“When my days are especially busy, my body is exhausted, and my mind is struggling to focus, I have a hard time just getting basic life requirements accomplished. Certainly, there’s no time to spend on something ‘extra’ like reading the Bible.”

There have been many times when these thoughts have run through my head, especially in the initial weeks after having a baby.

It’s so easy to believe this lie: “I don’t have time to be in God’s Word.”

And if you’re imagining yourself spending multiple hours of quiet time every day in deep study of the Word, then maybe you’re right—perhaps you don’t have either the mental energy or time for that at this point.

But if you find yourself in a season of life where you feel like you don’t have any time to spend in God’s Word, here are three truths I urge you to consider: 

What you see affects your heart.

Days after my second child was born, I sat on the chair in my new baby’s room. The blue light from my phone cast an odd glow around the room while I scrolled through social media, doing my best to stay awake for yet another feeding.

I considered reading the Bible. But reading the Bible was something I had to think through. Social media was something I could look at mindlessly.

Or so I thought.

The fact is, I spent a lot of time agitated during those weeks when I devoted so much time to check on the things other people posted on the internet. Why? Because the things I saw affected my heart.

During sleepless seasons of life (such as newborn days), every area of your life takes a big hit. Emotions, health, and mental energy all suffer when we’re low on rest. At these times, it is easier to scroll through social media or turn on a movie than it is to read the Bible. But when your mind and body are depleted, you will not have the energy you need to combat error with truth. During these times especially, take care not to fill your mind with worldly wisdom.

Remember that everything you allow into your mind affects your heart. Resist the belief that the lies won’t affect you. Guard your heart.

You make time for what you value.

It really is true. I make time to do what I really want to do.

But let’s take this apart a little bit.
Are there times when I value something but don’t make time for it?

For example, I value cooking healthy, creative meals for my family. But for the first month after giving birth, I move that priority down the list because there are other things that I value more (such as my body healing and adjusting to a new human in the family). I still work to prepare food for my family, but I focus on meeting the bare minimum of that need rather than making things super creative and interesting. Why is that? Is it because I don’t value good food for my family? No, it’s because, at this particular season of my life, I value my overall health and the health of this new baby more than I value a creative meal. My value system gets put to the test, and I immediately realize that I need rest more than I need to be in the kitchen cooking. So I make peace with easy meals and call take-out a gift from above (but let’s be honest, take-out is always a gift and not just after I’ve given birth.)

How does this translate to my values and the Bible?
As a believer, the Bible is what sustains my heart and mind. God uses His Word to teach me about himself, encourage my heart, and show me where I’m wrong. It is one of my top priorities. But when I’m in a stressful season of life, my value system gets put to the test. Do I really value God’s Word? If so, I’ll make time for it. The time I make might be limited. And my mind may not be fresh. But if I value it, I will make time for it.

God will use what you give.

During the seasons when my days and nights are full of childcare needs, I’ve often found myself discouraged because of how different my time in God’s Word looks from before. I never have quiet time in the morning since I’ve been up all night, any time I do have is often interrupted, and my mind seems to work at approximately 40% full operating power.

Dear friend, here’s what I’ve found: When I give what I have to Jesus, he is able to bless and increase it. You may think “it’s not much time, so it doesn’t count.” But God will use what you give. Give your time and mental energy to the reading and meditation of the Word of God—the only study that will give you life.

If you are in a difficult season of life and are struggling to spend time in God’s Word, will you take this struggle to the Lord in prayer? Ask Him to give you a burning desire for him that can only be satisfied through his Word. Ask him to help your heart hunger for his presence.

May our goal be to cry out as David did:

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”
(Psalm 42:1-2).

Christa Threlfall is a pastor’s wife, mom of four, and author of Come to Jesus: What if God Designs Your Days to Keep You Running Back to Him? She and her family live in Concord, New Hampshire.

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