MYTHS MOMS BELIEVE ABOUT DAILY DEVOTIONS THAT KEEP THEM FROM DOING IT
Originally Published on February 4, 2019
MOST CHRISTIANS KNOW THAT SPENDING TIME IN THE WORD OF GOD IS A MUST, BUT MANY OF US HAVE A HARD TIME ACTUALLY DOING IT. AS A MOM OF YOUNG CHILDREN, THIS TASK CAN FEEL EVEN HARDER.
Truthfully, it took me a long time to find my groove when I became a mom a couple of years ago and devotions were really not part of my life.
But then I listened to Risen Motherhood’s Episode “She Reads Truth: God’s Word Everyday, in Every Season” with the founders of She Reads Truth, Raechel and Amanda. They talked about some of the common hangups that moms face when trying to get in a “quiet time” with the Lord each day and the episode really opened my eyes to a new way of approaching devotions.
I was blown away by some of the myths we believe and since busting them, I’ve slowly started to be able to make reading the Word a routine part of my day again. So here’s a rundown of the myths moms believe about daily devotions that keep us from doing them.
DEVOTIONS MUST BE IN THE MORNING.
I get it. It makes sense that we should start our day off in the Word of God. It sets our focus for the day and helps us to wake up filled with joy and grace.
But for moms of young kids, mornings can be truly crazy. Toddlers often hit the ground running and everyone needs breakfast and clothes right away. To top it off, many moms are up half the night with a baby which means they need to sleep as much as they can to face the day.
For these reasons, daily devotions first thing in the morning felt impossible for me.
But because I believed the lie that I must do them in the morning, I ended up skipping them all together rather than doing them later in the day.
Once I gave myself permission to do my devotions at different times of the day, so many more opportunities suddenly popped up and it felt so much easier to make time in the Word a priority in my day.
2. WE MUST DO DEVOTIONS WHEN WE'RE ALL ALONE.
The second myth we believe is that we must do our devotions in solitude. I think this probably comes from Matthew 6:6 which says,
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
This instruction was meant to keep us from trying to impress others with our prayers and fellowship with God so we’ve come to believe that it’s good practice to do our devotions in private.
Unfortunately, most moms do not have much alone time so we often feel like we don’t have a chance to read the Word.
I would argue, however, that it is vitally important that our kids see us reading the Bible and praying to God. Simply telling our kids that devotions are important is not enough. They have to see it to believe it.
So don’t worry if your kids are watching you or even sitting on your lap while you read and pray. It’s good for them to see and so much better for you than to not do any devotions at all.
3. OUR DAILY QUIET TIME MUST BE AN UNINTERRUPTED 30-MINUTE CHUNK.
We often feel like our time in the Word is supposed to be a certain length and we must be able to do it all in one setting. I’m not sure exactly where we get this idea from other than it helps us to know we’re “doing enough.”
But for many moms, finding a time of day when they can sit uninterrupted is difficult, which stops them from trying at all.
Since busting this myth, I’ve resolved to simply start my devotions each day. I leave my books and my Bible out on the couch and even though I have to stop to grab my toddler a snack or nurse my baby, I try to just keep coming back to my reading until I’m done.
I’ve found that not only do I spend time in the Word this way, but I think about what I’m studying for longer because I’m reading little by little all. day. long.
4. DAILY DEVOTIONS MUST BE A QUIET TIME.
Another synonym we use for time spent reading the Bible is “quiet time” with God. So in our minds we often picture sitting on the back porch with a coffee cup in hand and peaceful nature sounds all around.
But when this luxurious quiet time is hard to find, we end up skipping out on devotions altogether.
I completely understand that we can focus a little better and dig a little deeper into scripture when we’re in a quiet room but we can’t focus on the Word at all if we aren’t taking the time to open up the Bible in the first place.
Full disclosure, I often read my Bible while my toddler is watching TV. I truly think it’s worth the screen time and I’ve learned to just tune out the background noise.
5. THIS SEASON IS JUST TOO HARD.
And finally, the last myth we believe about our time in the Word of God is that it would be easier to do in a different season of life.
We remember the pleasant old days when we were free to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted or we daydream about the day when we can drop all the kids off at school and come home to a quiet house.
We tell ourselves that we would be so much better at reading our Bibles in those seasons than the one we’re currently in.
But the truth is, making our daily devotions a priority is always hard. In every season.
Life is busy and there will constantly be other things that try to take up our time. Furthermore, it takes discipline to read the Word because the sin inside us is constantly telling us we don’t need to abide in Him.
So truthfully, it won’t be any easier in the next season of life. In fact, the only way to make it easier is to simply start now. The more we read His Word, the more of a habit it becomes and the more delight we find in Him.
Even though there may be plenty of reasons why doing daily devotions is difficult, there are even more reasons why it’s actually a great idea, especially in this tough season of motherhood.
So mama, go ahead and pick out a new devotional, grab a fresh notebook, and get in the Bible. Your “quiet time” may not be uninterrupted, private, or even quiet at all. But, His Word is still living, active, powerful, and perfect for today ♥️
My love for you is limited but the love of our Father God is limitless. Click the pic to read more about how a mother’s love compares to the love of God.