By: Emily Saunders

I used to be a big time scheduler.  I love routine and being somewhat predictable.  Call me boring- but I thrive when I know the “who, what, when, where and how” of the day.   I had a set devotion time and my husband and I read the Bible after dinner every evening.  You might guess that becoming a Mom changed all of that. There are days that I don’t know which way is up and when the baby wakes up early, doesn’t nap, needs to eat RIGHT NOW or has a blow out diaper- my plans are quickly thrown to the curb.  Many times our dinners are spent trying to make sure that Adler doesn’t feed all of his food to the dog and then gets in the bathtub and to bed before a meltdown begins.  My schedule- right down to my devotion time- is shot!

Last weekend I was blessed to be able to attend a Leadership Retreat with many others from my chu
rch family.  We attend a large church and small groups are a large focus of our ministry.  Each of the attendees are involved in small group leadership.  Our Speaker divided us into groups and posed a question “Are you happy with your current prayer and Bible study routine?”.

In two separate groups, each woman (including myself) shared that she struggled to make quality time with God a priority.  We felt that with the many demands of motherhood, jobs, school, kids, marriage, laundry, dishes, soccer practice and so much more- that carving out time to really focus on Him and the Word ended up taking a back seat.  As leaders each of us felt guilty and shameful admitting this (even though we knew that God’s grace covers us and that shame is not a part of his plan) and as I pondered the conversations later on and prayed for help in reshuffling my priorities-I realized a few things.

1.  If time with God is considered a luxury rather than a priority it will never happen.

Matthew 6:33, ESV  says” But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

He commands that we put him first in order to allow him to rule our lives without the world getting in the way.  It’s too hard to try to do this alone- we need his help!  Sometimes the laundry, dirty dishes, and emails can wait for a few minutes- as overwhelming as it all seems when I dig into the word and spend time with God FIRST- my to do list becomes less important and less stressful.  I’m learning slowly but surely that even if NOTHING else gets accomplished that day that ALL  is accomplished when I adopt an eternity mindset.

2.  God hears our prayers no matter where we are or what we’re doing.  

1 Thesselonians 5:17 reminds us to Pray Continually.  

This doesn’t mean only when we have a break from kids in a quiet room with our Bibles in hand.

We can pray with and for our kids at any time, we can talk to God in the car, while exercising, cooking. cleaning, etc.  He hears us ALL the time and our giving him our attention is pleasing to him.  I sometimes catch myself waiting to pray until I have free time- that’s the most ridiculous thing ever!  God doesn’t care if I’m in a special quiet place on my knees or washing dishes over the sink- our communication  makes him smile.   While it’s important to give him our full attention- he hears us even when we can’t.  A quick prayer asking for peace, patience, or finding kind words to respond  in love is acceptable and pleasing to him.

3.  Accountability can help us  with spiritual discipline.

Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend”.

Just like having a workout buddy can be great motivation to stick with your exercise routine- having an accountability partner for spending time in God’s Word or in prayer can be of great value.   We can learn so much from each other and also provide encouragement and new insights when we study the same things.  What a great opportunity to grow with another Sister in Christ.  Choose a Bible Study, a Book of the Bible or a prayer topic and make it happen.

Draw close to him always-  do not allow the world or your busy schedule to get in the way of the most important thing in your life. I am a work in progress and pray daily that I will be able to focus on Him, his plan, his love, his Word, his ways, and his grace.

Share with us!  What are your tips for prioritizing time with God?