Love Dare Day 36

Today's dare is: COMMIT TO READING THE BIBLE EVERYDAY. FIND A DEVOTIONAL BOOK OR OTHER RESOURCE THAT WILL GIVE YOU SOME GUIDANCE. IF YOUR SPOUSE IS OPEN TO IT, SEE IF THEY WILL COMMIT TO DAILY BIBLE READING WITH YOU.

Well, this dare was easy. I already have a quiet time daily in which I read my Bible. When I am not doing a Bible study at church, I do Bible studies by Max Lucado on different books of the Bible. Right now I am in the book of James. But I will be starting the Esther study in January!!! (I am SUPER excited about that!!!) And I always have my handy dandy commentaries nearby. Those have helped me tremendously.

If you don't have a regular quiet time, let me encourage you to do so. I always thought that I didn't have time. My kids are very early risers and once everyone is up it would be kinda hard to do it. I always had an excuse during their nap times. I mean, after all, that was the ONLY real time I had to get any housework done. So, I settled on bedtime, or after the kids went to bed. But, after the kids went to bed, I still had things to do... kitchen to clean, lunches to make, bags to get ready for the morning... And once I got into the bed... FORGET IT!!! All I want to do is veg out when I get in the bed. Too tired.

So, I wasn't having a consistent time with the Lord. And I wondered all the time why I constantly felt overwhelmed, tired, and out of control. Pretty dumb, huh? And then one day it just kinda hit me. I always would say, and I hear many others say, "I need to make my quiet time more of a priority". But what we don't get is that He is not just "A" priority... He is THE priority!!!

We make everything else sooo important. We put so many things above Him. And He gives us all of those things that we make so important. He can just as easily take them away to help us re-prioritize... I don't want that to happen. Do you?

Jackson has to be up at 6am to get ready for school. The bus comes at 7:05... So, I am up early (okay, well, it's early to me!!). I am already struggling to get up that early, so trying to get up even earlier is an attempt at futility for me. After I get the boys up and dressed and get them their breakfast, I sit down and begin my Bible study. Then, usually, Frank takes both of the boys outside to wait for the bus about 10 minutes or so before the bus comes. (remember that Wyatt likes to ride his bike in the mornings) During that time I use the quiet to my advantage. That is when I go over my prayer list.

Now, it doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes, I don't get as long to do my Bible study for whatever the reason. Sometimes (occasionally) I get longer. The point is not to get so legalistic about what your quiet time/Bible study has to look like. The point is to get started. Today. It will make a difference in your day!