Skip to main content

God, Can I Have a Raincheck?



“Just give me ten minutes please” I said in an elevated voice to my two children as one would call out "MOOMMMYYYY" and then the other.  It was 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning.  How could they bicker already I thought to myself.

I cuddled up under my blanket, anxious to dive into the word and get lost for a moment with Jesus.  Two minutes later, one barges in my room followed by the other.  All I wanted was a few minutes alone with my Daddy.  I knew I wouldn’t get the study time I needed or wanted, so I waited.  As a single mom, it’s common for me to forego my quiet time for later in the day or at night once I know I can concentrate. 

If you’re a single parent to smaller children, can you relate?  They require so much of our time that it’s hard to find solitude.  In an attempt to sneak in peace and quiet, we tiptoe around our home while they sleep, whisper long winded prayers like Lord, give me strength and play hide and seek, in hopes they take a while to find us. 

Raising small children means our daily walk with God will sometimes take creativity and almost always take flexibility.


Just last week, I was in an in depth conversation with The Lord when I heard my door creek open and my four year old run up and kneel  beside me.  She never said a word for she knows that prayer time is uninterrupted time.   Since she and I were the only ones awake, I allowed her to bring in her books as I read The Book.    I peeked up at her only to find her watching me…read.  With her book in her lap, my daughter was mimicking me by doing absolutely nothing but being still with her book open.

As parents, our job is to train our children in the way they should go. (Prov. 22:6) The best way to do that is to show them what it looks like to follow Jesus.  Following Jesus will include some routine days (when we can have our coffee and quiet time) and some where our home is chaotic and you can barely squeeze in an Amen.  He doesn’t think less of us when we have to ask for a rain check on our one-on-one appointment because sweet innocent Suzie just colored all over the wall and tender little Timmy is terrorizing the cat again. In fact, I would like to think He has a real soft spot for us moms, who are doing it on our own while juggling a full time job, housework, homework, sports, church functions, meetings, family and a social life (or lack thereof). 

God isn’t surprised by our current season of life.  Everything has to pass through His hands first.  He hears our cries, sees our struggles and knows our hearts. 

Our children are a gift given specifically to us because He knows we are the moms for the job.  Even on the days we feel less than. Even when our rope seems to have ended long ago. Even when we are only able to read one verse of scripture.  On the days when we just want to slip into a calgon bath to be taken far away (which are well deserved and not as many as I’d like), remember, they are only little once. There may come a time when we get too much quiet and the silence is deafening. 

Reflect:
Look over the course of your day.  Do you have five minute time slots that seem to go by wasted?  

What can you give up during those wasted minutes to use them on strengthening your relationship with The Lord?




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seasons of Life

  “Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?”   Stevie Nicks wrote these lyrics in 1973. I have listened to Landslide more times than I can count, and each time it hits right in the gut. It’s a song about change. About fear, love, aging, and the quiet questions we all carry as life keeps moving forward.   As   I listened again recently, with the end of another year approaching, I found myself reflecting on the last twelve months. This has been a year! I’m not even sure what adjective fits best. Crazy maybe. Long. Unexpected.   Sometimes life throws so many curveballs at such an accelerated speed, all you can do is try to keep up so they don’t knock you down.   2025 has been filled with a plethora of lessons in love, humility , fear, doubt, grief, and joy. They didn’t all come easy. But then again, we were never promised easy.   In fa...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Waited.

  I beckoned you to come near, but my way didn’t look like what you wanted.   The lights of the night drew you in, Pulling you into dark corners.   I waited.   You searched for acceptance   in people with empty promises and hollow souls.     You longed for love, not realizing it was mine you needed all along.   I waited.   You turned toward me in moments in need, in fear but each time, you pulled back thinking the distance was too great to cross.   I waited.   The end of your rope seemed to get longer.   Still, I waited.   Your choices led to pain. Things once whole began to fall apart.  What you held onto slipped through your hands.   I was there. I waited.   Then, gently, I opened your eyes to what you had been chasing And your heart to what had been chasing you all along.     And when you finally stopped running There I was,   exactly where I had always been. Waiting.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Journey with God

Did you know there’s a bird famous for holding the world record for the longest nonstop flight from Alaska all the way to Australia? It traveled over 8,000 miles in just 11 days! I stumbled upon an article about the Bar-tailed Godwit while mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, and I’ll admit, I didn’t know anything about this bird before. These fascinating shorebirds escape the harsh winter for warmer climates. My first thought was, why don’t they just stop somewhere closer along the way? According to experts, stopping earlier often means landing in places with less food, more competition and predators, and poor habitats for their long bills. The Godwit’s long nonstop flight reduces these dangers. Even more impressive, these birds begin preparing for their expedition several weeks in advance. They don’t need to eat during their journey because they gorge for 1 to 2 months before departure, building up fat reserves. A few weeks before migration, their digestive organs shrink to reduce ...
Post a Comment
Read more