I am not a mom, so I don’t have much experience with trying to find time to do a Bible study with munchkins running around. BUT! I do have friends who struggle with this every week. I think that mothers have plenty of reasons why they aren’t able to find time for their Bible study, but that is still no excuse. Based off what I have heard from mothers with kids ranging from one month to eighteen years, there are times that you can sit down and do your study, even if it’s intermittently.
There are many sermons and lectures and devotions about when is the best time to do your Bible study. While these contain great advice, it depends when is the best time for each person, mom, and wife. As always, this is a great thing to pray about. Ask the Lord when He wants you to spend time with Him. We are all wired differently and have different attention spans at different times of the day.
My advice is to try to be consistent with the times you choose, but don’t beat yourself up if it changes from time to time, especially when you’re a mother.
Disclaimer: It’s easy to sit here and write about all the different times to do your Bible study, but it’s not always as easy to just sit down and do it. I’ll be the first to say that there are days when I am lacking the ability to do my Bible study during any one of those times written above. There are times when I simply don’t want to do my Bible study or feel like I’m too busy to do so. But I have learned that those are the best times to push myself to spend even 10 minutes doing something with the Lord…anything. It is a daily battle with ourselves, but I know that even amongst our brokenness, we can push ourselves.
So here are some different times for when to do your Bible study.
During the morning, before the house wakes up.
-It’s almost painful for me to write this part because I love sleep. But when I really think about it, waking up 15-30 minutes before everyone else isn’t all that bad. Give it a try. It’s something and it’s a great way to prepare your mind for the what will happen during the day.
During the morning, either when the kids are taken care of, they’re off to school, or they’re taking their nap.
-I’ve heard that when kids are taking their naps, that’s when mothers try to get things done. So take a little bit of that time to spend in God’s word. I once heard a story about a mom who taught her kids that when she had her Bible out and she was in a certain spot, they could not bother her for anything (unless is was an absolute emergency). She taught them the importance of spending time with God. Maybe this would be a good thing to try.
During lunch.
-Everybody’s lunch looks different, but when the kids are eating lunch, pull your Bible study out, even if just for a few minutes.
At night, after your husband comes home.
-You’re a team of two, your husband and you. Communicate with him and ask if he can watch the kids for 15-30 minutes while you do your study.
From what I’ve seen, everyday looks completely different. That’s okay! Take whatever time the Lord gives you each day to spend time with Him, even if it’s a few minutes here and there. The important part is that you spend time with Him each day, even if it’s just praying.