How Children Changed my Devotions!

What are “devotions”? As a teenager, I thought of it as a book with verses, a short story, application and memory verse. Or a prayer list and Bible reading program to “check off.” Too often it is seen as something to do, rather than an action demonstrated towards Someone Worthy! Webster's 1828 dictionary defines it as follows: “A solemn attention to the Supreme Being in worship; a yielding of the heart and affections to God, with reverence, faith and piety, in religious duties, particularly in prayer and meditation; devoutness.”

John Bunyan, preacher and author of the beloved “Pilgrims Progress” said “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”

It has been a long time since I’ve been able to have hours to do my devotions … the quiet room, the notebook and pen…but is that what really matters? We can all see the aesthetic of a cup of coffee with an open Bible and notebook, on a table next to a window portraying a breathtaking view. Instagram worthy, definitely, but is that what God requires? In some ways, I feel like my snatches of “devotional” times are more valuable to me now, and possibly more effective too. I don’t have the time to linger. But I also realize my need more …I need to be washed with the Word, even when I’m too sleep-deprived to completely understand or even remember it. I need to call out to Him on behalf of myself and those I love. In the newborn stage, all those night wakings give an excellent excuse to spend a lot of time in prayer. Instead of rattling off a list, those are times I simply ask God who He would have me to pray for, and then I pray for whatever He puts on my heart. I used to like to have my time with the Lord first thing. Now I do it first thing in the morning, during nap time, in the evening, or the middle of the night. It feels less like something to do and more like a relationship …and that’s really what it was supposed to be all along. Having children hasn’t “ruined” my devotions …if anything, they have made my time with the Lord just that much sweeter!