You might be thinking that this is a blog about and for kids, but I wanted to tell you how I structure my (planned) time with God. Obviously, you can spend time with God anywhere, BUT, I find if I don’t have a small schedule in place, it doesn’t happen at all – anyone with me?!
I heard this quote regarding time with God that has really stuck with me: “In the physical realm, we eat to get full. But in the spiritual realm, we eat to get hungry.” (Leigh Kohler)
That is so true for me! The more time I spend with God the more I want to know Him!
So, without further ado, here’s what’s happening most mornings in the Crawford house.
Time: My kids get up at 6:15 a.m. (well, let me clarify, I don’t open the door to their room until 6:15 a.m.). Having a hard and fast wake-up time for my kids really helps me work backwards. It means that I want to start my time with Jesus by 5:45 a.m. It’s sometimes earlier but never later. When scheduling anything, I find working backwards helps(pro-tip from a disorganized person, ha).
Order of Operations (hello, middle school math term):
- Devotional book – I usually read a one-pager from a devotional book first. I like this one, this one and this one.
- Bible reading – I follow the Munger Bible reading plan. Boom. I usually read the passage a few times through.
- The Power of a Praying Wife – I hesitated to mention this because it might not apply to everyone, but I pray one of these prayers every morning. There is a full version of this book, I believe, but I have just a short version with some prayers.
- Pray/Journal – I start by thanking God for specific blessings, then confessing my sins from the past day, and then I bullet point prayer requests for myself and my people.
All of the pictures that pop up when I Google “quiet time” feel so serene and calm, and, often, it doesn’t feel that way in our house. I struggle to make it out of bed and my kids are still in their room but they are usually(umm..definitely) singing some songs in their bed. But, God absolutely honors my effort. Ultimately, I want our kids to grow up knowing that we practice what we preach over here even when it’s a hot mess.
I’m not sure if it needs to be said, but there is no right way!! I hope this gives you some ideas!
Munger Kids 