By Guest Author Katrina Wright
It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon and the delivery driver rings the doorbell. The dog starts barking which wakes your napping toddler, as your six-year-old comes in the back door, covered in mud. So much for the carefully carved out time that was supposed to be spent with your Creator! Instead, the craziness of the day all starts up again and dinner is just around the corner! Sound familiar?
As Christians, we all know that spending some quality, quiet time with the Lord is important for our relationship with Him to grow. So how does it happen? As a homeschooling parent, how can you consistently spend time with the Lord on a daily basis?
Here are a few encouragements that have helped me over the years:
- Stop feeling guilty! Guilt is different from conviction. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit as a way to help us change our behavior. Satan uses guilt as a way to deter us from running to God, because we feel so bad about what we’ve done. If we are only spending time with God because we feel guilty, what kind of quality time will that net?
- Morning isn’t always best. Growing up, I was always taught to start my day by spending time with God, and while that works for some people really well, there have been seasons in my life where it just didn’t. Consistent time with Him is more important than when it happens in your day.
- Squeeze versus sacrifice. You will hear people question how they can “squeeze” time with the Lord into their day. I have never liked using that term because it already plants a seed in your head that everything else on your to-do list is more important than spending time with God. Instead, I look for ways to sacrifice my personal time. Even as a homeschooling mom, I was not busy 24/7. Maybe you could sacrifice some time on social media, those texts to friends throughout the day, or that TV show to spend time with the Lord.
- Start simple. If you are not in the habit of having some quiet time with the Lord, I suggest that you get a devotional book or a simple topical study that will require 20-30 minutes a day and help you get into God’s Word. Pick something that you are interested in and run with it! I know there are many apps and online options out there, but sometimes the distractions attached to our phones are just too much, so I prefer a physical book.
- Don’t forget about prayer time! It’s always wonderful to have a dedicated prayer time, but we can talk to God throughout our day too! What kind of relationship would you have with your spouse if you only talked with them once a day? Probably not that great, right? It’s the same with God! Good relationships are built on good communication, so even if you just remember to say thank you to Him for the little things throughout the day, you are acknowledging His presence in your life.
- Add as you can. Believe it or not, there will come a day when you won’t be as busy and you can spend more time with God on a daily basis. That could be the time to go more in depth with your Bible study, or maybe you could add prayer journaling to your quiet time. I’m a big fan and have kept a prayer journal for years. It is such a blessing and an encouragement to see how God has answered my prayers and changed my heart along the way as I read back through the entries.
- Let your children see you. It is no secret that our children often model our behavior. As you spend time with the Lord, it will encourage them to do the same as they get older because it will just seem natural to them. It’s not about putting on a show. It’s about your kids seeing the priorities in your life and that God is the main one!
On a personal level, my spirit is so much quieter on days when I have had time with the Lord, and I truly notice a difference when I don’t. It feels like missing a friend and then getting a chance to finally catch up! That feeling reminds me what an honor it is to have a personal relationship with our Savior and encourages me to keep my priorities straight!
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