Prayer Time

I can't even say how many times I have been told to set aside an hour for prayer each day. I have always loved the idea in theory, but did not think it was very realistic for someone with young children. With waking up in the night all the time, I could not possibly imagine giving up a second of sleep... for any reason!

Through an Advent retreat I did online, I made it a goal to try to read the gospel and spend some time in prayer each day. I realized in my busy schedule this was not working during the day. Once the kids woke up in the morning it was not possible. They were hungry and we needed to start Hudson's school right away or else it was hard to get him motivated. Quiet prayer was not possible in the afternoon either since nap time was constantly being interrupted and sometimes did not even happen. Even if I did get a moment to sit down and have some quiet prayer time, I was so distracted. I struggled with the thoughts of all I had to do hanging over me. I remember feeling frustrated that I could not find just 10 minutes to myself to even think.

One morning, Sam woke me up at 5:30. After nursing him back to sleep, I was wide awake. I made some coffee, took out my journal, reflected on the gospel and spent an hour in the silence of my house without a single little person begging me to make them breakfast. It was glorious! That particular day I noticed I had so much more grace than usual. I had more patience, I thought more about my actions and longed for some more quiet prayerful time with the Lord.

I decided from that moment on that I would try to set an alarm for 5:45 each day. I weighed out the fact that even if I lost sleep, my sanity for the day would be greater if I could have that hour with the Lord. I figured too, God would fill in the gaps and give me energy where and when I needed it.

My morning prayer time has turned into something I honestly look forward to from the moment I am finished until I get to do it again the next morning. There is something about waking up and starting your day off in silence with God. I do have to say my coffee drinking significantly increased with my 5:45 alarm! But hey, God provides.

I am realizing the more time I spend with God, the more time I long to spend with him. I have a greater appreciation for silence and an even greater appreciation for the time I get to spend with my children. It's amazing how your mood can change when you are not being pulled out of bed, or awakened by a crying child in the morning. Our mornings have become very peaceful around here. It really is true, if you give God time he will multiply and bless it!

So I challenge you, if you have not done it yet, set your alarm and give yourself some quiet time with God in the morning. It does not have to be an hour at first. Try 15 minutes. You owe it to yourself, your spouse, your children and most importantly to God, the one who created time itself!