Lisa Tawn Bergren - The Busy Moms Devotional: Ten Minutes a Week to a Life of Devotion

D ear Friends,
Youre reading this with some sense of skepticism. How can you, one of the worlds busiest moms, running about every day of your life with a thousand things to do, have a devotional life?

I know thats what youre asking because Ive done the same. Some days it seems impossible. Hey, my entire life seems impossible on certain days.

But the truth is, the devotional life is more a way of looking at your life than anything you do. Its beginning to see God infusing every moment of your day. Examples may be watching Lion King and seeing Jesus imagery in Simba, or considering how God keeps a hold on us just as our children seem to have suction cups on their arms and legs that are impossible to dislodge, or thinking how God watches over us just as we watch over our children and gaze at them in pleasure as they breathe softly in and out.

There is a bit of mind and heart training to be done in order to see such things. But its worth the time and energy, because, I promise you, this new perspective will add a depth and dimension to your life that youve never experienced before. Instead of feeling like your days are one long to-do list, youll begin to notice small treasures along the way. Life will seem richer, more important. Mundane tasks can take on epic importance as we understand that our little lives are part of a much greater storya story of good versus evil. And each day and each life counts. Your day, your life counts.

Over the course of the next year, youll see glimpses into my mind and heart, those times when I noticed God and took the time to write it down. Nothing is keeping you from doing the very same thing. All you have to do is put on your Jesus glasses so you can see Him everywhere you look and then take a moment to journal what you see.

So, friend, I beg you to begin. For you. For your children (because what you learn, they will learn eventually too).

Declare Thursday mornings or Sunday afternoons or Monday nightswhenever you can carve out five to fifteen minutesas your time, and write Moms Break on your calendar. Dont let anything displace this time, or if it does get displaced, pick up that time later by getting up just a bit earlier. Enlist your husband (and your children if theyre old enough) to help you stick with this endeavor to know God better. How can they refuse? And what better example could you set for them than to show you care about your relationship with God?

In five minutes you can read each weeks devotional and pray. In ten to fifteen minutes, you can go further, making the truth yours by using surprisingly simple, ancient Christian practices. Just five to fifteen minutes! (An average often minutes gave us our subtitletheres freedom and flexibility here. No stress!) Youll find prompts in each chapter to help:

• Things on My Mind: Do this before you even begin reading. In order to focus, we busy moms have to get our lists or things were fretting aboutwhatever it isdown on paper so we can concentrate. Therefore, take note: you are to write in this book. Anywhere you wish! (Umm unless its a library book!)

• What Is God Saying to Me in This? is for you to write any questions, responses, or thoughts you have about what youve just read. Allow yourself to react here so your honest feelings will emerge; you can contemplate all this more in moments that follow.

• Making the Scripture Mine reexamines the scripture related to the chapters message and helps you apply it to the moment.

• My Prayer is for you to write your own prayer. Even people who dont think of themselves as writers find that a pencil or pen in hand helps keep them focused in prayer when they might otherwise be distracted. Jot down notes, phrases, wordswhateverknowing that the Holy Spirit will make up the difference.

Do you see how these prompts move you from listening and absorbing to interacting with God and then applying His Word and will to your mind and heart?

If youd rather, you can use this as a daily devotional for a month or two. Just dont get overwhelmed and quit. Take on what you can and stick with it. It may take you eighteen months to read it. That is perfectly fine. Dont fret about it. Make it a gift of time versus another guilt-inducing to do in your life. Remember, were gently retraining our brains and hearts so we may become women who live a life of devotion. That takes time and a healthy measure of grace. God offers us both. Dont refuse either the gift or the invitation!

Youre about to turn the page and enter the devotional life. You. Crazy, busy you. Jesus longs to walk beside you, day in and day out. Can you see Him there beside you, smiling?

Your sister along the road,

P.S. Weve arranged the devotionals to fit in a specific season rather than to follow a chronological order, so please ignore references to my childrens ages or grades that are at times out of order.

Thats why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the Christians, I couldnt stop thanking God for youevery time I prayed, Id think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I askask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of gloryto make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust himendless energy, boundless strength!