Thursday, August 15, 2013

Quiet Time (The calm before the storm)

It is so good to find quiet time to refocus our thoughts and quiet our minds. Jesus often is found going off to a solitary place to pray. (Mark 1:35-37 & Matthew 14:2-23).  Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:6 to go into our room alone and close the door and pray to our Father in Heaven.

I have one child who is 2 yrs old and babysit for friends and family on occasion. So I find I need that quiet time.
It's a little dark, but that's my daughter sound
asleep with her turtle, Spot.

Today I have my own child and my niece. Right now they are both taking a nap and sleeping peacefully.
Soon they will awake and the quiet will disappear! :-)

I enjoy using that time while they nap as my quiet time - usually. Sometimes I find myself doing laundry, dishes or other household work. But when it's quiet time - I either do devotions and pray, pay the bills online, or facebook or blog. It's nice to have a good 1 hr break or so to regather my thoughts and gain strength to finish the day.... raising children is a demanding, yet rewarding task, that takes all of me- 100% of my energy, brain power and strength. By taking that quiet time to think and pray, even if I am multitasking, I find that I have 'put on my own oxygen mask' so that I can take care of those who need me to take care of them.  (In an airplane they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask so that you can help others put on theirs.)

I would love to hear what others enjoy doing.  What do YOU do when or if your child takes a nap or has a quiet time in their room?

4 comments:

  1. That is a great reminder, I know that the times that we don't stop and have quiet times are the times that it feels like God is further away or things seem more hopeless, but when we first go to Christ and make Him a priority things go much better. God bless you and your family.
    ~Becky Strong

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    1. Becky - that is so true! Somehow when we take that time for quiet time - the big things don't seem as big. And I don't think the problem is any different - just our perspective is different when we are closer to God. :-) Thanks for sharing!

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  2. That is an important reminder! It's important to seize those precious peaceful moments and refocus yourself on God. Its like taking a bath in the middle of the day that refreshed us spiritually.

    As I've observed my wife capturing those precious peaceful moments with the Lord, I've noticed something quite unique. While she is being refreshed spiritually during her time with God, I also see her being renewed emotionally, mentally, and physically. It's like getting 4 for the price of 1. Now that's a deal only God can deliver on!

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    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! That's great that you see God at work in your wife! It is good to know that there are more husbands out their than just mine that appreciate and understand how important quiet time is for a wife and mom. :-)

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