I’m using Beth Moore’s Jesus 90 Day devotional this summer.) Also, I took away some Quiet Time Plunder from Priscilla Shirer at Deeper Still Atlanta. She answered my question by saying her QT is all day. She meditates on one verse, sometimes all week. That really let me take the shackles off of my legalistic approach to the way a QT should be! Hope this helps.

this is going to sound really terrible like i am not even saved or something but for me right now i am having to pray for the DESIRE..yes i know him and love him (and maybe you are thinking “if you did you want to be with him” and that makes sense but still…i struggle i think because the relationship is still not as personal as it needs to be obviously) so i am praying for the WANT TO (and i have heard Beth Moore say in the Daniel study i think that if you consistently pray for the “want to” God will be faithful”..so iam praying for the desire cus i dont have the crave so many of you have..it is like my head knows i need to do it but the desire is not consistent..i also think i battle the “christian culture” norm..thinking it is cliche..that we dont have to do it textbook like everyone says..that that is putting God in a box and we have to work it out ourselves what it will look like..

being honest.

The only way I ever managed to become consistent in having a quiet time was to get up at least 30 minutes before anyone else does. Once in a while it doesn’t work out [most of the time, my hubby will be the one to get up early and want to talk during my quiet time]. I just make sure to try again the next day. After all, the Lord knows the intention of my heart and that I WANTED to have a quiet time with him today.

I’ve had trouble with this for several years as I have four children and almost no brain left to speak of.

My pastor told me not all that long ago, that in regards to quiet times with God, mothers of young children have it the hardest to establish any kind of habit in this area. I’ll tell you, I felt like bawling right then and there because I had been whipping myself continually over this issue; feeling like such a loser.

He said God understands our limited time and attention span and gives extra grace to mothers with wee ones around. That he’ll use whatever we have to offer Him.

It helps me to have a Bible study partner that will be flexible with me so that I at least get some time in the Word. And just to do it when I can grab a quiet moment in the day and quit beating myself up.

Oh, I have been so bad about this since moving. God has been giving me a new resolve as of late and it is making a HUGE difference.

I have a 1yo, 3yo, and 5yo. Someone is almost always up at night, so I am always tired in the morning. However, I feel so much better if I just get up early and do it. Problem is, I’m so tired that I can’t just get up and jump into the Word without dozing off. What I’ve started doing has helped tremendously.

I loaded a bunch of rockin’ praise music onto my MP3 player. I get up early enough to walk on the treadmill and have my singing worship time with God. When I’m done with my walk, I am alert and my spirit is ready for Bible Study because I’ve just spent 40 minutes praising God through song. I sit at the kitchen table with some hot tea and do my study.

Then, after my study time, I jump in the shower and pray over my day. By the time I’m out of the shower the kids are awake and I’m ready to see them!

There are days that I NEED more sleep because 5 hours doesn’t cut it. Those days I allow myself to sleep in, but I make a rule. No blogging until I’ve done my Bible Study and prayer time! Sometimes that doesn’t happen until right before I hit my pillow at night, but it gets done!

God is not intimidated or limited by our schedules. He loves us so much. He can do a work in us even if 5 minutes is all we have one day. Even if we read one verse this morning or later this evening, He can let it sink in and He can speak to us and change us through that one verse!

It is easy to get legalistic about prayer and devotions, I think. We think we have to read the Bible through in one year b/c everyone else is, we think we have to get up at 4am and spend a few hours with the Lord b/c other people do that and if we do that then maybe God will like us more and show us a little more favor.

There’s nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. He is already so head over heels in love with us… Five minutes, if that’s all we have, can CHANGE OUR LIFE… One verse, if that’s all we have time for… can CHANGE OUR LIFE!! Because He is God, and we can’t put Him in a box.

Well Sophie, this one I would not do unless I was serious. I mean dead set on devotion time. I started praying (and having my prayer group pray) that God would wake me up early (before 6:00am at times) alert and ready for my quiet time with an attitude of prayer. He was so faithful. For years I battled the excuse that I was a night person. You know, hate the morning, groggy, too tired. The Lord showed me so many scriptures about the morning and renewal. I need some renewal. So I just do it. I pray. I get up. I hug my coffee cup. I dig in to His word. I am doing Beth Moore’s Stepping Up with a friend, so I do have some accountability, too. (A good devotional is key for me to want to study!) I just found if I put it off for later in the day, it was kind of like everything else in my life (laundry, losing 20 pounds, writing a book, cleaning windows) it just did not get done. So for over two years I have had victory in this area. If I can do it, anyone can. I was the worst at waking up a grump. The Lord does not disappoint!

I so understand where you are coming from, I have been in this same pit, this cycle of excuses, doing better for a while, and then filling guilt and condemnation for not doing better for years and then one day I received a Word through Beth at a conference, She said that she gets up early and has her quiet time - that she needs to just go ahead and get it out of the way - its about submission to the authority of God=Lordship over her life. That really hit home with me. Am I allowing Him to be LORD? Do I submit to His authority over me or do I tell Him when I have time? This was the turning point for me. I will pray for your success.

Sophie and Internets…

I was waiting for the shower to warm up when I logged on here to read the newest posts… Now the water is steadily running out of hot as I type so… that said, I will return with a sopping wet head and my ownliest experience I can share!

Blessings.

Hey ladies,

I’m swinging in way behind the curve here - was off the net pretty much the last few days writing grief curriculum…

For those who are not the orderly structured types, sans ADD, ADHD, OCD and other types of impulse-compulse disorders that breed chaos into the lives of those of us trying to have an orderly, structured quiet time with the Lord… I can relate.

I started out in women’s ministry five years ago hungry for the Word of God. I mean HUNGRY! I was serving in youth ministry and attending to youth three services a week (Sunday AM, Sunday PM, and Wednesday PM) per the Youth Pastor’s directives. I was hardly able to focus on a sermon for observing “Sara So-n-so” passing a note to “Brad What’s-his-name.”

I would get the sermon cassettes and listen but it was just not the same impartation as the “live” version. In truth I was starving because I was a half-grown Christian feeding on the re-gurgetated (did I spell that right) milk toast of our Senior and Youth Pastor every week.

I decided - get the key words here - I DECIDED to do a quiet time. I followed the best advice - I bought a notebook, put looseleaf paper in it and got myself a One Year Bible Reading Plan and some tabbed dividers and I made myself a prayer list and I set it by my favorite chair with a pen and my Bible of the month (because I seem to magnet myself to collecting them - could be the OCD thing) …

And the next morning I overslept, delivered the kids to school late, got caught up in “The View” on television, had to run to the church to talk to the pastor about something and ran into Susie “So-n-so” who is Sara’s mother and we had a good laugh right there on the front steps of the church before I got home and realized it was time for lunch.

I carefully followed my first place rules and then ate, washed the dishes, snagged about a 1/2 hour of my favorite Soap Opera (because hey my life is busy) and then went to get the kids from school only to start the “Did you do your homework?” while hubby walks in the door and drops his gear right inside the dern thing. To which I exhale and mutter under my breath - “You could just put it away.”

Then one of the three teenagers would come in out of breath and desperate: “MOM! I have to go to W*l-Mart RIGHT NOW!”

“Why?”

“Because I have a Science Fair Project Due tomorrow and I need to buy bacon, nails, C*ca Cola, and … “

(Fuming) “How long have you known about this project?”

“Oh a month, but Mom you have to take me because if I don’t turn one in I will fail.”

So I get up and put my shoes on drive 30 minutes to W*l-Mart. (We happened to live at least thirty minute in any direction from the nearest civilized discount or grocery store… so off we go. Arrive home by 8 o’clock and do my best to oversee a poorly planned and executed science fair project and finally fall into bed around midnight saying - “I will try it again tomorrow, Lord.”

I have oh, ‘bout five of those well-intentioned notebooks in the nooks and crannies of my home. ANYONE RELATING WITH ME HERE.

As Amy (Ministry So Fabulous) said, I would not even think twice of spending as much time as possible chatting up my new fella’ (though my fella’ is not so new, he is in fact a little worn around the edges and scruffy every day when he gets home from work - but I like HIM and I’ll keep HIM!) because I want a relationship with him. I would also not “make appointments” with him. Nothing wrong with those of you who are structured and blocking off your calendars for your quiet time - it just has never worked for me.

I had to stop looking at this thing with God like a business deal or a social engagement and I had to look at it as a one on one personal - in order to know me I gotta’ know Him type of- relationship or it would not work. I boxed up the notebooks and pulled out a journal, I laid open my Bible and read a verse or two. Then I would write what I read about and then I would write to God about how my life was going and then I’d ask Him to help me to know Him better. I would confess, pray, read, and go on about my day - it took 20 minutes and guess what! It worked.

I didn’t try to do it the minute I rolled out of bed, because I can’t think before the fifth time the alarm goes off and most of the time it is bleating in the background as I wander aimlessly around the house. But, I would pray before I got out of bed. I would pray through the bowl of skim milk and Special K I was eating and then after the kids were off to school and the house quiet for at least 7 hours I would find a place to read a few verses and repeat the journaling, the praying and the refreshing time of just enjoying the Lord’s presence. One of the ways I do this is I kneel with my head to the floor and picture myself at the feet of Jesus. I stay there until I sense His presence. I don’t pray, don’t think about anything, but Jesus.

Now, I can spend an entire day in His presence. If you are having trouble finding time to be alone - find a “closet or small room” you can close the door on - do it while your child is napping and most of all do it for a relationship not just to be a “good Christian” or “obedient.” Those are noble pursuits but the forcing yourself to bend aspect will always leave you sore, diappointed and well, let’s just face it - further behind than when you started.

Worship music is another great way to do your quiet time. Start with it, then reflect on what that song means to you and how you relate to God through it.

Seriously, when I stopped trying to do quiet time, and just started experiencing the Lord’s presence in my life - looking for it - I could be doing the dishes and start talking (out Loud) to God. “Oh yeah, Lord, I forgot to tell you about this…”

My family thought I was a little out there, but they got used to it. Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and let your quiet time come out of the overflow of His grace.

Lots of words to say, you must not try to fit your experiences and relationship with God in “other people” size boxes.

I hope this is a little helpful… blessings.

I had the most trouble with having a quiet time when I defined a quiet time as reading from the Bible AND journaling AND doing an in-depth Bible study AND reading out of a “Christian Life” book AND…you get the picture. It would take me at least an hour to get through all of that, so sometimes I just wasn’t up to it.

Now I see a quiet time as reading from the Bible and journaling a response to God. That’s it. Sometimes I’ll spend 15 minutes, sometimes longer. I put my Bible, journal, and pen right next to where I sit for breakfast (out of sight, out of mind). I can usually read while I eat, so it all works out beautifully.

I save other reading and in-depth Bible study for whenever else I can fit it in during the day, and not necessarily every day. I’ve found that breaking it up like this into smaller chunks of time really helps me to stay on track.

I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, No turning back.

Sophie, Thanks for writing this. I don’t have any helpful advice whatsoever. My quiet time routine has gone through so many changes since my kids were born. The best time was when regular naps happened, although it took a conscious act of will to ignore the laundry, the internet, the general house mess, and the need to make dinner while I spent time in the Word. I also agree with the suggestion to include the Lord in daily activities. For a while, I kept a prayer list on the window by the sink, so I could pray for people while doing dishes - and remember who I wanted to pray for. I find that my thoughts are so scattered now that I’m a mom. (I was probably pretty scattered to begin with).

Hey Sophie, I’m a little late here, but one thing I do consistently, with four children under the ages of 10, is this: I pray and ask God to show me when to have my quiet time. Sometimes, mornings just aren’t going to be long enough to read more than one passage. Sometimes afternoons are perfect. Sometimes it is while the kids are actively playing. I just ask Him. Not once has He let me down in providing the time. Then I just pray that I get it. “Oh now is the time? Right now?” So I try to have my study where I am during the day.

Ladies…one thing God showed me after my last two babies that I’ll never forget is you don’t need a “set” amount of time to spend with Him. This may not be the season of your life where you have an entire uninterruped hour (or whatever). But you can find 10 minutes when your husband takes the kids for a walk around the block. And another 10 minutes when you are nursing the baby and your other people are occupied. When I made Him my priority, everything else seemed to fall into place. THe kids napped a little longer, or just played nicely so I could get my laundry folded. The 10 minute approach got me through several hard years. My kids are older now, so I can lock myself in a room and have that hour, but back then it was how I survived!!!!

I think I remember reading this on Anne’s site at “holy experience,” but I can’t be sure. She said that we have to model being in Scripture for our kids, and that we have to realize that our season of life (with little ones) doesn’t mean we’re going to get uninterrupted quiet time. So we take the moments in the midst of the noise and we model reading the Word to our kids. It’s something I’ve just started, but I like it. Because kids love to imitate mommy. I tell them they have to be quiet and look at books. I tell them what I’m doing. Most of the time, they will reach for their toddler Bibles and tell the stories to each other or just look at the pictures. I try not to be real strict, allowing interruptions, because it does me no good to have a quiet time if I can’t keep my attitude peaceful. And I keep saying to myself “learning to focus in the midst of noise is great mental and spiritual exercise.” It’s working for us right now. It’s a great way to transition into our afternoon after rest time.

Okay…I’m really late to the mark, but found this discussion of great interest. Obviously there is not one answer here but I find it especially interesting that questions like this get a much greater response in comments (the same thing happened some time ago on the LPM blog….it was a very honest and very good discussion). One thing that I don’t want to let happen is to be comforted that so many others also struggle in this area and then not do anything about it. We do have to just DO IT but the trick is finding out what works for us….this will change with the seasons of our life I think. My struggle too is with being legalistic about it. I think that spoils the whole thing. I really want my heart to change and be right ‘cuz that’s what He sees anyways. One comment suggested boundaries such as no “Blogging,T.V., computer etc.” before her quiet time occurred. How ironic for me this morning….this is something I’ve wanted to follow as well but often I find myself distracted (a.k.a. undisciplined). I “wasted” 45 minutes this morning spending time on the computer and ran out of time to have a significant quiet time before heading out the door to VBS. My quick time however slapped me with this (God’s timing is so often interesting!!)….”The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (2 Chronicles 16:9). Okay, wow, got it….it then had the audacity to proceed with a George Mueller quote about surrender to God….He talks about the time in his life prior to totally surrendering that he read a little of the Scripture but preferred other books (blogs)…mmmmm… he asks, is there something in your life you refuse to release in spite of God’s call? Well then. I know for me consistency has been a problem, but the internet is also a very big distraction. I have chosen not to blog for this reason but I have instead found myself caught up in this vortex of Southern blogosphere which is compelling, encouraging, humorous and interesting but sometimes (often) comes in the way of life (my housework never suffers), and shamefully at times comes ahead of my precious time with God. So…I guess I just need to Do The Thang ( I could never actually say that word out loud but it was fun to write)….I so desire a heart that is fully committed to Him, and I certainly want the Lord to strengthen me. The best gift I can give my husband and four kids is a wife/mother who loves the Lord like crazy and seeks Him with her whole heart. Thanks for the inspiration that this post has brought…..let’s get on with it then!!