How to Find Time for Quiet Time When You Have Kids

Mommas, here is an awesome guest post from Hannah of Real Young Wives! During these first weeks since Samuel has been born, I have to say that quiet time has pretty much been non-existent. Like Hannah shares in this post, I want to encourage you that God understands the season of littles. He sees how our days are going, and how much our babies are up. If you are struggling to find time for quiet time when you have kids, use these tips that Hannah shares and check out the other posts at the bottom of this one for more encouragement. 🙂 

It doesn’t matter if it’s quiet time or shower time, as a mama, moments alone can be few and far between. While it is possible to get in a quick shower with your child crying at the bathroom door (not recommending this!), crying children and devotions just don’t seem to mix.

During my time as a nanny, things typically went like this. As soon as my Bible opened, someone took a toy from someone else or the baby started to cry. It almost seemed like an intentional attempt to sabotage those intimate moments with the Father. And the more I analyzed this frequent pattern, I decided it was!

Mamas, Satan doesn’t want you to dive into the Word. He doesn’t want you to pray and he definitely does not want you to experience peace that surpasses all understanding. Instead, he wants you to wake up feeling pressured by everything else so that your devotions don’t take
place. And every morning he successfully keeps you from a quiet time, he has the victory.

As a new mama (six months!) and former full-time nanny of three, I know the struggle of trying to carve out ample time in the Word. In fact, I frequently struggle with the very pressure I described. Despite those feelings, there is nothing more valuable than the intimate moments
spent in the presence of the Father. I’ve made it a goal to regularly have quiet time and I want to go over some of the roadblocks I struggled with that might be holding you back, too.

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First, we must let go of any preconceived ideas about what a quiet time must look like.

Growing up in a conservative, homeschool community in the 2000’s, I was continually presented with subtle rules and expectations on what it means to be a “good” Christian. One of those implied rules was that quiet time must follow a certain formula in order to count. And, for a long time, I believed it. I thought that I had to do x, y, and z in order for God to be pleased with my devotions. If I didn’t fulfill those “requirements,” I found myself accosted with a sense of guilt that I had let God down.

Mamas, if this is something you struggle with, I have good news for you. God does not require a certain number of chapters or minutes in prayer for our quiet times to count. Instead, he desires for us to come eagerly to the throne, willing and ready to hear what he has to tell us.

Second, we must reconcile ourselves with the fact that quiet time may not look the same two days in a row.

​As a mama who loves her routines, it has been really hard letting go of control in my devotions. I like knowing what comes next and find that autopilot often makes me more efficient. The only problem with autopilot is that it is easy to get into a rut. The most fruitful thing that has
come from being thrown out of a devotional routine is a greater yearning to learn and newness each day. I’ve seen incredible growth in my own life just through the process of regularly switching things up. If you’re a lover of structure, then I encourage you to embrace the newness that can come with an unstructured quiet time. Scripture speaks of great blessings that flow forth from newness and that constant change challenges us to press in deeper to the Father.

Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even
make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19 NKJV)

Third, we must approach each day with grace knowing that, despite our intentions, there will be days that a quiet time does not take place.​

As I sit here writing this, I am battling the nagging guilt that I have hardly spent time in my Bible the last few weeks. Between the holidays,
my mom’s battle with breast cancer, and teething, nothing has been normal about our lives. While I yearn to find a routine, once again, I am comforted, knowing that God understands. His love is everlasting. His goodness continues and he will never fail us. If you are carrying guilt because of the recent days, weeks, months, or even years that you have neglected time in his presence, I beg you to lay it at his feet. The past is long gone and dwelling on the things we cannot change only keeps us from stepping into what he is calling us to next.

I took a few minutes to lay my guilt at the Father’s feet. I confessed my sin of clinging to the past and prayed in Jesus’ name that the shame tied to it would be cast from my life. What a difference that prayer made! I immediately felt release from the oppression and have been
better equipped to dive in wholeheartedly ever since. Regardless of the season you find yourself in, he knows the struggle. He calls us to lay our cares at his feet. His joy is overflowing for us even on the most chaotic days. I’ve discovered power in praying, “Give me grace to get through today.” He wants us to ask for his peace and I guarantee you’ll see a difference when you make that request a reoccurring thing.

Once I overcame these roadblocks, I had to fit my devotions into the ever-changing parameters of mommyhood. Initially, I resisted the need to change my approach, but eventually found a few, unconventional ways to get in my quiet time. My prayer is that you will read this list of ideas and tailor them to suit your needs.

 

15 Tips to Help You Find Time for Quiet Time When You Have Kids

1. Read the Bible on your cell phone. (Bonus – lots of versions at the touch of a button!)
2. Listen to an audio Bible.
3. Read the Bible aloud to your kids while they color or play.
4. Sign up for a daily e-devotion or verse of the day email.
5. Keep a devotional app on your phone and read it daily. (I like this one!)
6. Write a verse on a notecard and pause to meditate on it throughout the day.
7. Turn on worship music and sing with your kids.
8. Pray while nursing your baby.
9. Listen to a sermon during naptime.
10. Write prayer requests on the shower and mirrors.
11. Write Scriptures on post-it-notes and place them around the house.
12. Change the lock screen on your phone to a Bible verse.
13. Slowly grow your kids in independent playtime and strategically plan to simultaneously do quiet time.
14. Get up early or stay up late to fit in an undisturbed quiet time.
15. Pray against division and that peace would permeate before beginning your devotions. (This really works!)

What are some things you do to have a regular quiet time? What tips and advice would you share with moms who are struggling to make it happen?

Hannah Bowers is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ, compelling speaker, host of the all-new Facebook Show Rings & Things, and founder of the Young Wives Club. Currently residing in Columbus, Ohio with her handsome husband and adorable son, you will most likely find her
juggling breastfeeding, the laundry, and her most recent project. For more great thoughts from Hannah, visit young-wives.com  You can also find Hannah on Instagram here and here, Facebook, and Pinterest.

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