“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?
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