Do you have a consistent habit of spending time with God? It can be so hard to do with kids at home. Yet, Deuteronomy 6:5-7 shows us that discipling our children starts with us loving God.
It is from that love of God that our teaching, discipling, and nurturing the faith of our children flows. Otherwise, you will be trying to work for God instead of with him. This leads to burnout and your kids seeing through the inauthenticity.
Do I Need a Quiet Time?
No. I gave up the stereotypical quiet time years ago. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t spend intentional time with God daily. It just means I don’t sit down with a journal and my Bible over a cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes up.
Instead, I invite God into my whole day. I don’t compartmentalize him into 30 minutes or an hour of my day.
We talk throughout the ups, downs, and boring moments of the day. I listen to the Bible as I get ready in the morning. I read books that equip and challenge my faith in the car. And, Christian podcasts encourage me as I make dinner. God is invited into all of it.
Why have a Quiet Time?
But, if you haven’t gotten into the habit of welcoming God into your daily life, or you just enjoy waking up early and spending time with God, quiet times are great.
As I gear up to send all of my girls off to school for the first time this fall, adding in more frequent quiet times is something I am looking forward to. Mine still won’t include waking up early or coffee, and that is ok!
Your quiet time is between you and God. Yet, it can still be an opportunity to disciple your kids. You are modeling what it can look like to walk with Jesus. Even though I don’t do the typical quiet time and I listen to the Bible alone in my bathroom, I do make sure to find opportunities to share with my girls about what God is teaching me and the importance and joy of that time in his Word.
Here are three tips I have learned about spending time with God with kids in the house, whether you call it quiet time, Bible study, or whatever else.
Be Interruptible
Do you feel the frustration rise each time you have to reread the same verse over and over because of interruptions? What if these interruptions are a part of your sanctification?
Jesus’s Ministry of Interruptions
Many of Jesus’s miracles, healings, and life-impacting conversations happened while he was doing something else. We can model this beautiful attribute of Jesus with our children and minister to them in the interruptions of our plans.
Your Attitude
Unwelcome interruptions can trigger me and I can sometimes respond in not-so-pleasant ways. When I am intentionally focusing on being interruptible, my attitude towards interruptions is much more fruity (like the fruit of the Spirit).
Can you imagine the message we unintentionally send to our children about time with God when we snap at them for interrupting us?
Kids might think…“Mommy is not nice when she is with God.” “Time with God makes Daddy cranky.” “I don’t want to spend time with God if it makes you mean.”
Modeling our Approachable God
When we are approachable, even for what seems like tiny little things, we are modeling how our kids can bring anything to God at any time. What a concept for our little ones to know and believe!
Don’t Force the Quiet
If your house is anything like mine, there isn’t much quiet to be found. We even have sound machines and instrumental music playing through the night.
If I want to time with God in my life, it needs to make sense to my life and right now, forcing quiet doesn’t make sense.
Invite the Quiet
I am an introvert and one with severe tinnitus. I crave quiet! A lot of quiet.
But, my daily life is their childhood. My home is their home. I can’t always get my preferences.
I can invite quiet and slowly teach them to embrace the quiet, too, as it is developmentally appropriate.
Welcome the Noise
I saw a reel a few weeks ago about the power of kids being able to be loud. How welcoming their noise allows them to feel safe and their personalities to flourish.
It’s caused me to pause when I feel the urge to force quiet. Instead, I consider why am I asking them to be quiet. Is it necessary or is it for my comfort?
If Jesus welcomed children (Matthew 19:13-15), then we can welcome their noise, even during our time with him.
Let Go of Your Expectations
Often what robs us of peace and joy are unmet expectations. When we let go of our high expectations, we allow room for unexpected joy.
Your Joy
Psalm 16:11 CSB says, “You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.”
In God’s presence is joy, yet we can miss it when we are instead focused on accomplishing certain goals. If we can let go of our expectations, we can experience the fullness of joy that God has planned for us.
Your Kids’ Joy
There have been times when I tried to prioritize time with God in ways that hurt those in front of me, my children. While it is important and vital to have time with God, he knows the realities of the children and families he gave us.
I want my time with God to be a source of life for me and my children. “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10 CSB
God’s Joy
God wanted so desperately to be with us that Jesus became one of us. It brings him great joy to spend time with us. I think it brings him even more joy when we are enjoying our time with him.
Let go of the expectations of what a quiet time should look like and invite God to join you in doing things that he created you to love.
Blessings on Your Not-So-Quiet Time
I hope these tips bring you some freedom in your time with God. God doesn’t care about the rules and parameters set by Christian culture about what a quiet time looks like. “Quiet time” isn’t even in the Bible.
Instead of the guilt and shame of 30 minutes of not living up to high standards of what it “should” look like, remember that it is our privilege and honor to spend time with the Creator of the universe. It should be a joy.
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