When Quiet Time Isn't Quiet

Quiet time. This conjures up pictures in my mind. A warm drink, a comfy chair, my Bible and a notebook, the morning warming up outside. My vision of quiet time never involves rainy, dreary mornings. Or falling asleep. Or a crying baby. Or a toddler up 45 minutes earlier than usual. Or three hours of interrupted sleep the night before. 

Life's not perfect. We can either focus on the imperfections or see the beauty of life.  But as always, things are more likely to happen smoothly with a schedule.  So I'm assuming that there is a scheduled time for reading the Bible because it's that important. Don't just assume it will happen; it won't. What's the saying? Fail to plan? Plan to fail!

Quiet time is not always quiet. Schedules are often interrupted. Plans are usually derailed. But God is Ruler over all of that. I've decided that I'm going to get concerned about it when God does. And He's fine because He knows what is going on. Most of the things I would get upset about don't matter anyway. I wanted to clean the bathroom at 11:30 and Kevin woke up???? It's the end of the world! Ok, maybe not! :)

But there's still the very real question of quiet time with children. I've found a few things that help me keep my focus and get my Bible read. 

1. Train children to sit quietly. Micah does well with this. I can give him a book or a puzzle and park him beside me while I read. Kevin on the other hand.....kidding. Who doesn't love to snuggle a baby while reading? 

2. It's about the heart, not the "perfect" quiet time. God wants my heart to be seeking Him not for my surroundings to be perfect. And it seems counterproductive to fuss and fume over not getting to read my Bible to learn not to fuss and fume. 

3. You don't get bonus points for perfect. God isn't more impressed with me when my quiet time is exactly what I want. Is it what God wants? God isn't impressed when I read my chapters and my heart is cold. God wants my heart. God wants my heart when my children are up and "interrupting" my schedule. God wants my heart when my plans go out the window. It's easy to behave when things go the way I want. But my heart is shown in real life. You know, where things don't go the way I want. 

You can read your Bible with small children. It takes determination and flexibility. Read or think about a few verses during the day instead of checking Facebook. Grab a chapter or two after they go to bed. Read while you're up feeding the baby at night.  Feed yourself on God's Word. It is the secret of success in the life God has called us to.