You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart… You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house… Deuteronomy 11:18a & 19a (NASB)
The demands placed on a mom are so immediate, so in our face, that it is easy to get through an entire day and not sit down at all, let alone crack open my Bible. I love the mornings where I can take a few minutes to read a Psalm before I greet my children. But those mornings are rare.
And I feel so guilty.
One day, I had an epiphany. My children will never learn to create their own Quiet Time habit, never understand what it looks like or how it works, if I don't model it for them. This means that I don't have to find a time of day where they aren't likely to burn the house while I go have a spiritual revival. I can create that time in our daily schedule and share it with them.
The way it works at our house, after the children have their nap and snack, I curl up in my chair with my Bible and whatever journal or devotional I am working through. They understand that they are to sit quietly on the couch. I allow them to have books, and they may read to each other. I don't demand quiet at this time, although I'd love to. I think training myself to hear Jesus through the noise is a vital skill, and I want my children to see it in action. I allow minor interruptions, but if I find I am no longer able to respond in a loving manner, then I will insist on temporary quiet.
It is a time of training for all of us.
Here is the beautiful result: After a few days of this, my children scuttleD to the bookshelves hunting their own children's Bibles. They want to do quiet time," just like Mommy". It is unforced, it is pure, and it is sweet.
Is this situation always ideal for my spiritual growth? No, not always. But I find that God tends to bless my efforts with richness, even in small doses. Some days, He blesses me with calm, quiet kids who are willing to let Mommy study and soak up spiritual goodness. Other days, He blesses me with patience beyond myself when things don't go as I planned. And in every moment, whether filled with spiritual highs or childish lows, I know that my offspring are seeing Christ in me.
And, mercifully, there is no guilt in that. Only beauty.
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Lora Lynn writes about the laughter and chaos of five kids under five at Vitafamiliae.
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Thanks for sharing. I can identify for sure. Unless I can get my quiet time in before 7 a.m. it's tough to get.
Thanks so much for this. I keep my Bible on the potty, so when I'm in the bathroom by myself, which is rare, I can catch a verse or two here and there. Often I get to reading and my 6 year old, my oldest, will come in and ask me to read out loud to her.
Thanks for this wonderful reminder!
This is an example that will stick; even when they are older your kids will remember it. What a neat witness to the value of spending time with God!
Lora Lynn – this is so practical and encouraging. I haven't yet read through all the comments, so maybe you have addressed this already, but at what age do you start to include them in sit time? I know my four year old would do wonderfully, but what about my extremely active sixteen month old? Maybe I could do this during HER nap time, and since my four year old no longer naps, this could be good "quiet time" for her, too.
I love this. Thank you.
Megan – I wrote a post on my personal blog all about how I train for sit time. Here's the link: http://www.vitafamiliae.com/?p=1567 As far as what age to start quiet time? That's up to you. When my daughter was 18 months or so, I would go either way. Sometimes we'd do quiet time before she woke up. Other times, if she was already awake, I'd give her snack and let her wander. The boys knew they had to stay on the couch no matter what she did. And she picked up on the mellow mood. It was a little harder for me to concentrate, but I guess that's part of the discipline.
Hope this helps.
Lora Lynn
Lora Lynn, this is right on and very encouraging. It's so hard for me to do this with no expectations, but really, with sanctification as the goal, there's no reason to not give this a good hard run in the schedule.
LOVE this post! Thanks for the encouragement!