Quiet Times for Busy Moms E-Book

Vicki Kuyper

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 110

Beschreibung

If you have a newborn, toddler, tween, or teen—you have something in common with every mom since the dawn of history: You need more time in your day (not to mention a bit more peace and calm). While Quiet Times for Busy Moms will not give you that extra time, it will help with the peace and calm. These 52 weekly devotions will keep the reality of God's presence close while encouraging you to become the mom you want to be. Topics include sibling rivalry, clutter, worry, what to do when your kids say, "I'm bored," along with a few tried and true mothering tips. God is right beside you, guiding and loving you and your kids through all life's crazy adventures. Let Quiet Times for Busy Moms encourage, equip, and inspire you through your busy days!

Leseprobe

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Quiet Times for Busy Moms: 52 Devotions

Written by Vicki Kuyper

Copyright © 2017 by BroadStreet Publishing Group

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5414-0 (hardcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5415-7 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2014, 2015, 2016 by BroadStreet Publishing Group, Racine, Wisconsin. thePassionTranslation.com. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked CEB are taken from the Common English Bible, Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible. Scriptures marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version (CEV): Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version copyright© 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scriptures marked GNB are taken from the Good News Bible (GNB): Scriptures taken from the Good News Bible © 1994 published by the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible© American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission. Scriptures marked GW are taken from the God’s Word (GW): Scripture taken from God’s Word copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked ICB are taken from the International Children’s Bible (ICB): Scripture taken from the International Children’s Bible ®. Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Cover design by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Interior design and typeset by Katherine Lloyd theDESKonline.com

Printed in China

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Contents

1The Marathon of Motherhood

2The Ultimate Do-Over

3Mother of Thunder

4The Power of Friendship

5I’m Bored!

6Close at Heart

7Clearing the Clutter

8Kids at Heart

9Queen Mom

10Words of Life

11Quiet, Please!

12Room to Grow

13Making the Miles Count

14A Cry for Help

15Dressed to Bless

16Belief or Make-Believe?

17Taken by Surprise

18The Blessing of Buffering

19Beyond Compare

20What’s Really Mine?

21Put Yourself in Time-Out!

22All Together Now

23Chew on This

24We Are Family

25Prime Time

26Mental Gymnastics

27Sibling Rivalry

28Rash Guard

29Jesus: Problem Child?

30Focus on the Positive

31Rebel or Reformer?

32A Bounty of Blessing

33No Excuses

34Everything in Its Place

35Mother’s Little Helper

36A True Gem

37Carpe Diem Goes Digital

38Peacemaker Mom

39Messy Me

40One Step at a Time

41Undercover Mother

42We All Need a Hero

43Refresh and Renew

44Love Conquers All

45One of a Kind

46Family Fanfare

47Walk This Way

48Repeat Performance

49Time to Lend a Hand

50All in Good Time

51Feel Free to Get the Giggles

52Our Bittersweet Blessing

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

—HEBREWS 12:1–2

Being a mom is one of God’s greatest gifts. But, it can also be one of life’s greatest challenges. It’s like running a marathon wearing a baby carrier. It takes plenty of hard work just to get to the starting line. Then, once the actual race begins, it feels like it goes on forever. Sure, you may enjoy running the first ten, fifteen, or even twenty miles, but then you hit a wall, and it takes all of the faith, courage, and perseverance you can muster just to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

But, we don’t run alone. Scripture tells us there’s a “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) that surround us, cheering us on with their encouragement and example. Take Susanna Wesley. She was the mother of Charles Wesley, who wrote over six thousand hymns, and John Wesley, who became a great evangelist. She gave birth to nineteen children, only ten of whom lived beyond infancy. Her husband was a preacher who was by all accounts an incredibly difficult man. Their home burned down twice, presumably by church members who didn’t agree with what her husband said from the pulpit. They were deep in debt. And, she was often ill. Yet, Susanna found a way to persevere. Even today, over 250 years after her death, she remains a mom worth emulating.

When she needed time out, Susanna would throw her apron over her head and pray. Her kids knew this simple act meant, Do not disturb! Like Susanna, each of us needs a proverbial apron where we can take a break from the demands of motherhood and find the strength to continue the race God’s set before us. Connecting with God in prayer throughout the day can help us find a place of peace—and power—amidst the chaos.

Dear Lord, life gets so hectic that some days I forget you are near. Help me develop a habit of prayer and a longing to connect with you throughout the day, especially the busy ones. Amen.

A TIP TO TRY: Choose your own personal “prayer apron.” It could be a “time-out” chair, the bathtub (preferably for a bubble bath), or even a literal apron (whether you wear it over your head or not is up to you). What’s important is that your kids recognize it as a signal that Mom needs time out to pray.

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

—COLOSSIANS 3: 13 NLT

We all wish we had perfect children; kids who never spilled their milk, played in the toilet, or talked back. But let’s face it: it’s genetic. No kid has a perfect mom, so why should we expect from our children what we ourselves cannot accomplish as grown-ups? All of us, big and little, need forgiveness and a fresh start. Every day. Graciously, God provides us with exactly what we need.

God’s unique solution to our ongoing problem is for his Son’s perfect life to cover our imperfect one. Through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, he erased every wrong choice we would make throughout our lives. However, it doesn’t mean our misdeeds don’t matter. In fact, they matter so much they cost Jesus his life. The weight of this truth is a heavy one to bear, but God doesn’t want us to live weighed down by guilt and shame, working hard to fulfill a debt we can never repay. His forgiveness comes wrapped in the free gift of grace. To receive it, all we need to do is ask.

The Bible describes this as being “born again” (John 3:1–21)—the ultimate do-over. Talk about a fresh start! But understanding and accepting God’s forgiveness is only the beginning. Next comes forgiving others, as well as ourselves. Letting go of mistakes, selfish choices, harsh words, betrayal, or emotional wounds (especially ones where the consequences continue on long after the initial offense has passed) is far from easy, but past offenses belong to yesterday. Today is a brand-new day for us and for those we love. Let’s allow God to help us live it to the fullest!

Dear Lord, thank you for all you’ve forgiven me—from my silliest mistakes to my most selfish and rebellious words and deeds. Show me how to extend that same grace and forgiveness to those around me, including my children. Amen.

A TIP TO TRY: Because of God’s inexhaustible forgiveness, we can pray, “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). However, when it comes to cleaning crayon off a white wall, use baby oil on a clean white rag or try a baby wipe.

“What do you want?” Jesus asked her. She answered, “Promise me that these two sons of mine will sit at your right and your left when you are King.”

—MATTHEW 20:21 GNB

Our kids are exceptional. We knew it from the moment they were born. Of course, we’re not the only mom who sees their kids this way. For example, take the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples (nicknamed, by Jesus, the Sons of Thunder), who was equally capable of stirring up quite a storm. Even though Jesus chose twelve young men to follow him, this mom (and her sons) felt no hesitation in asking that they be pushed to the head of the line to be eternally honored in an exceptional way.

Yes, good mothers love their kids deeply. And when we love someone, we want the best for them. However, just because the depth of our love raises our children to the level of “exceptional” in our eyes, it doesn’t mean they’re entitled to become an exception to the rules.

So when our children don’t win first place, are overlooked for the soccer team, or turn in a homework assignment late and suffer the consequences of a lower grade, let’s not leap to their defense. Instead, let’s show them how to celebrate someone else’s victory, to find joy in serving others, and to handle disappointment and failure with grace, rather than always having to be king of the hill.

Jesus’ response to the request by the Mother of Thunder (and to the resulting offense taken by the rest of the disciples) was, “If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest” (Matthew 20:26 GNB). What makes people truly exceptional is when they don’t have to be the center of attention or have everything their way. Instead, they find contentment and purpose in loving others well and serving outside the spotlight. Sounds a bit like motherhood, don’t you think?

Dear Lord, please show me how to be my children’s advocate without pushing them ahead of everyone else. When it comes to my family, help me hold tightly to truth and humility, as well as love. Amen.

A TIP TO TRY: Help your kids’ view of the world extend beyond their own lives. Make a bedtime Prayer Chain. Have each child write prayer requests for friends and family on strips of construction paper. Link them together into a chain. Use it as a touchstone for prayer every evening. Add links for new requests and remove links when prayers are answered—use them to create an Answered Prayer Chain.

Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.

—PROVERBS 27:9 TPT

It’s amazing how we can be surrounded by children all day and still feel so alone. Even though motherhood isn’t a solitary job, it can be an isolating one, particularly if we don’t work outside the home. But, it doesn’t have to be. Staying connected with friends can be a lifeline during crazy times.

Consider King David and his Mighty Warriors (2 Samuel 23:8–39). Though David’s responsibilities were different than yours are today, being king was stressful and challenging in its own way, as well as potentially isolating. So, David surrounded himself with thirty men of valor and courage, three of whom he considered his right-hand men. They fought for him and with him. Regardless of the circumstances, David knew these men were always on his side.

Who are the Mighty Women in your life? Who’ll fight for you and with you to help you become the woman God created you to be? Who consistently provides wise advice, a godly perspective, and words of encouragement? These are relationships worth nurturing throughout your lifetime.

Though your free time is limited right now, do what you can to stay connected: Text a picture of your crazy day, if you don’t have time to call. Gather a small group of moms and their kids for a play date. Trade babysitting time with one another. And make time for some girl time, even if it’s just one evening out a month.