The Proper Length of Quiet Time for Busy Working Women

My daughter just drove away for college (swallow big lump in throat), and two weeks until she returns for Christmas break seems long.

Separation is painful.

I have been suffering the same kind of separation pain from God. The long quiet times I enjoyed with him this summer, coffee in hand, have turned into a few verses read over a quick bowl of cereal.

The new life of a working woman.

I picture God as the parent on the steps, and I am spending a too-short time with him. Then off I go and waving goodbye through the car window for the day.

Old guilt creeps in, measuring my relationship with God by how far the hands on the clock have moved while I’ve had my Bible opened. Measuring the quality of my Christianity by the length and seeming piety of morning devotions.

But last night I was reading The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer, and he says:

“Always, everywhere God is present, and always he seeks to discover himself to each one…God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of his presence.”

When we glance at the clock and close our Bibles in the morning, we do not blow kisses and wave to God as we drive away for the day.

God remains present. 

He is here when I am laboring over Spanish lesson plans.

He is here when I am balancing the checkbook.

He is here when I am chopping up chicken for soup.

And as much as I practice turning my thoughts toward him, in the middle of daily tasks, I am having quiet time with him.

Every sweep of the clock hands becomes mental time bowed in God’s presence.

I gave it a try. I talked to the Lord about the lesson plans I was crafting. I talked to him about my students. I asked his advice on what teaching direction I should take. I enjoyed his companionship and his help while I worked.

So, how long should a quiet time last for a busy working woman?

All. Day. Long.

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