The Art of Quiet Time

The season of life we're in {hello littles!} makes finding time for myself for quiet and stillness fairly difficult, not to mention quiet time with the Lord. Last week, after a rather long night with a restless little one, my husband offered to swing by my favorite coffee shop and grab me a coffee to drop back off before work.

I did one better. I asked him if I could run out and grab it while he ate breakfast with the kiddos so that I could have a few moments of alone time before my long day. He agreed.

However there was a slight little glitch in the plans.

While I envisioned a quiet car, my mind finally clear enough to let the Lord in, or to have that alone time to listen to music and relax for a bit, my son had other plans. He quite efficiently raced past me, slipped on his shoes in record time, bolted out the door, opened the van door, shut the van door, and was in his seat with his belt on before my fingers touched the driver's side door.

Apparently he was going along. And let the record state that he was fully capable of getting ready and heading out the door quickly. We'll just keep that moment fresh in our minds for the next time we have trouble getting the troops out the door because they haven't put their shoes on yet or grumble that they can't get their seat belt on yet.

So there we were. Me, behind the wheel, and him, grinning from ear to ear in my rearview mirror. Seconds later, before I could put it in reverse, the hubs was at the door motioning for me to stop. It appeared that a little mini version of me was also tagging along now, having convinced her daddy through her tear soaked sobs that she deserved to go along for the ride as well.

So much for mommy time.

I announced to the kids that this was still mommy's quiet time, and that although they were all-aboard the coffee train, I was theoretically alone in the front seat. And then I blared some Rend Collective. They giggled and thought it was funny that they'd hijacked mommy's alone time. Ironically, about three blocks later, my son looked over at his sister and announced in a stern voice, "Please be quiet! I want some alone time!"

REALLY!? Do you understand the meaning of alone time!? Because you imposed on Mommy's!

Sigh. Breathe. It's all good. Hot, smooth coffee was mere minutes away.

I'm realizing more and more as my kiddos get older that quiet time is harder and harder to come by unless I make it a priority. I'm realizing that I need to actually listen to the prompting of the Spirit to go and read or pray or journal, and not just assume I'll have time later in my day if that moment feels like now. I'm learning the balance of not feeling guilty for Saturday morning coffee time out of the house, or other ways to find respite from the many demands of mommyhood. What I am still convicted and struggling and wrestling with is how to choose time with the Lord over other distractions, like movies, Facebook, and other things. While those are OK, I still know that I choose them over time with the Lord more often than not. But I'm learning to give myself grace in finding this balance. It's not going to happen overnight, but with consistency over time.

And to have grace with my kiddos when that mommy time sometimes gets interrupted with giggles and smiles and last minute adventures on the way to scones and caffeine.

On the way home from our little outing, the song "I Will Never Walk Alone" came on, and it seemed very fitting for my mommy world that day, with a slight bit of irony thrown in. The reminder that no matter what my day brings, the Lord is walking with me in it. He's granting me the delight and responsibility of discipling these littles, and He's granting me the wisdom, and truck loads of grace, to go about it. And for the ironic part, that someday I'll go to the bathroom without little feet following me in, or sneak the chocolate without them sniffing it from three rooms and a set of stairs away.

Oh. I should mention that the scones I let them have were espresso chocolate scones. Yep. Coffee scones. It's kind of my own fault they were bouncing all over the walls during school time, and making side comments like, "See, I told you we could freak Mommy out!"