What you do during your day reveals what you believe about God. What you believe about God is developed by how you spend your time. Everyone has something to say about God, so where do your belief's about God come from? Facebook? Pinterest pins? Your pastor? Your friends? From your own study?
Theology (the study of God) is vitally important for every Christian, even busy mommas - especially busy mommas.
So, how do you start your day? What is the first thing on your mind? What is it that you want to do first? Why? As you go through your day, what do you listen to? What do you read? What do you spend your "free time" doing?
If I answer each of these questions honestly I do not sound like much of a disciplined theologian...
As a busy mom, whose mission field is her own home with her own wild (sometimes hostile) tribe, this prayer is just as important! If we are to share what we believe with our children, our neighbors, our immediate family and our church family, we must first solidify in our own mind - What do I believe about God as my Creator and Savior? What do I know about who He is and what He has said or revealed about Himself? What do I know about what He has done? What has He promised? Can I trust Him? How? Why? When? If those questions overwhelm you, like they once did me, read verses like Romans 15:4,
How do you answer those questions? In Scripture! And why is it so important to study God? You conquer falsities - anything that takes your focus from Christ - by the very word of God!
Here are ten tips that I apply to my own life, that I hope help you despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all your energies in the name of Christ!
Before I begin the list you must know that the only way for a Christian to become a theologian is by opening your Bible and reading it cover to cover - over and over and over again. It takes time and discipline and focus - all of which mommy's of little people can lack for obvious reasons. Still, it is vital for Christian's who do not want to become stagnant in their walk with Christ! To be sure, going to church, listening to sermons, and reading books are all valuable contributions to growth, but it is your own time in Scripture that is most valuable! I'm on my third read through since becoming a mother, how have I accomplished that?
1. Your children should see you read your Bible and pray. Modeling is the best way to teach. If they see this practice in your life, they will take note. I will never forget reading of a particular mother named Susanna Wesley, who reared two of the greatest theologians in history - Charles and John Wesley - and had 8 other children and also 9 who died in infancy (talk about a busy mom who faced a lot of adversity); she was an amazing theologian that dedicated her mornings to prayer. Her children knew that if her apron was over her head they were not to disturb her time in prayer. I apply that same principle with my children (minus the apron), aged 2 and 5, if my Bible is open or my head bowed in prayer do not disturb me. This is a time that we work on over and over again - you have food, you have a drink, you have books, coloring books and colors to keep you entertained, if you need a kleenex or to use the potty you know what to do! I set my timer for an hour and get to work reading and marking my Bible as well as praying through what I read, requests, praise, and thanksgiving. Because it has been a daily discipline since becoming a mother, disciplining my children is nill because they know what is expected of them during this incredibly valuable time.
Theology (the study of God) is vitally important for every Christian, even busy mommas - especially busy mommas.
So, how do you start your day? What is the first thing on your mind? What is it that you want to do first? Why? As you go through your day, what do you listen to? What do you read? What do you spend your "free time" doing?
If I answer each of these questions honestly I do not sound like much of a disciplined theologian...
- How do I start my day? I begin my day by reading John Piper's "Solid Joys" devotional app, with difficulty. I would rather open Pinterest or Instagram.
- What is the first thing on my mind? Typically it's, "Ugh, I do not want to get out of bed!"
- What is it that you want to do first? Go back to sleep, stay warm under the covers... Why? I do not enjoy those first few minutes in the morning. My lazy brain tries to convince myself to stay warm and cozy rather than enduring the cold and dragging my feet to the dresser for my workout clothes.
- As I go through my day, what do I listen to? Music, Bible app, Ligonier's "Renewing Your Mind", sermons, my children reading, screaming, fighting, laughing, playing... Marley barking...
- What do I read? Poetry, loads of children's books, my Bible, professional reading, biographies/autobiographies, I will begin "The Holiness of God" by R.C. Sproul as soon as I get it in the mail. For fun I'm reading the Harry Potter series.
- What do I spend my "free time" doing? It depends on the day, but there are days I find that I wasted 20 minutes on my phone scrolling through Pinterest (for example). It is far too easy to get caught up in exploring and the only reason I got on it in the first place was to find a recipe or idea to implement! Grrr. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I doodle. Sometimes I just sit.
I find that if I'm completely honest with myself, I do a lot of time wasting during the day. One of my prayers recently (thanks to Elisabeth Elliot's Through Gates of Splendor) is that I, like Nate Saint wrote in his journal as the missionaries prepared to share the gospel with a historically hostile tribe,
As a busy mom, whose mission field is her own home with her own wild (sometimes hostile) tribe, this prayer is just as important! If we are to share what we believe with our children, our neighbors, our immediate family and our church family, we must first solidify in our own mind - What do I believe about God as my Creator and Savior? What do I know about who He is and what He has said or revealed about Himself? What do I know about what He has done? What has He promised? Can I trust Him? How? Why? When? If those questions overwhelm you, like they once did me, read verses like Romans 15:4,
"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."and be encouraged because the answer to all of those questions is possible to know and it is vitally important to know!
How do you answer those questions? In Scripture! And why is it so important to study God? You conquer falsities - anything that takes your focus from Christ - by the very word of God!
"The only way you can be saturated with the thoughts of Christ is to saturate yourself with the book that is all about him." - John MacArthurHow does a mommy do that during the busy, crazy day?
Here are ten tips that I apply to my own life, that I hope help you despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all your energies in the name of Christ!
Before I begin the list you must know that the only way for a Christian to become a theologian is by opening your Bible and reading it cover to cover - over and over and over again. It takes time and discipline and focus - all of which mommy's of little people can lack for obvious reasons. Still, it is vital for Christian's who do not want to become stagnant in their walk with Christ! To be sure, going to church, listening to sermons, and reading books are all valuable contributions to growth, but it is your own time in Scripture that is most valuable! I'm on my third read through since becoming a mother, how have I accomplished that?
1. Your children should see you read your Bible and pray. Modeling is the best way to teach. If they see this practice in your life, they will take note. I will never forget reading of a particular mother named Susanna Wesley, who reared two of the greatest theologians in history - Charles and John Wesley - and had 8 other children and also 9 who died in infancy (talk about a busy mom who faced a lot of adversity); she was an amazing theologian that dedicated her mornings to prayer. Her children knew that if her apron was over her head they were not to disturb her time in prayer. I apply that same principle with my children (minus the apron), aged 2 and 5, if my Bible is open or my head bowed in prayer do not disturb me. This is a time that we work on over and over again - you have food, you have a drink, you have books, coloring books and colors to keep you entertained, if you need a kleenex or to use the potty you know what to do! I set my timer for an hour and get to work reading and marking my Bible as well as praying through what I read, requests, praise, and thanksgiving. Because it has been a daily discipline since becoming a mother, disciplining my children is nill because they know what is expected of them during this incredibly valuable time.
2. Read your Bible to your children. During lunch I get out my Bible and read to them after I finish eating (they are the slowest eaters). Sometimes I pick a Psalm, sometimes I pick up from where I left off that morning, sometimes it's a favorite story, but I read and they listen while they eat. The more you read what God has to say, the more you'll learn! This isn't a guarantee that your children will grasp or pick up everything that you read, God will open their eyes if He intends to use that time, but I simply will not waste it for myself as well as for them.
3. Listen to your Bible. While you fold laundry, listen. While you do dishes, hit play. While you do a general pick up, open your ears. Thank goodness for Bible apps with playback features to make this possible! The more you read or listen to what God has to say about Himself, the more you will grow in the knowledge of Him.
4. Do daily devotions before your feet hit the floor. I am so incredibly thankful I live in the time I do! I can open my phone in the mornings (my devotional app is set to ding at me first thing) and set my mind on the things of Christ.
5. What is your purpose for reading __x__? These days I have very little time for "fun" reading. I really enjoy historical fiction and a sci-fi book once in a while and once in a blue moon (more so recently) I do pick up a book for this purpose, but overall I am very purposeful in picking books. Here are two questions I ask myself: What will this author teach me about God? How will he/she inspire me in my walk with Christ? Here are some that I found extremely interesting, yet thought provoking, convicting, inspiring, and full of wisdom, (each author taught me so much...)
- Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- Katharina & Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun & a Renegade Monk by Michelle DeRusha
- Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
- Adoniram Judson: There are Few Who Died So Hard by John Piper (which is a free, short ebook!)
- Susanna Wesley by Kathy McReynolds
- Footprints of a Pilgrim poetry by Ruth Bell Graham
6. Focus. This one is directly related to numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10, but it's worth discussing a bit more. Once in a while mommy's have this glorious thing called, FREE TIME! It doesn't happen often, but when it does, how do you spend it? If you want to be a woman whose strength and trust is in the Lord, who laughs at the time to come, one must remain focused on knowing the God of the Bible! What delegates your thoughts? When adversity strikes, how do you respond? Do you hit your phone to vomit all over Facebook? Or do you hit your knees in prayer, or seek wisdom from your Bible? What is your focus and how do you remain focused during your busiest times, during your down time, during your quite time, in moments when you need to discipline, clean, fold laundry, run errands - when it is so easy to forget Jesus all together? Mommy's desperately need theology for all these moments!
7. Listen to great theologians. I am currently listening to our pastor preach through the book of Ephesians again (thank you YouTube!); reviving the need in my heart for church unity. And I am also deeply moved by R.C. Sproul's sermon series The Holiness of God. Talk about WOW! The more I learn about God's holiness, the more I am in awe of who He is and what He has accomplished on a sinner's behalf. Wow. Due to this sermon series I was super excited to read his book, The Holiness of God, which I cannot wait to read with the woman who disciples me.
8. Listen to theologically sound music. I like to have access to things that encourage my soul (i.e. my Bible, focused prayer, music, &etc.) and I am very purposeful in what I pick. Some of my favorites include...
- God is Sovereign playlist on YouTube
- On my phone I access songs like Jeremy Camp's Give Me Jesus, or the Getty's songs The Power of the Cross, My Worth is Not in What I Own, or He Will Hold Me Fast, or Sovereign Grace's All I Have is Christ etc. etc. etc.
- On our little iPad for our iJuke I jam out to playlists focused on titles like,
- Gospel
- God is Sovereign
- God is Faithful
- God is Great
- Rest in Christ
- Solace in Sorrow
- Sanctify Me
9. Attend a Bible teaching church where the pastor values expository teaching. This type of teaching goes through book by book, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, word by word to find the author's purpose for writing what he wrote to whom he wrote it. (Read more about Expositional teaching here: https://www.9marks.org/about/) Find a church near you using the 9Marks for a healthy church website: https://www.9marks.org/church-search/ Finding a church family who values the teaching of God's Word will do numbers in your own growth. We were not meant to go through life alone! God has a lot to say about the unity of His church family, about discipleship, encouragement, and instruction. He gave us Christ and He gave us each other!
10. Memorize Scripture. This one is extremely valuable for any busy mother! Find someone willing to do this with you and hold you accountable, otherwise (if you're anything like me) you'll drop it. It is amazing to me how often the Holy Spirit brings to mind the words I have memorized. Memorizing is observing the text, memorizing is meditating, memorizing text plants God's Word deep within your mind and if verses like Proverbs 30:5 are true, "Every Word of God proves true," then you are planting God's truth where it matters most - in your heart - the very core of who you are.
What do you believe to be true? The answer to that question will reveal itself eventually - how you speak, how you respond to adversity, what you do or don't do, how you spend your day - are all evidence of what you know about God. Although the study of God is important in all aspects of life, theology is most important in adversity, because it is when you're faced with trials, temptations, or difficulties of any sort that what you have studied about God is now firmly solidified in your mind. It's in hard times that what you have learned about God becomes the truth upon which you rely.
Motherhood is a mission field full of difficulties - therefore, every mother needs theology!
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