Last night I sat in front of my computer for several hours trying to figure out what I wanted to write. I knew that I wanted to write something about Lent or Ash Wednesday. I know that not every denomination of Christianity recognizes Ash Wednesday and Lent, so I struggled with coming up with a topic that would be accessible to all.
Talking about giving up items, such as how my husband and I are giving up ice cream this year – bye bye Blue Bell – or about how to recognize Lent with our children just didn’t seem to resonate with me.
And then I woke up this morning. I wish I could tell you I had some magical revelation this morning that told me exactly what I should be writing about… but I didn’t.
In fact, my day went as follows…
… Wake up bright and early to the dog barking because the trash trucks are going by outside.
… Little Mister wakes up and is ready to go full bore into the day.
… Husband gets up to go work out and Little Mister is getting antsy. Little Miss is still asleep.
… Kids are telling us they’re hungry. Guess we should, you know, feed them. Pancakes? Muffins? Yogurt?
… Time to get the kids dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed. Why is this such a battle every morning? Little Mister – please, please, please – put your PJs in your hamper.
… Oh crud, I still have to get dressed!
… Find their water bottles, fill them and put them in the diaper bag.
… Diapers didn’t get washed last night. Need to get them started this morning. Find one of the only clean diapers left and pack it in the diaper bag.
… Wait, what about my breakfast? We’re running late now so I guess it’s going to be a toaster strudel kind of morning. At least I have cold Diet Coke cans in the fridge I can grab.
… Everyone load up in the car and race to rock climbing class.
… Spend rock climbing class constantly working to chase Little Miss while attempting to keep Little Mister focused and motivated to try climbing the boulder.
… Load the car back up and head home. Get home and make lunch while Little Miss has a breakdown from exhaustion.
… Lunch is done, everyone is washed up, and it’s finally time for nap time. Thank goodness. 3 hours of nap time every afternoon is my quiet time that I really need today.
… One. Hour. And I slept through it. Crap. Why are they awake already!?
… A million books. I’m glad they love to read but how did we get so many books? Who knew we had so many books?! And why do they want to read them all this afternoon?
… Is it 6 o’clock, yet? Wait, it’s only 5? Is this afternoon going anymore slowly?
… Finally, my husband is off and now we have to rush to get ready for Ash Wednesday services.
… Little Miss just wants to explore, Little Mister wants to sing some random song, and husband and I just want to listen to the service. Thanks hubby for taking Little Miss out so I could still listen!
… Wow, that service went a little longer than we were planning. Guess we are going out for dinner. Tacos it is!
… Dinner is relatively calm. We’ve had worse times eating out. It’s just a matter of trying to control Little Mister’s curiosity as he tries to watch the lady making tortillas.
… Head home and immediately get to cleaning the playroom and bedrooms.
… Little Miss is exhausted, doesn’t want to be set down, and has another meltdown. Time for PJs, brush teeth, and get in bed.
… The kids are having trouble falling asleep and even an hour later, have still not fallen asleep. In fact, the only person asleep in this house is my husband… on the couch.
Whew. That exhausted me just typing it all back out again. And needless to say, when my kids don’t get their full afternoon nap, they get wired. It’s like they can’t settle down. It is exhausting for my husband and I.
So when I heard one of our pastors speak tonight about finding quiet time to listen and speak with God, I almost laughed out loud. What quiet time? The only chance for quiet time that I had today, I was so exhausted I fell asleep! It seemed like an almost inhuman request – find the time to be quiet, to just listen to what God wants from you, and spend time at peace.
Our pastor referenced how Jesus spent the 40 days as spending time with God, allowing His will to go through Jesus in preparation for his ministry. I’m pretty sure if I spent 40 days alone with no food, at some point the only thing I would be hearing is my stomach rumbling loudly. And that is why I’m not Jesus, but I can work towards being closer to Him.
So at dinner, my husband and I were discussing the message from the mediation. We talked about how crazy busy our lives are and how humorous the idea of having alone time or quiet time was. Does that even happen when you have two toddlers? So here are five times when we have quiet time, time without a little one hanging off our legs or asking us for a snack.
1. In the carpool line or on the drive home from dropping your child off at school
It takes me approximately 6 to 10 minutes between our house and Little Mister’s school, depending on if I miss every light or not. I am fortunate enough that my husband can watch Little Miss while I drop off Little Mister in the morning. If I spent that drive home with the radio down, talking earnestly with God about my struggles, about what I’m thankful for, and listening for where he wants to guide me, that’s just a little more time with God than I had before. I know some people spend even longer in the carpool line!
2. In the shower or while going to the bathroom
Ok, bear with me on this one. First off, I know that the shower isn’t always a quiet place. More often than not I have one or the other kiddo pulling back the shower curtain to try to find out where mommy is. However, my husband doesn’t have that problem – the kids are usually still asleep when he showers, so this would be a perfect opportunity for him. And I know the idea of talking to God while going to the bathroom is weird, but let’s be honest about how many guys (my husband included) will hide out in the bathroom and play games or read the news on their phones. What if we spent that little time in the bathroom – the shower or otherwise – listening for God’s presence in our lives.
3. Right before you fall asleep
This is a tough one for me personally. I always seem to find the words I need to share with God right as I’m about to fall asleep. I will start my prayer and then sometime between me giving thanks and the amen, I’m asleep. It’s just not the best time for me, personally, to be talking with God. But for someone else, maybe it is. Maybe that time when the world is sleeping, the house is dark, and there is no noise except the wind through the chimes or the rustle of the sheets that is the perfect opportunity to be at peace and find time for God.
4. While folding the laundry, putting away dishes, and doing other chores around the house
Folding the laundry can be a very zen procedure for me. The repetitive task of folding all the shirts a certain way, then all the underwear, and repeat with all the different kinds of clothing gets me in a rhythm where I don’t have to think about each action. I can zone out and think about other things. Maybe this isn’t when you’re folding the laundry, but it’s putting away the dishes or vacuuming. Maybe it’s the noise from the vacuuming blocking out everything else, allowing you to clear your mind. It’s during that zone out time that we can dedicate our thoughts to God.
5. Watching your kids sleep
There is nothing that makes you more thankful than watching your kids sleep. No matter what happened during the day, what frustrations you had, or what issues seemed to creep up, children seem to look like perfect angels when they sleep. I’ve often found myself thanking God and all that He has given me while I’m watching my children sleep.
The quiet time may only last five to ten minutes, but devoting ten minutes of quiet time to put your mind into peace and willing yourself to listen for God equals an hour over the course of a week. That’s an hour you spent with only you and God. The key about finding the quiet time for God as a parent is to be intentional about it. Make a commitment to the quiet time for God each day. Start the day knowing that, at this specific time, you are committing your thoughts to God. Imagine the extraordinary things He can tell you during that hour.