I couldn’t afford to be empty anymore

I remember the twinge of jealousy as I watched my brother in-law bounce down the camper steps. He donned his back-pack and hopped on his bike. 

I knew he was headed to a quiet bench to sit by the water. Yes, I was jealous. Not because of the view at the water’s edge or the stunning sunrise he would get to see, no, I wasn’t jealous of that. It was the QUIET.  Just hearing gentle waves lapping upon the shore. Maybe a call of a bird or two. Who am I kidding, I have no clue what people hear while sitting on the bank by themselves. Can you hear birds? Are there other sounds?

I wouldn’t know. 

But that’s not all my brother-in-law does each morning during our family camp outs, he also spends time with God. He reads, prays, and does whatever else someone with more time than me does during quiet time. 

I wouldn’t know. 

I still remember that day, even though it was years ago. I felt trapped. Hung on to by little kids all day. Surrounded by noise. That “can’t even go to the toilet without being needed” stage of life. All day, every day. To be honest, up at the campground and the beach there were times of respite. While the kids played with the cousins, I could sit and sneak a bit of reading or journaling in.  

At home though, there were no times of break. No times of quietness. My kids ended naps WAY too early. Like they hardly made it to the two-year mark. Seriously no rest for the weary. 

I felt trapped. Even more so, I felt guilty. Guilty because I knew I was supposed to read my Bible and pray, but I didn’t have time. Someone always needed me. Someone was always awake. I never had time for myself.  

I could never afford to take time to be with God.

I was so low, nothing else was helping. I just poured out over and over again but my insides were not renewed. I was empty. I was broken. After living years in this empty place and thinking I NEVER had time, slowly God opened my eyes to the fact that I could not afford to skip time to be with Jesus. 

I could not afford to do life without meeting with Jesus each day. I could not afford to go about my weeks being hung on to by kids, being surrounded by noise, with never a moment’s break, without first being filled up with God. 

I HAD to take the time! I couldn’t go forward without it. I could never afford to be empty again.

They say an “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And yes, I know it’s meant for fire prevention. But some days this mama’s tongue was a fire, in a bad sort of way. Just an ounce of prevention, an ounce of perspective realignment, an ounce of God’s Truth being infiltrated into my heart… is worth a pound of cure. 

I started with just five minutes. That’s it. Girl, do you have five minutes? I’d love to show you an acronym that changed my quiet time and consequently my walk with Jesus. 

TAP was a method I learned to study the Word. It was easy, and could take as long or as short of time I had. It worked, no matter if I read in Genesis, Psalms, or Acts.  It only required a Bible and a notebook or journal. Simple, really. But it worked. 

T = Truth: I read the Bible. Most days, it was just 2-5 verses. (That’s all this sleep-deprived mommy brain could digest.) Out of the few verses I read, I would pick one that stuck out to me. I would write that verse down. 

A = Application/Action: I would write down an application that I learned through what I read. Something God was speaking to me. A little gem I needed to hold on to throughout the long day. 

P = Prayer: I would write a prayer. Writing my prayers helped me stay more focused. Pouring it out on paper, getting my struggles out in the light, putting my praise and thanksgiving in front of me… wow, it was so freeing. This worked for me. (TAP still works for me!)  I’ve shared it with many other women, and it works for them. It works with a reading plan, or no reading plan, works when you’re doing one chapter a day or 3 verses. It works when you’re studying a topic, and when you’re reading through the whole Bible cover to cover. 

Since that desperate, jealous day at the campground, the way I think has changed. I’ve realized I CAN NOT afford to skip time with God. I learned I need it every day. There is a day here or there that gets missed, and I can tell (my family can tell too…sniff sniff). I’ve learned so much about God and the Bible, my relationship with Jesus is so much deeper, and my love for Him has grown through spending time with Him.

Friend, if you are in a similarly empty place, I’d love for you to check out some of the resources I’ve created!

Learn More About My Studies

If you want a jump-start on this, check out this book: * Finding Time with Jesus; an EBook that digs deeper into our stories, gives tips for getting quiet time done, the important whys behind it, and the lies we girls sometimes believe about quiet time.

THE SHOP 

Quote

I could not afford to do life without meeting with Jesus each day.

Get your copy of 5 Things Every Homeschool Mom Needs

when you enter your email below

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */