It’s not like I didn’t want to have a daily time of Bible reading. I did. It’s not like I thought praying on the run when I remembered it in emergencies was the best way to develop a rich prayer life. I didn’t. But how in the world was a busy mother of two children under the age of two supposed to find any time for quiet time? Some days I didn’t even find time to shower. My husband—in the midst of intense PhD classwork—sympathized with my busy schedule as he drowned in his own. Neither one of us was much help to the other, I’m afraid. We were each too busy trying to keep our own noses above the ever-rising flood of responsibility facing us. It was not the best of times.
I was a most unlikely candidate for the daily quiet time method I was about to learn. In fact, if my pastor’s wife, Lori, hadn’t sweetened the invitation with a promise of lunch out with paid-for babysitting … if I accomplished the mission … I would not even have considered it. So there it is in print. I chose to start a ten-minute, set-apart, daily time with God, all for a free lunch with adult conversation.
I am not proud of this. But I do think most young and frazzled mothers of little ones, especially without husband-support, understand. You are simply too bleary-eyed and weary-boned to think of tidy little times with God. You are on survival mode, hoping the children will thrive with a sleep-deprived mama trying her best to give them good care.
Looking back on that period of time, I smile. Little did I know what a lifeline Lori was throwing me. As I practiced meeting with God, reading just a few verses each day and praying for help for the day, I found peace in the midst of tired chaos. That little, ten-minute time was an oasis.
So. How did I fit in the quiet time? Ah. The secret is this. You never “fit in” a consistent quiet time. You don’t try to squish it into a spare minute when you find it. Nope. Spare minutes are not to be found most days. You must decide that this time is like treasure, the one most important thing, and all else gets put aside for that treasure. In a one-verse parable, Jesus tells us: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field” (Matthew 13:44 NLT).
Practically, how could that even work for a sleep-deprived mama of two tinies who really did need my almost-constant attention? The first available minutes each day belonged to God. That blessed little break when one is sleeping and the other actually playing in her bouncer. Normally, that’s when a mom could take a shower or start supper, but that was when I sat down for my ten minutes in God’s Word and prayer. The shower waited. That was not the treasure. Dinner was delayed ten minutes. That wasn’t the treasure either. The treasure was preeminent and everything else had to fit around it. My babies weren’t neglected, but a whole lot of other things were put on hold while I met with God.
A funny thing happened when I started to make my time with God my treasure and the one thing I needed to do above all else. That time with Him, hearing His Word and pleading with Him for grace for the day, enabled me to accomplish So. Much. More. than if I had not stopped at all. Seriously, I was re-centered, reminded of a God who cares, who sees me and is with me and for me in my mothering. Day after day, I learned more of His promises and felt deeper reassurance that He was with me in every part of my day.
I have never looked back and yearned for the chaotic days of feeling guilty at not “fitting in” time with God. I’d rather go without the shower or skip dinner. Our God is the treasure. He is the only One who makes sense of this world and the only One who knows my future. All is better when I stop to be with Him.
I am so glad my mentor, Lori, did not suggest an hour set apart each day. That would have been overwhelming. I am so glad that she stuck with me, encouraging me when I faltered. After I managed to do 21 days in a row of quiet times using a simple method that kept me on track and focused, we celebrated big. It was a wonderful lunch out … but I had ceased to care as much about that. I knew what a true gift it was to have developed the daily habit of meeting with God.
Now, many years later, my two girls grown with children of their own, that little time has expanded to a happy hour of sweetness as I meet with the Lord each morning. With deepest gratitude, I look back over more than three decades of daily meetings with the One who made me and loves me most of all.
Let’s not “fit God in” to a crowded life. Let’s shove all else to the side until we meet with Him each day. Let’s actually believe that the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33 are true: If we seek first the kingdom of God, all the rest will be given to us as well. But seeking Him comes first. It’s the perfect fit.
[Sharon Gamble is founder and director of Sweet Selah Ministries. The author of two books and a journal, Sharon is passionate about helping others develop a daily habit of meeting with God. To learn more about daily quiet times and the method she mentions, check out The Sweet Selah Moments Podcast here … or wherever you listen to podcasts.]
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