Keeping God First This Summer

Keeping God first is the ultimate habit for a summer of success! (And a life of success, as well!)  Strive to make it a priority to start your day with Him and His Word, and help your kids develop that habit as well.

Often as busy moms, we tend to let our time with God be pushed aside as we rush from one responsibility to the next.

I often struggled to be consistent in daily devotions as a young mom but realized at one point that I needed to make it a priority. 

Keeping God First This Summer

What does it mean to put God first?

Summer success happens by taking time for God’s Word daily. Putting time with Him as a priority each morning set the tone for how the rest of the day will follow. It really made a difference in how things went with my children.

Putting God first:

• Gave me God’s perspective and wisdom for the day
• Guided me as I made choices in your parenting
• Gave me strength for the day
• Gave me a better spirit

Maybe you have tried many times to be consistent in having a daily quiet time, but you didn’t stick with it.

How do we keep God first everyday?

The one thing that helped me the most was to realize I needed to adjust my expectations for my quiet time. More doesn’t equal better. We need to let go of the idea that if we can’t dedicate an hour (or half hour, whatever makes you stumble) then it’s not worth doing it at all. 

As a mom of one or many, your quiet time won’t look the same as it did before you had children.

It’s okay!

RELATED:  BUSY MOM’S GUIDE TO FINDING TIME WITH GOD

Here are some tips for creating a consistent habit of putting God first:

1. Have a set time for your Bible reading and a plan for what you will read.

I suggest making it first thing in the morning, as we need to put God first in our day. If your day gets busy and other things on your list don’t get done, you will have done what is most important.

You don’t have to spend 30 minutes or an hour like you might have once done. Why not aim for 10 minutes? A little is better than none.

I have discovered that if I don’t do it before the activities of the day I will get distracted too easily. Someone has rightly said, “If you do not allow God to set the tone for your day, someone else will do it for you.”

2. Give your kids a Bible reading plan to do at the same time as you do yours.

As a mom, your chance of having quiet time alone each morning probably isn’t too great. I know that whenever I tried to get up before the kids, without fail at least one of them would wake up. 

But that’s ok!

Encourage them and help them to have their OWN quiet time.

If they are young and don’t read yet, have them look at a Bible storybook or watch a Bible story online.

For children who can read, give them a Bible reading plan to follow that they will enjoy, and have them do their reading while you are doing yours.

3. Use tools for Bible reading to help you and your kids get something from God’s Word daily.

For younger ones, it could be having them draw a picture of the story they heard, watched, or read about.

For yourself and older kids, I suggest this simple 5 part method:

• Read a verse or passage
• Write the key verse that spoke to you
• Paraphrase it, and write it in your own words
• Apply it – what do you need to do or change?
• Pray about applying it

Develop this ultimate habit!

DOWNLOAD THIS JOURNAL WITH THE 5 STEP METHOD

(There is a journal for mom and one for kids)

4. Remember that quality time is better than quantity.

It is better to read two or three verses and take something away from it that helps you to grow as a Christian than to read two or three chapters and not remember anything you read.

So for a quick overview:

• Develop the habit of daily Bible reading for you and your kids by making it part of your daily routine.
• Have a time set time for Bible reading, and tools to help you and your children remember and apply what God has shown you from your reading. 

Commit to the habit of keeping God first this summer, and making time for Him daily!