That Quiet Time Thing Again

Let me begin by asking you to remember that a few days ago I posted about quiet time building your relationship with the Lord being the most important thing in our daily journey to becoming more like the Proverbs 31 Woman. I also admitted that I am not in the same routine as I used to be with this, and this lack of quiet time with the Lord has cause me much, much heartache. I keep a running dialogue with Him, we converse many times throughout the day, and I usually feel His prescence with me. Even when I do not, I know that He is there. It has taken me a LONG time to get to that point, and I am so thankful for it, but I still miss those sweet, special times with my Father.

My routine became disrupted with the birth of our second child, my daughter. A new baby disrupts anyone's routine, but just as I was getting back in the swing of things, figuring out how to get up before her and have that precious Bible Study, she was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. This requires us to do chest physical therapy on her twice a day for 30 minutes per day. As a working mother, this shattered my morning routine... but we adjusted. I got up 30 minutes earlier (4:30 am) and nursed her, then I put her back to bed and did my Bible Study, took my shower, then came back and did the treatment. (When she was a tiny baby, you could not do this within a hour of her having eaten.) Then I got dressed and we left. I was exhausted, but surviving. I continue to praise Him that she most often sleeps through these treatments.

In the past few months however, a new issue has come up. She is now an active 19 month old, and the ONLY way I can do her treatment is while she is asleep, as it required her to be still for the entire 30 minutes! Though I do not have to wait for a set period of time after she eats, I now have to get up early enough to get her up while she is still asleep, keep her asleep or put her back to sleep, do her treatment, and put her back to bed. The back to bed part almost NEVER happens. When it does, those are the mornings that I actually get my "quiet time."

I have cried out, Father please, how do I make this work. The gentle answer? "You do not control when she wakes, when she sleeps, when she goes back to bed, or when she doesn't, I (God) do. You do what you are supposed to do as what I have made you... her mother. Take care of her, do her treatments, and love on her. Then make an effort to recognize the time I give you to spend time with Me. "

He is absolutely right, I have no control over whether or not I really get time before she wakes up in this circumstance. None of us really can control when our kids wake up, can we. We CAN however, make the effort to get up at a time when we can most expect to be able to meet with Him... isn't He worth a few less minutes of sleep? ( I am trying to find the sweet spot for when I can get up and take care of her and she will go back to bed for a little while:) The rest is up to Him. He doesn't want us to see our children as a bother or a hinderance. If you can occupy them with something and get some Bible Study in, then YAAY. We are working on this also...but my biggest prayer related to this right now is this..."Heavenly Father, please help me to recognize those precious moments you do provide as opportunities to be with you, and not waste them on other things. Help me to see what I could give up, and recognize the time for what it is before it is flittered away on worldly things. Amen."

I have discovered that occassionally I have some time at lunch when the kiddos are in daycare, sometimes they go to sleep a little earlier and hubby is working late, and sometimes on Saturday baby is napping, hubby is watching TV, and the laundry can wait... my God wants to visit with me and I with Him. These opportunities do not come all that often, but as I asked for revelation, I realized they come much more often than I thought... thank you Father!

Each situation and circumstance is different, the point is to make sure you are REALLY trying, and trust Him to meet you wherever and whenever He provides the time. You just have to RECOGNIZE those times when they come:)