For years, I struggled to have a consistent “quiet” time. Since college, the Lord has worked in my heart in regards to this. He used trial to birth a deep love for his Word in me. God taught me his Word is a necessary part of my day, not just something to do if I have time. As seasons of motherhood change, so have my perspective on “quiet” times. As moms, it’s easy to buy into this myth of quiet. Ideally, we open our Bibles with a warm cup of coffee and a silent house. When that’s hard to come by, we allow that to be the excuse to not open our Bibles. Dear friends, though Scripture commands we delight in God’s Word (Ps. 1:1-2), meditate on it (Joshua 1:8), and live by it (2 Tim. 3:16), it never commands we must do so quietly. Yes, Jesus took time to be alone with the Father (Matt. 14:23), and we should seek this when we can. However, long to-do lists and loud homes should never be excuses to not study our Bibles.
My boys’ nap times used to be a wonderful time for my Bible study, but now, nap times are fading. My house is rarely quiet. Many other moms have little quiet, whether that be due to children’s ages, work schedules, or other reasons. This shouldn’t hinder us from studying God’s Word, though. If we believe studying the Bible is necessary (and it is), then we’ll incorporate it into our lives, no matter how chaotic the season may be.
Mamas, I know we long for quiet moments with God’s Word, but can I exhort you with this? Let your kids “catch” you reading your Bible. Goodness, there’s beauty in those quiet moments, but I’ve also learned there’s beauty in studying God’s Word in the midst of the chaos too. Here are some benefits to studying our Bibles while our kids are wide awake:
They see Jesus is real to us. We try to talk about Jesus a lot in our home. What I want my children to understand, though, is Jesus isn’t someone Mommy just talks to them about. He’s the very Bread of Life (John 6:35) who mommy needs to feast on daily. Jesus is so real to me, and I so desperately want my kids to know that. I hope when they see me open my Bible, they get a small glimpse of this.
They see what daily, faithful living unto the Lord looks like. Our family LOVES the local church. I believe an important part of discipling our children is teaching them to love and prioritize it. Another part of though, is teaching them how to live for Jesus Monday-Saturday. Christianity is about abiding in the Vine (John 15:5), which means we’re to faithfully walk unto the Lord daily, not just at church. When our kids see us read our Bibles, we show them one way we do this.
It sparks conversation. Most of the time, my kids aren’t too interested when I have my Bible open. There are sweet times, though, when they are, and they ask a question about what I’m studying. What an opportunity! I get to share with them the book of the Bible I’m reading, what I’m learning, and why I prioritize reading the Word.
It can help develop fruit in their own lives. Toddlers who need juice refills are quite the impatient people, aren’t they? When I’m reading my Bible, I teach my kids these things can wait. Of course, if there were an emergency or real need, I’d meet that. However, what our little people usually ask for fall under more of the “want” category rather than the “need”. In these moments, I again get to emphasize the importance of Bible study. It’s also an opportunity for my children to practice things such as patience and self-control. Of course, this fruit can only truly be developed by the work of the Spirit, but I fully believe he can use waiting on a juice refill to grow them!
They see us humbly submit to Christ. Reading our Bible in front of our children isn’t to show our awesome-ness. No, we don’t want to be the Pharisees, praying publicly just to be seen (Matt. 6:5). What we want to model for our children is our great need for Christ. We model that we’re weak people who struggle with temptations, quickly forget the promises of Christ, and desperately want to grow in our love for Christ. When we open God’s Word with our children around, we do so with an attitude of humility. What we want our children to know is we can live without a lot of things- coffee, a nap, or chocolate- but we most definitely can’t live without Jesus. Daily, we’re to humbly submit to Christ’s lordship, and reading our Bibles is one way we do that.
Mamas, our children are more likely to follow what we model for them versus what we say to them. If we tell them to read their Bibles, but they don’t see it prioritized in our lives, then they’ll probably brush off that exhortation. Instead, let’s tell them the importance of God’s Word and show it. Throw the myth of a quiet time out the window. Satan wants that to hinder us from Bible study. The truth is, we’re not to busy to study the Bible. We just may need to get creative in how we do it! There are days when my boys get a few extra minutes screen time so I can study my Bible, and I’m 100% okay with that. Being in the Word is so necessary that a few extra minutes of Paw Patrol is totally worth it. Instead of quiet times, let’s seek to have “personal Bible study” times with the Lord. Let’s seek God both when the house is quiet and when there are Nerf gun bullets flying across our living room. His Word is a great treasure that’s worth it, dear friends.
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