By: Brittany Ann
Do you ever have days when you’re so busy you barely have time to pee, much less make time for God?
With three little ones seven and younger, I’m definitely no stranger to days like that.
Some days it seems like every time I turn around, someone needs something, and it’s all I can do just to keep up.
Red cup, blue cup, speaking kindly to each other, whose turn it is to play with a beloved toy… it’s a lot to juggle!
Don’t get me wrong – I love it – but it can really take a toll… physically, mentally, emotionally AND spiritually.
The good news is, no matter how busy your life is right now (and no matter what’s making it so busy), there’s no reason God has to take a backseat.
Even if you only have five minutes a day (that you normally spend checking Facebook or Instagram), you have time for God!
Here are five things you can do to make time for God a priority — even when you barely have time to pee.
1. Make Time for God a Non-Negotiable Part of Your Daily Routine
Several places in the Bible, the Lord commands His people to bring Him their “firstfruits” as an offering. (Deut 18:4 and Ex 23:19 are two examples). While these verses typically refer to food offerings, the same concept applies to how we spend our time as well.
God is not satisfied with our leftovers. He wants to be our #1 priority.
Don’t aim to fit in time with God “when you have a chance” or “when you get around to it.” You’ll get busy. You’ll get distracted. You’ll forget. Ask me how I know…
Instead, look over your day in advance. Figure out when the BEST time to read your Bible/pray would be, and choose to set that time aside for God. Set it aside. Guard it. Treat it like an unbreakable appointment — even when you don’t feel like it.
Your time slot could be early in the morning, over your lunch break, in the afternoons when the kids are napping… it’s completely up to you. Just choose wisely.
Don’t give God your leftovers. Don’t choose 10pm if you know you’re going to be brain dead by then or 6am if you know you won’t get up. Give God the best spot.
I actually did this myself lately, and it was really beneficial.
One by one, I listed out my priorities — or at least, what I knew my priorities should be. Then, I scheduled them in – in order. I didn’t worry about priority #4 when I was on #2. I just went down the line.
Miraculously – there was plenty of time for everything. But even if there wasn’t, my top priorities deserved the best time slots, and I made sure they got them.
Yes, I had to move some things around, but that’s okay. My schedule now reflects what I want my heart to reflect.
2. Make Time for God an Integral Part of Your Entire Day
While making sure God gets the best spot in your day is a fantastic place to start, I’d really encourage you: don’t stop there! God doesn’t want part of you part of the time. He wants all of you all of the time!
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to sit and read the Bible every day for hours at a time, or that you have to study the Bible in-depth while you’re also trying to get dinner on the table. You want to do something realistic…
It simply means that you incorporate worship of and conversation with God into your daily routine.
For example, you could make time for God in your every day life by:
- Turning on Christian radio while you’re driving around town, while you’re cleaning the house, while you’re eating meals, or while you’re getting ready in the morning. (Spotify, Pandora and Youtube work well for this too!)
- Posting encouraging Bible verses around your home, at work, in the car.
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- Decorating your home with beautiful Christian items. Things like inspirational coffee mugs, fridge magnets and wall art.
- Creating a special prayer routine. It’s easier to remember to pray when you associate it with something else you do on a regular basis. For example, you could pray every time you get into the car, every time you use the restroom, or every time you walk up a flight of steps. Seems silly, but it can make for a very powerful habit.
- Memorising scripture so that you can meditate on it all day long.
3. Reevaluate How You’re Spending Your Time Currently
Of course, if fitting another thing into an already jam-packed schedule really is going to be a challenge, chances are you have way more things on your plate than you should.
Sure, they may be good, and even important, but if they are taking up so much time that you can’t make time for God, they have to go.
So… how are you spending your time currently?
I would encourage you to get really honest with yourself. Maybe take 3-4 days and write down absolutely everything you do. Don’t estimate. Write down where your time is actually going.
How much time do you spend:
- Getting ready in the mornings?
- On Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or other social sites?
- Watching TV?
- Talking or scrolling mindlessly on your phone?
- Shopping?
- Driving your kids around to various activities?
- Reading other books or magazines?
Not saying that you can never do these things — you can and should do at least most of them at some point — but if you are setting aside two hours a night to watch TV but you aren’t making time for God, something is wrong.
4. Surround Yourself with Godly Influences
And as for the time that you do spend watching TV, hanging out on social media, or reading other books and magazines – have you ever stopped to consider the quality of the messages you are letting in your life?
- Are the TV shows you’re watching promoting adultery, violence or gluttony?
- Are the books you’re reading teaching selfishness, self-pride or even witchcraft?
- Is scrolling through social media stirring up feelings of jealousy, anger or discontentment?
Now, I’m not saying that you have to stick to ONLY Christian Living books or Christian TV. It’s totally fine to get a variety from various sources. But… you do have to realize — any time you are spending with ungodly influences (whether that’s media, friends or anything else) is time that you aren’t spending with godly influences.
And if you never seem to have enough time for godly influences in your life, maybe it’s time for some of those ungodly influences to go to make room. This is a really easy way to make time for God — you just have to switch out what you’re already doing anyway!
5. Keep Your Expectations Reasonable
And last but not least, keep your expectations realistic.
There are some periods of life that are naturally going to be busier than others and that’s okay.
If you’re still in the newborn phase or you have a child with special needs, your quiet time is simply not going to look the same as a single woman in her early twenties or a married woman in her fifties whose kids have already flown the coop.
Your quiet times now may not look like they did 5 or 10 years ago, and they won’t look the same in 5 to 10 years down the road. Making time for God is going to be more difficult in seasons like these. And that’s okay.
God is not up in Heaven with a scorecard, marking down every minute you do (or don’t) spend in prayer. He isn’t keeping a huge tally card of how many verses you have memorised or how many pages of your Bible you read today.
1 Samuel 16: 7 tells us, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.””
What does your heart look like? That’s the question.
- Do you genuinely hunger for quiet time with the Lord?
- Do you look forward to reading your Bible or meeting with other Godly women as often as you can?
- When you do read your Bible and pray, do you do so with a humble, willing, and receptive spirit?
- Do you strive every day to grow deeper in your faith than you were the day before?
Answering these questions honestly will reveal a great deal about your real priorities.
Article supplied with thanks to Equipping Godly Women.
About the Author: Brittany is a wife, a mother of three, a writer, author, teacher, and lover of Jesus!
