Did you spend time with God this morning?

I mentally wince some mornings when I ask myself that. Although, I guess since I know the answer it’s less of a question and more of an accusation. A reminder that I didn’t spend time with God. A reminder that I failed.

Self-condemnation is my thing. 

But it’s what I do with the information that’s important. There are some days that I simply don’t get to start with Jesus… and maybe you can relate?

This is especially true during the busy holiday season. When the family is visiting, or we are away from home. Schedules and routines are replaced with holiday baking and late-night talks by the fire.

The holiday season gets so packed full of family and friends that routines sometimes get squeezed away.

3 Ways To Spend Time With God This Holiday Season

All that said, I wanted to share some ways we can spend time with God this holiday season. If you are anything like me and your best intentions get hijacked by holiday fun, hopefully, these three ways I have found to spend time with God can help you, too. 

1.) Pause To Pray

I will never forget the first time I had a friend do this. Keep in mind that I have been a Christian my entire adult life. But there was one day, at the swimming pool when I was talking to another mom and right in the middle of our conversation, she stopped to pray. She took a timeout from our conversation because she received a text, it was something she had been praying about, and she wanted to thank God for answering the prayer.

That moment stuck in my memory and changed the way I thought about prayer.

And we can all do that, too. 

Right in the middle of our holiday hustle, we can pause to pray. 

We can thank God for answering prayers or come to Him with requests (Phi 4:6). Maybe we need to pray for what’s ahead for the day or safe travel for our family. There are so many things we can pray for each day, and we can pause to pray at any point throughout it.

2.) Step Away

Pausing to pray is just one way we can spend time with God this holiday season. It’s something we can do right in the midst of whatever we are doing, but sometimes we need a moment. This is why taking a step away is the second thing on my list of ways to spend time with God this holiday season.

If you can step out of the kitchen or away from the conversation, even for just a minute or two. You can use that time to pray, read your Bible or a devotional. So what if you missed your quiet time that morning, there is nothing saying you can’t do it at three in the afternoon or even eleven at night. Or maybe you had your quiet time, but you want more time with Jesus.

Taking a step away to spend time with God always helps calm my heart, and it’s something that’s usually pretty doable even during the holiday season.

3.) Be Still

The third way to spend time with God this holiday season is to simply be still.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” ~ Psalm 46:10

I love to stop right where I am, surrounded by everyone, and just breath it all in. I might use the moment to count my blessings; to say a prayer of thanksgiving. 

I might let my heart overflow with gratitude. But I really just take a moment to be still and know that God is good. It’s like resting in His grace. Being content.

Invite Jesus In…

Then there are the moments when we simply can’t take a break. Moments when we can’t get away from all the holiday hustle and bustle. Moments when life is demanding everything we have. 

It’s moments like those when I’ve found I need to invite Jesus in. 

Invite Jesus into the line at the supermarket when we just want to go home. Invite Him into the moments when we have too much to do.

Whether you do that by closing your eyes to soak in His grace, by pausing to pray, or whatever. I love the fact that we can know God is always with us. I mean that’s the whole point of Christmas. Jesus is Immanuel, “God with Us.”

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:20

I would love to hear from you though. How do you spend time with Jesus during the busy holiday season?

___________

Heather Hart is an internationally best-selling and award-winning author with an unquenchable passion for Jesus. She knows one thing every girl needs is a little honesty, so she’s not afraid to get candid and share her struggles. Her hope is that she can help others soak up the love of Jesus. 

Heather currently resides in a small Texas town with her husband, Paul, and their four quickly growing children. You can connect with her online by visiting her website BooksFaithandCoffee.com.

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