Ideas For Spending Time with God in Any Stage of Life
In this life with kids with disability, everything changes; including the time, mental, and emotional energy we have as moms to put into our time getting to know God and His words to us.
Written by Sarah McGuire
In this life with kids with disability, everything changes; including the time, mental, and emotional energy we have as moms to put into our time getting to know God and His words to us.
There is never one “right” way to get to know God, learn about Him, and spend time with Him. There is so much freedom in that! It can look different for everyone. Not only that, what it looks like will very likely change over the years and seasons of our lives as our time and other responsibilities change.
In college, I used a set daily format, went through 2-10 verses at a time, took notes, and spent time praying for a total of around 30 minutes. On occasion, I skipped dinner or snuck away on weekends to get longer periods of uninterrupted time in stillness reading and praying.
But then there was marriage and kids and a child with a disability and medical issues. I didn’t even have two quiet minutes, let alone hours to steal away.
Maybe you’ve never read the Bible through in its entirety and are at a spot in life where that would be a perfect goal for you and would help you get to know God more. Maybe you have to sit in a therapy or doctor waiting room for a few hours per week and that would fit in beautifully. It’s an admirable and worthy goal! I’m so thankful I’ve been able to do that many times. It has been enriching to see the whole of God’s plan throughout time and to see themes repeated I would not have seen were I reading a few verses or one or two chapters at a time.
If you are in a place like I found myself this past December, maybe it’s time to change things up.
My solution - I’ve purchased a coloring Bible, because I don’t sit in quiet stillness well anymore. This year I am going to spend time coloring and meditating on one verse per day while resting and waiting in God’s presence.
If you are in a stage of life where kids and caregiving are making Bible and God time difficult to impossible, here some suggestions:
First, focus on being faithful to whatever God has put into your day. If caring for a child all day (and all night) is what He has put in your day, don’t feel guilty for not getting in a time of Bible reading or study. There was a time when Elijah was doing God’s work to the point of exhaustion. God didn’t tell him to get with it and do more. No, God sent an angel to give him food and water and told Elijah to eat, rest, and eat some more. If that’s the stage you are in, be faithful with what is in front of you. Rest in God and knowing He loves and cares for you. It’s about His grace and mercy, not your effort!
Second, once you’ve rested and eaten, try to memorize one or two verses that you can meditate on should your child fall asleep in your arms and you don’t dare to move a muscle (I’ve been there). I liked Isaiah 40:11 and Zephaniah 3:17, but choose ones that speak to your heart and mind.
Third, I encourage you to get an audio Bible. YouVersion has a read aloud feature for free that can be used with the various Bible reading plans. Last year, I got the One Year Chronological Bible on Audible for $6.50. That’s a great investment to be able to fit some Bible “reading” into bits and pieces of your day when a paper copy just won’t work.
Whatever stage you are in, there is a way to spend some focused time with God. Even if it’s when your child has fallen into an exhausted sleep in your arms after hours of screaming and you just picture yourself held in His arms just as you are holding your child in your arms.
Written by Sarah McGuire
Giving Thanks When You Don't Feel Thankful
When you are struggling to find things to be thankful for in everyday life, here are five truths about God that you can praise Him for this Thanksgiving season. Written by Jonathan McGuire
It’s two weeks from Thanksgiving. For many households around the United States, Thanksgiving means turkey dinner, pumpkin pie, family reunions and football. It will often include a round of everyone sharing something that they are thankful for.
What does Thanksgiving mean for you and your family?
When we were new to this journey, Thanksgiving meant trying to figure out how to feed our son his specialty diet at the larger family get togethers, sensory overload, and missing old traditions while trying to learn enough to make new traditions.
Perhaps this is where you find yourself. When you are in this spot, it can be difficult to find things to be thankful for and you may feel disingenuous trying to muster the energy to celebrate, when all you feel is overwhelmed.
When you are struggling to find things to be thankful for in everyday life, here are five truths about God that you can praise Him for this Thanksgiving season.
God is with you. – Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me.”
He is in control.- Psalms 73:26 “My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart.”
He understands your pain. – Psalms 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
You are loved – John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
He has a plan - 1 Corinthians 12:18 “But as it is, God arranged all the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.”
This Thanksgiving, when you feel like you are overwhelmed and can’t take one more step forward. Pause, take a breath, and reflect on one of these truths. When you do this regularly, you will find your anxiety levels will decrease, your sense of peace will increase, and you will truly have something for which to be thankful.
Written by Jonathan McGuire
