Women. We carry so many titles; Wife, Mom, Grandma, Sister, Student, Friend, Chauffer, Coach, Cook, Teacher, and the list goes on and on. This list doesn’t even include our professional lives.
We are so busy, too busy, perhaps. Ever have days that just blur together without so much as a simple task completed? I do. After the blur, I always seem to ponder why I can’t seem to find time to focus or accomplish anything substantial. I feel like I can’t even keep my laundry done. Even more importantly, my time to focus on God dwindles. Our lives are so full. The seams of our lives are busting open and still we ask for more.
Are we happier because we ‘do’ more? Am I happier because I ‘do’ more?
What is the point of all the busyness?
Is it the enemy’s way of defeating us? Maybe he keeps us busy until it’s too late.
Since having kids, my quite time (QT) has dwindled. I find myself attempting to simplify just to keep my head above water. I found that my relationship with God was waning. This is because of my busy lifestyle, I am too busy. Way too busy. After all, I’m a wife, mom, engineer, maid, cook … you get the picture. I have so much to do just to keep my family fed and clothed. I barely have time to do basic tasks let alone have QT. It’s time to take back control of my time and make time alone with God a priority again.
The awesome thing about being still is that we get to reap some benefits. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” When we are still, God reveals to us who He is. God is love. God is everything we need. God is everything we don’t realize we need. He is our Comforter, our Safety Net, and our Friend. He always keeps His promises. He is always working in all circumstances. My favorite – He always has a plan. I don’t have to know the plan, I just have to hang on for the ride. I know He has it handled. If we believe these truths, then prioritizing time with Him gets a little easier.
The scripture is very clear that we are to ‘Be Still’. So how do we stop what we are doing and focus on Christ? Do we neglect everything and every body to accomplish this? Maybe there is another way.
1) Readjust priorities. When I readjust my priorities, I make a list of the things I do in any given day. Ex. laundry, dishes, cook, work 9-5, play with my kids, and on and on. Sit down and write out what you ‘do’, then rank them. Rank them with #1 being the most important thing that you must complete each day regardless if anything else gets done. Then #2 and so on. For me, my #1 is Time with God. My #2 is family time, specifically playing with my kids then having some time to hang with my husband. #3 feeding my family and so on. I must be very intentional about my time or I will neglect #1 and/or #2. If you write out your priorities, you can see what you are doing rather than what you want to do. Determine that your most important thing is where you want to focus some time and you become a bit more dedicated to getting it done on a daily basis.
2) You don’t have to do everything yourself. Ask for help or pay someone. We must decide what is most important (Step 1) and what tasks need to be done daily. We also need to decide which tasks we can live without. Gasp!! Tasks not get completed? I know, it’s a crazy thought. With everything we have to complete and the short amount of time that we have, there is no way that we can do it all, nor should we expect ourselves to do it all. Some things are not necessary for you or I to complete. Delegate where you can. Perhaps your teenage kids can pick up on some chores or you can hire someone to mow the lawn. Look at your list of things you do and start finding ways to take them off your list. I get very creative here since my kids are not old enough for the big chores. I like to play with my kids while I do chores. I also like to get them involved. They enjoy accomplishing things. It doesn’t matter how small it is to us, it’s big to them. Example, my kids like to get the cold, wet laundry out of the washer and throw it into the dryer. We throw the clothes as hard as we can. It makes it fun. Whatever it takes to get those things done so I can move on.
3) Repurpose wasted time. Drive time, lunch time or nap time. I recently have started taking advantage of my Bluetooth radio system so that I can listen to podcasts on the way to work. It centers my mind on God and helps me have a better day. Think about your day. What time do you have that you can repurpose to use on something more meaningful?
4) Punt if needed. If for some reason your day just doesn’t go as planned and you missed your morning quite time, go ahead and do something different for today. Let the kids watch a video while you get your Bible out. I am not a huge advocate of TV but your alone time with God is that important. Do whatever you must to make it happen in that day. Don’t wait till the next.
My QT is not only beneficial to me but also to my family. It’s keeps me nice and calm. Every Mom needs more of this. I can tell if my morning is off. I try to course correct and get back on track as soon as I can. Now that my kids are getting bigger, I’m excited to be able to renew my QT and to start developing their own QT. More on this later.
Tell me about your quite time. Maybe you have a well established QT? Or maybe you are more like me, wanting to do better today than yesterday?
Blessings!!
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