Q and A: Finding Time for the Word

"As a mother of small children, I often feel defeated about my times of reading the Bible. It is difficult to find interruption-free times to study the word as I would like. With eight children in your home, how do you find time to concentrate on the word? Any tips?"

(I am asked this question often -- twice last week -- so I thought I would post it here.)

First, let me say that Satan would use anything to try and discourage us, and render us ineffective for the Lord. I have often struggled with feelings of "it's not enough" when I did fit in time in the word. Or, I felt that there should be a more elaborate structure to it, and since that rarely happened, I was just defeated and guilty. Instead of being encouraged by what I did read, I was discouraged, because the time was cut short by interruptions, or I dwelt on my inconsistency. That is simply an attack of the enemy! I have felt that way for many years, and have been so glad that my husband reminded me to just be thankful and choose to rejoice in the Lord and the time that I did have in His word!

When you have little children in your home, their waking hours can be so busy and often intense with discipline. I had to remind myself often when they were all little that their training, instruction, and care has to be the priority of my time when they were up, and if there wasn't hours of focused study time that was ok for this season.

I also learned that I had to work really hard to use the time when they were asleep to get in the word. (I always used a schedule with my children for naps, meals, etc. from their first day, because it was so helpful.) But I spent many "seasons" either pregnant or nursing a newborn and it was hard at times to get up before they did. During those times, I relied greatly on the teaching at church that I heard 3 times a week, and the little bits of time here and there to read and meditate on the word.

Of course, I am not advocating that you give up on reading your Bible because you can go to church, just to really try to take something away with you from all the teaching that you do get. And keep trying to figure out a time each day to pray and read the Word. Nothing ever worked for me for very long. I am still to this day having to periodically start over, and make a new plan when the old plan is no longer working. And that is ok! It's life. Sometimes I would just leave my Bible open on the kitchen counter and keep going by for little "snacks"! At other times, I would write one verse on a note card and put it in a place where I would see it often, like the kitchen window.

It helps to ease the frustration (of little time for intense study) for me by remembering that for most of history since Christ came, believers didn't even have their own Bibles and the only time they had to interact with the word was in their public gatherings. So they cherished what they did have and worked to apply it to their lives. Not that we should ever excuse ourselves if we choose to neglect the word, but for me, I am comforted to know that the Lord isn't standing by with a clipboard to keep track of my quiet times, and their length! That helps me when my children interrupt me or much of a sermon is lost to pew training. I just keep praying for the Lord to make me patient and gracious, to impact my heart with His word, and to help me not lose sight of the fact that these years are over in a flash!

I am actually able to get up earlier than everyone else now to spend time reading the Bible. Click here to see a post on my blog from a few months ago that tells what I'm doing now in my quiet times.