Questions and Answers

"Mommy, what's a virgin?"  "What does circumcised mean?"  These are just two of the questions I've been asked by my 6-year-old in the last week.  Why the interesting questions?  It all started with a question I asked a week ago.

I was with a group of lady friends, many of whom are busy moms like myself, and I asked,  "How do you make daily 'quiet time' happen in your day? I go non-stop from the time my first child wakes until the last child goes to sleep.  I try to get up before they do so I can have some time alone in prayer and Bible study.  But a lot of times it just doesn't happen.  I'm up through the night with the baby who still nurses several times each night, and when the alarm clock goes in the morning I just end up hitting the snooze button again and again until a child finally wakes up demanding my attention.  After they go to bed at night I'm so tired again that if I try to pray and read I end up just falling asleep.  So, how do you do it?"

The answer I got from other moms in similar circumstances was so simple yet so profound.  The first person said, "For me, quiet time isn't usually quiet".  Okay.  So you manage to get it while the children are running circles around you?  How does that work?  Then someone else spoke up, "When the kids are strapped into the car and can't move.  I have my quiet times in the car." Light bulb moment!

Living in the country, I have a half hour drive one way to get anywhere.  With all the kids' extra-curricular activities and regular errands, that adds up to a minimum of 7 hours per week when I am 'stuck' in the van.  I had felt like that was so much 'wasted' time.  Not anymore!  I dug out my New Testament audio CDs and started listening this week!  So far we've listened through Luke, Acts, Romans and most of 1 Corinthians.

Not only am I getting my time in the Word every day, my whole family is hearing God's Word for many more hours each week.  My husband and I are having conversations together about what we are hearing. And of course there are the questions from the kids that began this post and many more.  God is showing me things in His Word that I never noticed before and I'm so hungry for more!

So, if you're a busy mom and like me and you feel like you have no 'quiet time' to spend alone with God, let me encourage you like my friends encouraged me.  It doesn't always have to be quiet to be valuable.  Think about the time in your day that feels 'wasted'.  For me it's the many hours each week that I sit in the van.  Maybe for you it could be while preparing supper, sorting laundry or even in the shower.  Think outside the 'early morning all alone with a hot cup of tea, an open Bible and at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time' box.  Ask God when He wants to have that special time with you.  You'll be glad you did.

*Side note- If your interested in an audio Bible christianbook.com has a sale on now- an NIV complete Bible on CD for just $24.00!  http://www.christianbook.com/niv-live-bible-experience-cds-with/9780983422990/pd/422907?event=Bibles

Did you get ANYTHING done today?

Unfolded laundry in the basket.  Toys all over the floors.  Bathrooms in desperate need of attention.  Kitchen floor unswept.  As I looked around the house before climbing into bed I asked myself, "Did you get ANYTHING done today?"  Judging from the state of the house I would have to say no.

But then I thought about how I had actually spent the hours of my day.  Here's a run down of what I did yesterday:

Morning Routine:  Got myself up and ready for the day, spent some time alone with Jesus (while nursing, so not completely alone), then got the kids dressed and ready for the day

Homeschooling:  Taught  grade 1 and preschool.  Subjects included Bible, Math, French, Science, Music and Language Arts.  Also took the kids for a nature walk.

Potty Training:  Cleaned up after 5 accident and rewarded 7 successes.

Nursing:  Nourished my baby with at  least 7 feedings of milk from my body.

Diaper changes:  probably about 10

Meal perpetration and cleanup times 3

Laundry:  Several loads put through washer and dryer, while potty training and chore training

Bedtime Routine:  Bathed, directed changes into pajamas and teeth brushing, group story time, tucked in and kissed good night

Wifely Duties:  Found time to give my husband attention after the kids went to bed

Looking at it like that I had a pretty busy day, so why did I feel so unproductive at the end of the day?  Because my house was a mess?  Really?  I spent the day taking care of my family.  That's a big job.  And it's more important than a spotless house.

I don't think I'm alone in this.  We moms are way too hard on ourselves.  We're judging our productivity by the wrong things.  Our families are so much more important than our houses.  And yet we go to bed discouraged night after night because we can't live up to our own expectations of a perfectly kept home.  What we do with these people will have eternal significance, what we do for our house will only last a few hours if we're lucky.

But maybe I'm still missing the point.  What if I hadn't done all the things on my list above?  What if I had had a truly unproductive day?  What if I had sat in front of the TV all day, ordered take-out and yelled at the kids?  That's certainly not how I want to spend most of my days, but the truth is God would look at me the same.  My value to Him doesn't change no matter how I spend my time.  He loves me regardless.  So tonight when I go to bed I'm going to look at that laundry basked and smile, because it's okay.  His love for me will never change and THAT is what really matters.