Listen to the podcast episode that coincides with this week's blog post: Episode 24, How a Busy Mom Gets Quality Time with God Daily; Becoming a Power House Parent
We've begun a theme in our weekly time together in blog posts and the podcast called "Living a Lifestyle of Feasting with the Father." This theme will last several weeks and week three. On the podcast, we discuss lots of different parenting topics, but I am taking a few minutes in each podcast for several weeks to discuss the topic of living a lifestyle of "feasting" with our Heavenly Father.
* In part 1, blog post and (podcast episode 22), we learned: God is your source – even as multi-tasking marathon mamas, you know that God has prepared a banquet table for you all along your marathon path. What our children need most from us is a mom who is living a lifestyle of Feasting with the Father. Our kids don’t need all the latest gadgets. They don’t need to have a hip mom who knows all the right lingo and dresses in the cutest yoga pants on the block. Your kids don’t need all the greatest entertainment or all the expensive events nearly as much as they need a mom who recognizes that God is her source – her source of strength, of wisdom, of direction, of peace in the midst of life.
* In part 2, (podcast episode 23)We are the atmosphere setters in our family’s life... In our own strength we can maintain a good atmosphere for a little while but when my heart is anemic for the spiritual nourishment I need from my Creator, Provider, Counselor, and Guide, I simply can’t keep up that positive atmosphere in my own strength for very long. The atmosphere of our heart is dependent on filling from the Father."
*In this third part (podcast episode 24) we're looking at daily feasting with the Father. Do you remember in the Old Testament, we find the Israelites wandering in the desert and they need food. So, God sends them manna every day. He said they couldn’t store it up or it would spoil (Exodus 16). He would give them fresh nourishment every day, just the amount they needed. He wanted them to trust Him, that He would provide what they needed. He wanted them to anticipate his provision, and gather it every day. That’s what we want to do also, by taking time with God every day.
Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably saying, "I don’t get a second to myself without the kids, not even a bathroom break alone. How am I supposed to find time to meet with God every day?"
That’s a great question and I’m so glad you asked!
Here's a few suggestions:
*I pray while I'm falling asleep and waking up -this allows me to begin and end my day with the Lord.
Putting the day ahead in his hands, giving him my concerns while I sleep at night, these are ways to put my mind on Him and recognizing again and again that HE is MY SOURCE for all that I need for that day and for all my circumstances.
I try to always wrap up my morning prayer with this:
“God give me PASSION for YOUR purposes in this day, and PEACE about the things you don’t want me to get done.”
I recognize that I will not be able to get all of my to do list completed in a day or ever. And I know that unexpected situations will arise in my day that aren’t even on that list. But here’s what I know even more than all of that - God says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are His artwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared in advance for me to do.” SO, He has an agenda for my day and I need to trust him with my day and even allow myself to be passionate about His agenda and at peace about the rest of the list that just isn’t gonna happen today.
*You can also pray like my grandma did. She prayed out loud. No matter what us grandkids were doing, she would just go ahead and pray. She could be downstairs and I was upstairs and I could hear her praying. I could be on the front porch and I’d hear her praying in the house. She just prayed out loud. You can talk to a friend in front of your kids and you can talk to God in front of them too. INFACT, this might be one of the best gifts you could give your kids – letting them see that mom puts her trust in God, she has a relationship with Him. She leans on Him, He comes to her mind in moments of good news to praise Him, in moments of decision to seek his council. In moments of fear to bring peace.
*I also had two daily Bible times with my kids – one was a group devotions time where we’d learn together, pray together, praise together, memorize scripture together.
Then a second one was alone Bible time all together. Everyone would find their own comfy spot in the family room to read their Bible, if old enough, or just look at a picture Bible if younger, but they all got used to reading or praying alone in the same room as me while they’re young. I was growing this lifestyle in them but I was also creating a spot in my day to be able to do this because the kids are too!
Time with the Lord is your daily spiritual nourishment that will fill your heart to pour it out for your family and it is so worth it to find ways to incorporate time with God into your day.
Now, there’s much more to Living a Lifestyle of Feasting with the Father. We haven't gotten into what God does or what He wants us to bring to the table, but we’re getting close to being ready to go over those specifics and I am so excited to share all of that with you in future blog posts & podcast episodes! So, we’ll just keep talking a little more about this each week for the next several weeks. This topic is only part of what we talk about on the Practically Speaking MOM podcast. I sure hope you'll join me there!
*Part Three blog post (you're reading it now) *Part Three podcast episode
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