Why I don’t spend alone time with God in the morning and why it's ok…

You probably clicked on the article just because of the title. You were probably taken back by the fact that I don’t spend alone time with God first thing in the morning because the best way to start your day on the right foot is to saturate yourself in God’s Word to prepare yourself for whatever battles lie ahead of you that day. Doesn’t the Bible say that we should be meditating on God’s word day and night (Joshua 1:8)? Then, you read that I think it is ok and you immediately jumped to the thought in your head that this is not ok. It is important as a follower of God to be reading His Word and daily learning from Him. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that the scripture is breathed out by God himself for us to use for teaching, reproof, correction, and training so that we can be equipped to do His work.

Let me just take a moment to clear up any misconceptions you may have in your head and further explain what I mean by this. I am at a season of my life where it is nearly impossible for me to be up before my children in the morning. This summer there have even been a few days where I have been up before 5 and my children still wake up within a few minutes of my feet hitting the floor. So between my children waking when I get up in the morning and the fact that I still get up multiple times a night to nurse my youngest, I am just about never alone in the morning. My children are also at a point in their lives that once they wake up in the morning they typically need me. I can’t just tell them to find something to do until I finish my “alone time” with God.

Don’t get me wrong, I personally love spending time alone with God uninterrupted to just soak up His Word and meditate on what He is speaking to me. I love having time to pour out my heart to God in peace and quiet and listen to His voice as I pray for His will in my life. I love it so much that I began to become disgruntled with my children over the fact that they wouldn’t just let me have 10 minutes in the morning to read my bible, drink my coffee, and pray. My heart had become bitter.

I had taken a really good thing and turned it into a reason to be upset with my children. I began to justify my bitterness because it wasn’t a bad thing that I wanted. But God was kind enough to reveal Himself to me and open my eyes to this bitterness. He allowed me to see that instead of teaching my children the importance of reading God’s Word and spending time praying, I was teaching them that the Bible made mommy mad. Every time she tried to read the Bible and was interrupted she would get upset.

This is by far the last thing I want my children to associate with God’s Word. I want them to know the importance of reading and learning from scripture, not deter them from seeking it out themselves as they grow.

So rather than continue in my bitterness, I have taken the opportunity to change my morning routine for this season of life. If I happen to get up and get some alone time with God, I always take it but I prepare myself for the company of little people and I make them join in on my Bible reading and praying. Even if it is my 2.5 year old that is up with me, I read aloud and pray so that he can hear me. If it is my almost 6 year old, I take the time to further explain what we are reading and we pray together. I want to cultivate a love for reading scripture and seeking out God’s teaching in my children. I want them to learn that this is an extremely important aspect of life and that it isn’t something that makes me bitter and angry. I want them to know that this is where my joy comes from.

Are your kids at a stage where you can get "alone time" in the morning? If not, how do you incorporate your kids into your time with God?