Lessons from a Piano

     Our children have an incredible piano teacher who wisely (in my opinion) doesn't requires long obdurate practices that would be tempting to skip on once in a while, but instead adamantly calls her students to consistent, smaller practice times.  Interestingly, when daily practice is mandatory only in small amounts, our children go back to the piano at various points in the day and pursue it for their own enjoyment.

     Daily times in smaller amounts are far more effective than sporadic lengthy ones, is the theory.

     We've seen the fruit with our children's piano skills and I believe this theory can be applied further than piano.  I see it in my own life with time in God's Word.  When I used to place an expectation on myself (please note I placed the expectation, not God) of lengthy times in the Bible because I felt I had to do it, I was sporadic too. 

     Then a day came, years ago, when I felt like God urged me to let go of the "have to" and embrace the "want to".  It meant I let go of the rules I'd placed around my personal devotional time and just embraced rediscovering God in His Word -- small amounts every day.

     What does this look like years later?  I LOVE being in the Word! 

     My appetite for God's Word had to grow through practice times just like my children and their piano -- small and consistent led me to long for more and more of the Word.  Far more enjoyable than the demand of feeling it had to be done, trying to make it lengthy and then having it turn out sporadic.

     I KNOW I NEED to be in God's Word and presence daily because He loves me and has important truths that I NEED;  BUT I also know that HE KNOWS it is hard to make that happen some days. 

     For me the call to small amounts consistently, has led to much longer times, but small and steady was what I needed to get started on this race!

     Let's not make God's Word part of our daily "to-do list" . . . let's make it part of our daily "want-to-do list"!  God has treasures He wants to share, but we have to take time to be present in order to receive them.   Commit to small and steady and let Him increase the desire for more!

"As for God, His way is perfect;

the WORD of the Lord is flawless."

II Samuel 22:31



How Do You Find Time?

Let's tackle the topic of getting time in the Word, because that can be very hard to do, can't it?  I am going to assume the value is there for you to want to be in the Word but the next question comes - HOW DO YOU FIND TIME?  We live in a society and a generation that often lives beyond the point of healthy balance and life is full of demands that we feel we need to meet.  If you value the importance of being in God's Word but can't seem to find the time, what should you do?

What I want to share with you comes from what I have learned over time and continued to implement, but it has to begin with a question ~ How badly do you want to spend time with God and in His Word?  Because I can tell you all my disciplines and routines, but if you only think it of moderate importance to be reading your Bible, it won't matter to you.  Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me WHEN you seek me with all your heart."  So if your heart is not yet there, determine to begin the routine of being in the Word regardless of how you "feel" and ask God to increase your desire ~ He will!

Since having babies, which began over thirteen years ago for me, I have realized the increased challenge that comes with carving out time for this most valuable discipline.  When my first babies were little, I began to press in and determine to be in the Word on a daily basis but I felt it had to be early in the morning and with new babies that seemed impossible and I was very discouraged.  Then the Lord showed me something that transformed my ability to take time with Him - it was a first fruits issue.  This means that as I prayed about my frustration of needing to nurse a baby first thing in the morning and how hard it was to find time to be up earlier (especially if I had been up in the night a lot), I felt like God gave me this question to apply to my desire of being in the Word - What was my most precious time of consistent quietness?  And was I willing to give it to Him?  Just like with tithing, when we give the first fruits of our money BEFORE we pay the bills, I felt like God was asking me to give Him my very best time in my day BEFORE I did other things I might like to do with that time.  I applied that starting then, and have never looked back - it has carried me through every stage thus far.

What is unique for me as a mom, is that during different stages, that time slot has changed at various times but because God gave me a clear principle, my time in the Word has remained very consistent.  During the stages in my life so far, when I have had nursing babies, my first fruit time was around 1:00 in the afternoon when everyone was down for naps or a rest.  Now that my youngest is getting older, for the past few years I have turned back to mornings and promising myself to be showered, dressed and in my quiet time spot by 7:00 in the morning.  This is not about law or legalism dictating that I have to do this or God won't love me - He loves you and me regardless of whether we crack open our Bibles at all this week.  BUT if He has strength for me to draw on, a desire to hear my heart and for me to worship Him, wisdom to give me what I need with my children, patience to get me through the exhausting moments - why would I not do whatever it takes to be with Him?

I can promise you that opposition will come against that time; the phone will ring, kids will need you, thoughts of things that seem pressing to accomplish will flood over you - but don't give up!  Keep pressing into the Lord and time with Him.  Don't let the busyness of life and the noise of our environments drown out the One who loves you more than anyone ever could!  He wants to be with you and is waiting to spend time with you.

(Here is a link to an older post in which I share more on this topic - enjoy)  http://www.myheartathome.com/2010/03/why-read-bible.html