Finding Time to Pray.
Isn’t that the challenge of a mother’s life? It is for me. As 2011 began, my prayer life dwindled. It bothered me that I didn’t set aside an entire hour to read the Bible and write lengthy prayers in my journal. It bothered me that I was falling behind in my daily Bible study lessons with CBS. I just wasn’t being diligent enough. Aaah!
I started thinking about this while driving and I’ve come to the following conclusions: First, if I’m going to grow in my walk with God, I need making Him a priority needs to be reflected in how I spend my time. Second, don’t become a religious zealot and miss out on true fellowship with Him.
Fulfilling Conclusion #1:
At this season of life, I’m adjusting to motherhood which, as moms with small children know, can be a juggling act. So I’ve decided to spend the first few minutes of my day with Him, at least 15 minutes. Why the first minutes of the day? According to time management experts, the first moments of the day set the course of the day. So, why not use at least 15 minutes reading the Bible and jotting down a prayer in my journal?
Fulfilling Conclusion #2:
Incorporate prayer into my daily activities. This one requires more conscious effort on my part. Typically, after I finish my quiet time, my brain just zips to the stuff of daily life: laundry, dishes, writing, etc. But I can talk to God while doing the laundry, while writing, while getting ready in the morning, while playing with my nine month old. I can ask Him about a snag I have in my story as I type it. I can ask Him to help me plow through my towering load of dirty clothes. I can send up a quick prayer that my son will have a great morning nap as I put him down in the crib.
And then, whenever I have uninterrupted time (hint, hint: my nine month old is napping or right before I go to bed) I can continue the “intensive” prayer business I started with God in the morning with my Bible and journal in hand.
Talking to God while washing dishes sounded radical to me at first. I’m used to approaching Him in a more formal way. But God desires friendship. And friends talk. Praying this day means I can pray all the time – and I don’t have to join a monastery to do it!
As for what to do in those “intensive” prayer times, we’ll chat about that next Monday…
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