Get Time to Yourself...Everyday
This is especially important (and difficult) for moms of little ones, I think. So much of our days are spoken for by the necessary demands of toddlers. Its easy to get to the end and realize you didn't get a moment to yourself, that the entire day was spent meeting the needs of others. Then you are awakened by your children hours later, only to start it all over again.
Several years ago I came across this article and at the time it was the kick that I needed to form the habit of daily time with God. This is the link and this is an excerpt:
So why should you join the 5 O'Clock Club? For starters, getting up early ensures you get a quiet time each day. If you have children, you know that “quiet time” after they are awake is something of a misnomer. If you work a job or go to school, being on time is usually non-negotiable. Waking up late means your quiet time is probably the first to go.
Referring to Bible reading and prayer, John Piper says: “I earnestly recommend that it be in the early morning, unless there are some extenuating circumstances. Entering the day without a serious meeting with God, over his Word and in prayer, is like entering the battle without tending to your weapons. The human heart does not replenish itself with sleep. The body does, but not the heart. We replenish our hearts not with sleep, but with the Word of God and prayer.”
A second reason for getting up early is that you are prepared to serve your family’s needs. Rather than be awakened by husband or children and expected to meet needs before you are fully conscious, you are ready to serve your family when they arise.You don't have to be involved in lengthy bible studies...just take a couple minutes along before your day kicks into high gear and ask God to be the Lord of your day. This has become crucial to me for so many reasons, one is having peace throughout the day.
I leave you with the challenge I took several years ago:
So, do you want to join our crazy club? Try it for a week, and if it doesn’t work for you, well, at least there wasn’t a membership fee.
I'm really enjoying this Peace series!
ReplyDelete5:00? That stings. I have a hard enough time getting up by my own free will at 6:30 AM. But I admit, I am intrigued. What could my day look like if I had even that much more time to prepare and seek God's counsel? I think I'll give it a go. And like the author of the original article said, at least there isn't a membership fee! :)
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