Be Still and Be Present: A December Challenge

As I was thinking over Thanksgiving about what I wanted to the next month to look like in our lives, I knew that I wanted to be very intentional but also not overwhelming. This time of year can get to be very busy with schooling, holiday festivities, running a business, family events, and just day to day life. I spent some time in prayer trying to determine what the next month should look like and determined that my two focuses would be ‘Be Still’ and ‘Be Present’.

As  busy moms some of you are thinking that you can’t be still because you have children to chase or if you are like me, you can’t be still or you will fall asleep. However, I’m not talking about physically being still (though we all need that sometimes too). Mentally and spiritually we need to stop and be still so that we can spend time with God and feel his peace this season. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is not the prince of chaos or overwhelm. I know how difficult it can be to find time in your day to ‘Be Still’ but I truly believe that if we purpose to spend just 30 minutes a day devoted to our relationship with him it can transform us.

For some of you, that 30 minutes might be first thing in the morning before your children wake up. That does not work for me because my children always sense if I get up early and with-in just a couple of minutes they are up. However, I have found that once I get up I can get the older children working on chores and the younger children occupied and take five to ten minutes and do a short devotional to help get my mind focused on God’s word. Then in the evenings once everyone is in bed or in the afternoons during quiet time, I can spend a little more time in worship and prayer. No matter what time of day, I encourage you to carve out thirty minutes with-in your day to focus on Jesus.

For each person this time may be spent a little differently. It should always include prayer and Bible reading, but some of you may also wish to include worship through song, journaling, or an additional devotional reading. Each week I will share with you some Bible verses that I am using for the week as my focus. You can choose to join me in using those verses or use whatever devotional or reading that you feel works best for you. I know many of you have Advent reading plans and other devotionals that you are currently using. I pray that as we take 30 minutes each day to ‘Be Still’ it will change our outlook and focus throughout the day and help us remember to be a shining light for the whole world to see.

I also really want to work on ‘Be Present’. It is so easy in the hustle and bustle of the season to spend lots of time with our family and friends but not ever really ‘Be Present’ with them. I can get so focused on checking the boxes and crossing things off of my list that I lose sight of the value of time spent enjoying my children and husband. My goal and challenge this month is to spend at least 30 minutes a day fully present with my children and doing something enjoyable with them. As a homeschool mom I spend most of my days with my children, but often we are busy doing schoolwork, chores, or other tasks and forget to stop and just enjoy each other. Those 30 minutes do not have to be anything complicated. It might be going outside and pushing them in the swing, taking a walk, building Legos, or painting a picture. It might be drinking hot cocoa and reading a fun book or playing a board game. Just make sure that you are fully present with them and enjoying quality time making memories.

Each Monday, I will send out an email sharing some Bible verses and devotional ideas that you can use as well as some fun free or super inexpensive ideas for being present with your family. I hope that these email serve both to give you ideas and as a gentle reminder to ‘Be Still’ and ‘Be Present’. If you forget one day or life gets busy, remember that each day is a fresh start.  I hope you will join me in this challenge. You can sign up below to get my weekly emails for the month of December. Please feel free to share this with anyone that you think might benefit from the challenge.