My Life's Too Busy For A Quiet Time
We’ve had a great few weeks of getting the eye of our heart examined and putting on new glasses for 2020. Here’s a list of the post:
But some of you still might be clucking your tongue and shaking your head. “This is all well and good, Susan. I think it is as important to have a Quiet Time as you do. But, you don’t realize my schedule. I have NO TIME.”
I get it. I really do. Life doesn’t seem to just be on a treadmill. It seems to be on a sub-atomic super conductor, spinning madly trying to break my very atoms apart.
I have infinitely more needs than time to meet them. I have stacks of books to read, house projects to accomplish, peoples’ needs to meet, bills to pay, and meetings and events and trips and …
I’m going to stop listing now. It’s giving me heartburn.
So, yes. I understand. Setting aside daily time can be challenging. So today, I want to give you some options, because we need glasses whether we have time or not. We cannot see through the fog of our lives without the Lord correcting and clarifying. So we must find a way.
When There’s No Time:
Get up earlier.
Everyone hates this suggestion, and so do I. But the truth is that if our days are too full of STUFF then we need to wake up before the Needs do. If I set my alarm 15 minutes earlier than I need to in order to wake up and get out the door, I have 15 minutes to have a quiet time.
I realize this is not the suggestion you are probably looking for. But, it actually works. And it lines up with the Scripture to “seek first the kingdom of God.”
Suggestions:
Have an accountability partner. When I was struggling to wake up before my kids did, a friend and I committed to calling each other at 6:30 every morning to make sure we were awake. It didn’t take very long until we no longer need to call. It established the habit.
Ask the Lord to help you get up earlier. He wants to meet with us so He willingly wakes us up.
Start small. You don’t need to wake up a whole hour before you normally would. Start with 10 minutes. Then increase to 15. Then 20.
Use Audio
In very busy seasons I listen to the Word more than read it. My favorite is when both methods are in use. I mentally receive things differently audio than I do visually.
This is easier today than ever, with so many options for inputting the Word through our ears into our hearts.
Suggestions:
YouVersion
This free app offers multiple Bible versions so you can listen to your preference.
Listen to the same passage in different versions, which is a great aide in understanding. Think of the deep understanding you could gain by listening to the same passage five days in a row, but a different version each time.
When you have a longer period of time, such as a drive or while exercising, listen to a whole book (obviously a short one.) I listened to James several times in a row in the same week as I ran. I heard different things than had stood out while I read. And listening to a whole book at a time revealed a new understanding.
And did I mention it is FREE? Well, it’s worth saying again.
Dwell
This paid app takes listening to Scripture to a whole new level. You can choose the reader. My favorite is Felix, whose African accent and impassioned reading breathes new life into familiar passages. There is daily suggestions and different plans to choose from.
Tag With Activity
To establish a good habit, tie one activity to another. This is a general principle that works well with the Quiet Time habit. Have your Quiet Time at a normal time you sit down. Once the habit is formed you’ll have time in the Bible without having to make the decision to do so. The power of habit!
Suggestions:
Meal time: when you sit down for breakfast or lunch, have your Bible and journal next to you. It is greatly preferable to have a drip or spaghetti sauce or drop or salad dressing on a well-read Bible, than to have a pristine Bible that’s not read.
Before TV: make it a rule that before you can turn on a show, you must have spent 15 minutes in the Word. I realize this take a lot of self discipline to abide by this rule, but if we can spend three hours binge watching The Crown, certainly 15 minutes first spent in the Word is totally reasonable.
Before Bed: Full disclosure: I’d sleep through my Quiet Time if I tried to do it in bed. But many people find this perfect so they can sleep with the Word filtering through their mind. Spending the last 15 quiet minutes of your day with Jesus is a great way to end the day.
In the Car: Disclaimer: Audio Only!(Just in case that is not TOTALLY obvious.) If you have a 20-30 minute commute you could pop the Dwell or YouVersion app on and listen on your way to work.
Too Busy For Jesus?
We’re all busy. In our world of convenience and automation we’re still careening through our days. Too much to do. Too little time.
THAT’S WHY making time with Jesus and His Truth a priority is more important than ever. So many things compete with it. Isn’t our Enemy clever?
Think about it— every time we choose Jesus over the world’s call, we spit in the Enemy’s eye.
I’ve never needed Jesus more.
My mind has never needed truth more.
My heart has never needed protection more.
My soul has never needed comfort more.
And the place I find it? Every morning, sitting on my sofa, coffee in hand, and Bible open. Because if I don’t have time for Jesus, I will fail at everything else.