The Mind of a Child

[00:00:00] Leslie Corbell: Hello, I'm Leslie Dudley Corbell. And I'm Diane Doucette Matthews, welcome to the Mind of a Child.

We are so glad you joined us for today's episode. Diane, I'm coming today with a question that several moms have brought to me lately. They've mentioned to me, and these are young moms of young children.

[00:00:25] Diane Matthews: Mm-hmm.

[00:00:26] Leslie Corbell: They've mentioned to me how hard it is to find time, quiet time with the Lord each day.

[00:00:31] Diane Matthews: Hmm.

Before we even get started, let's just define quiet time. What would you say is a quiet time for you?

[00:00:39] Leslie Corbell: Time that I'm focused on the word time, that I'm doing Bible study time, that I'm really meditating on scripture.

[00:00:47] Diane Matthews: You're just spending time quietly. I. Focusing, communing with God, so to speak. Yeah. Okay. So here's some terms that we've heard.

I'm, I'm just gonna read some of the terms. [00:01:00] Um, well, we've already mentioned time with God, personal time with the Lord, journaling, devotion, focus on God's spiritual nourishment, stillness with, with the Lord. You know, there's so many different words out there that describe exactly what you've been talking about.

[00:01:14] Leslie Corbell: Yeah. I think all of those sum it up. I loved how you brought communing with the Lord in there that really just. Is very encouraging and inspiring, I think, to think about what that might look like for you. Mm-hmm. So why? Why do we do this? Why it a good idea? It's a very good idea.

[00:01:28] Diane Matthews: What happens when we don't do it?

What happens in your life, Leslie, when you don't do a quiet time for a day or two or a week?

[00:01:34] Leslie Corbell: Yeah. Fears start coming up. Mm-hmm. In me, you might see them as anxieties. I try to control things. I find that I'm controlling things or attempting to. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So that's, that's one thing for me that comes

[00:01:48] Diane Matthews: up.

I feel unsettled. Unsettled. That's a good one. I know for me, I become critical, critical of myself. I. Critical of people around me. And then, um, just [00:02:00] dissatisfied. I'm just dissatisfied. And that can lead to introspection. Boy, it takes me, it can take me down that bad road, you know? So I know that I need to be in the word and communing with God to have any sort of peace really.

So I love this verse. Yeah. It's from first Samuel. 30 verse six, and it said David was greatly distressed, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. And so I think that's what we're gonna explore today. How? How do we strengthen ourself in the Lord? Yes.

[00:02:33] Leslie Corbell: Before we even become distressed, how do we have that daily practice?

Mm-hmm.

[00:02:39] Diane Matthews: That helps us to stay. Yeah. At peace. Yeah. 'cause we don't have to list all the stressors in the world. Mm-hmm. Because they're out there and we don't have to, you know, we don't have to be awake for very long till they hit us in the face. So what did this look like for you when your children were young?

Oh, well, mine was, was different because I know a lot of women, so they would [00:03:00] get up like five o'clock in the morning and have their time with the Lord, and then 10 to the kids. My brain does not function like that in the morning, so I would wake up in the morning. It was kids with prayer, breakfast, dress.

Devotion with the kids and then get them where they needed to be if we were going anywhere. If not, you know, we'd stayed at home, but then I would reorient and then it would be my time to be in the word. So I had to, I had to kind of do it like that in my way. That's what worked for me. Mm-hmm. This story's real encouraging.

It's Susanna Wesley, and I think Wesley may ring a bell to y'all. 'cause most of us are pretty familiar with John Wesley and Charles Wesley, but she was the mother of those two and 17 other kids. So she had 19 children and so. What she would do when she wanted, and she called it Communion with God, when she was gonna get into the word and pray, she would take her apron [00:04:00] and put it over her head and she'd have a little tent.

And the kids knew that that was mom's time with God and do not disturb. And I think that's so cool. You know, that, that she let it be known. That wa that was her time. And we, you know, we can go into all the wonderful things that John and Charles did, but I think. The bottom line of that is they watch their mom honor and prefer God.

Every day of her life. And that really influenced them as children. Mm-hmm. So important.

[00:04:31] Leslie Corbell: What a, what a gift, what a role model. And I really appreciate how she set that up with her children. She gave them a visual. Mm-hmm. You know, the aprons over my head, this means mom is, is communing with the Lord. Mm-hmm.

And I'm sure she. Had things set up for them to do. I mean, they knew what that time meant. So that, yeah,

[00:04:49] Diane Matthews: that's super. Back then it was probably go do your chores out in the, you know, feed the chickens or milk the cows. Who knows what there was going on back then, but, um, yeah, because even little ones, [00:05:00] even little ones would recognize don't disturb

[00:05:02] Leslie Corbell: mom

[00:05:03] Diane Matthews: right

[00:05:03] Leslie Corbell: now.

Yeah. So the question, the question is, what should we do? Well, I think it's so important. I, I love this idea of, you know, the verse Isaiah 40 11. He will tend to flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who are with young. And so what I love about that idea is, you know, we do have a Gen A savior who sees us gently and is gently leading us.

[00:05:28] Diane Matthews: Mm-hmm.

[00:05:29] Leslie Corbell: I hope that that carries a message of encouragement to moms, that he sees you in this time when you're doing kingdom work, raising your young children. Mm-hmm. And he's gently leading you now. So finding that time in his grace. To sit with him. Mm-hmm. Really is the best thing you will do all day long

[00:05:48] Diane Matthews: in your parenting.

That's true. I know for, for me, I had this time that I was training my kids to focus a little bit longer each, each day or each week, [00:06:00] you know, um, it was three minutes and then five minutes, and then 10 minutes. I would give them books and they would have their little book time. And that was beneficial for them.

And until the time got long enough where I could spend my time and you know, get anything out of it. But you could use that time to do that, to train them. Mm-hmm. So that they would be doing that. But there's so many things that you can get your kids to do at Arts and crafts or whatever, but just make sure that they know what they're gonna be doing while you're doing your time with God.

[00:06:29] Leslie Corbell: Yeah. So we're going to list several things. I think we started out with 10 ways to get your quiet time with the Lord. So we got some ideas for you, and let's start. All right, so the first one we kind of covered, but let's sit on it a little bit longer 'cause we wanna kind of dive deeply into it and help you think about what it might look like for you.

So you wanna set a time and a place each day. When you plan to read your Bible, put it on your calendar, you know, think it through, what's it gonna look like? What are my responsibilities that might come up [00:07:00] during that time? How can I be prepared? Mm-hmm. For those, how can I tell my children? Let them know what they are going to be doing at that time.

Let them know what it's gonna look like, right. And what the expectations are for them on that part. So that's kind of one thing to think about it. And what's it gonna look like when you get interrupted? How are you gonna handle that moment and redirect your children? So prepare

[00:07:22] Diane Matthews: yourself for that. Mm-hmm.

Prepare ahead. Mm-hmm. And I think place is real important. That helped me out so much. Somebody said that early on to me, get a place even if it's your favorite place. I had a few favorite places. So someone also suggested early on to make a quiet time basket. So I had a basket with, uh. My Bible devotional journal, and this one was real important for me.

The way my brain thinks was just a little notepad, that if something came up in my mind, I could write down, um, something like a to-do or something to remember later on so I could [00:08:00] write it down, put it down, and then get back to my reading. It, it would keep me from being totally distracted from my time, but also with that basket, if your favorite place or your quiet time place changes, you can just carry a basket to the next place.

But just having a place, it just does a lot for you. It just helps you out in that deciding, you know, now's the time. Where am I going? Is just one less decision to make. And I think that's a good thing, that

[00:08:25] Leslie Corbell: one less decision to make mm-hmm. Really will help you be more successful. Another thing I'm thinking on is meditating on scripture.

'cause we've kind of talked about it with that. The idea of getting into the word. And if you've listened to our episode with Kim Lenor, we did an episode with her where she really shared a lot about how she. Memorizes and meditates on scripture. Mm-hmm. And so she has this thing called the word of the Rings, where she has index cards on little rings.

Mm-hmm. And she had a system for going through them. And you can listen to that episode and find out more. You might think, well, [00:09:00] where do I even start with scripture? And so we thought about some scriptures that you. Could start with, and the five assurances, and that's one that you shared with me, Diane. Mm.

And so I'm gonna list some of these scriptures. These would be some to begin with if you wanna start meditating on scriptures. So the assurance of salvation, which is one John five 11 through 12 assurance of answered prayer. John 1624. Assurance of victory, one Corinthians 10 13. Assurance of forgiveness.

One John one, nine and assurance of guidance. Proverbs three, five and six. And so that's five scriptures that you could put on a ring and start be working on another one, be the Romans road, but that'd be Romans 3 23. Romans 6 23. Romans five, eight, Romans 10, nine through 10. 10, 13, but those are some ideas

[00:09:51] Diane Matthews: where to begin.

Mm-hmm. And I will go back to the assurances because when I first started memorizing scripture or was challenged to [00:10:00] memorize scripture, it was in college and I was with the navigators. Those are assurances are directly out of the topical memory system that navigators have, uh, created. And you can still order it on Amazon or even go directly to their.

Website. It has topical breakdowns. I mean, it has a whole system for you to follow. But I tell you, those assurances carried me for years when I wasn't, I didn't have the discipline of memorizing scriptures. If you're beginning, those are a great place to start. And another thing to, uh, think about when you're meditating on scripture or memorizing scripture, the Lord's gonna bring to your mind.

Some scripture or show it to you while you're reading. And that's a good way just to take that scripture. And I used to write it on a, I had a little chalkboard. I'd write my scripture down, or, you know, you and I have talked about this on, on many episodes. I love the [00:11:00] little roller scripture, things that you can buy anywhere that has a thought for the day and a scripture.

I like to put those all over the house. So no matter where I am in the house. I can read a scripture and think about it instead of my mind just going astray on worry, concern, control. Mm-hmm. You know, being critical. It's good to have the word wherever you are.

[00:11:24] Leslie Corbell: Yeah. And let's take that and go a little bit deeper in that, because that is one of our other things we mentioned in your car.

Mm. In your purse. Yep. Carrying, carrying a Bible with you. Take it with you because you never know when you're going to, to find time to read it. Mm-hmm. And so it's good to have those things on hand. And I think you've even mentioned putting scripture all over the house. Mm-hmm. Yes. And one thing I thought about was, and this is because my daughter's expecting her first baby, and so that's really fun.

We've been talking a lot about that, but. In your diaper changing area, you can begin reading the scripture over your child. So especially moms who have [00:12:00] young infants, and we mentioned this in an, in an episode, taking those moments to read scripture

[00:12:05] Diane Matthews: That's right. And read 'em out loud. And going back to having the, your devotional or your Bible, wherever you go, have it in your diaper bag.

Yes, yes. You know, because you never know when you're gonna have a minute. But I always had a devotional in the car because, you know, you're sitting in line waiting to pick up the kids, or you're, who knows what you're waiting for, or you know, you just have a couple minutes and have your memory cards. I would put 'em on the dashboard.

[00:12:36] Leslie Corbell: Even now when I am doing activities, let's say when my children were young, it might have been when they were napping or doing something else, and I was taking that moment to clean the kitchen. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Or even now I'm taking a moment to paint or do something creative. Finding audio Bible apps or podcasts that you like to listen to or sermons from.

Mm-hmm. Pastors that you know of, either [00:13:00] from at your home, church or otherwise. I mean, that is a very fulfilling time for me then too, because my hands are busy doing work, right. But my mind is. Open mm-hmm. For something else. And so I've found those really good times to just find something and be fed.

Truth. For me, it's Alistair Begg and one of the young women that I have been discipling, that's who she also listens to. My church has resources online that were either old sermons or even equipping classes. Yeah. And so I can go through those and find things to listen to. That's a, has been to me, a wonderful way to quiet my mind when my hands are busy.

[00:13:37] Diane Matthews: I think of the scripture, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And that's really what we're talking about, transforming our mind so we don't fall back into that critical state or that, you know, anxiety state. We're transforming it and we're meditating and thinking about God's word. Mm-hmm. So, yeah, any kinda way you can get the word in you.

I just love to listen to the Bible on, you know, on my phone. I just listen to [00:14:00] it. Lot of times or go to Psalms or listen to a book of the Bible, I like to do that too. Mm-hmm. We didn't talk about praise and worship. Yeah. So let's talk about that. Yeah. I love to listen to Christian music. That just feeds my heart too.

But you had a, a really good idea about doing it intentionally.

[00:14:17] Leslie Corbell: For me, sometimes if there's music playing in the background, sometimes I can tune things out pretty easily. So I have found it's helpful to me to be intentional about when I have music on. To help me listen with intention to it. That's just me.

I mean, some people you could also leave it on all the time and it, you will be drawn to it. Mm-hmm. And listen to it. You will be hearing it. Maybe just not focusing on it, but Yeah. It's going in. It's going in, goes in, comes out. That's right. Just put it in as much as you can. Absolutely. Bring praise and worship music into it because it, it, you can be lifted up and encouraged.

That's right. That's huge. And sing those songs over your children. Yes. And we've talked about this, about singing Bible verses yes to [00:15:00] our children. Row, row, row, your boat. It goes with everything. I said that in our last episode, but yes, it really

[00:15:05] Diane Matthews: does.

[00:15:06] Leslie Corbell: So singing

[00:15:06] Diane Matthews: scripture over your

[00:15:07] Leslie Corbell: children.

[00:15:08] Diane Matthews: Yeah. One of my favorite and simplest ones was Jesus loves instead of Me, I'd say, Jesus loves you.

This I know for the Bible tells you so, you know, so I would sing that a lot. I don't have the a real beautiful voice, but I would sing songs. Especially when I was rocking them and just those connecting moments.

[00:15:29] Leslie Corbell: Another way that we commune with the Lord is through prayer. Mm. Pray often. Pray without seizing.

I, I know that verse and one Thessalonians was so important to me at a time in my life when things felt chaotic mm-hmm. For me, and I would found that I was really praying without seizing throughout the day. Mm-hmm. And that staying in that constant communion with the Lord at that time really helped me.

Do the things that

[00:15:52] Diane Matthews: I was, I was needing to do that day. Yeah. And then when you have the scripture around the house, you can just pray those scriptures back to the Lord. [00:16:00] Yes. And pray the scriptures over your children. So just getting the scripture in your heart is wonderful. 'cause with you, when you speak it too, you hear it.

And so that's very beneficial. Mm-hmm.

[00:16:12] Leslie Corbell: And I think one of the scriptures I prayed out loud most often when I began that practice of praying scripture was. Lord, your mercies are new every morning. Mm. And I wanna say one thing to young moms about that to remember, your mercies are new every morning, so don't worry about tomorrow.

You know? I know. For me that was really important because fears and anxieties would creep up and I would start worrying about tomorrow, and someone shared with me, the Lord gives you new mercies every morning. Amen. So stay in today's mercies. That's right. Don't worry about tomorrow. And so just praying that scripture to remind myself that those mercies indeed are new.

That's great. It was an encouraging way that I could then again, commune with the Lord.

[00:16:52] Diane Matthews: Yeah.

[00:16:53] Leslie Corbell: And rest in the truth and rest in him. Yeah. Yeah. Rest in truth. And so your brain

[00:16:56] Diane Matthews: doesn't go to all the worries that. [00:17:00] There that you can, you can start worrying about. Mm-hmm. But instead you're going to his truth.

[00:17:05] Leslie Corbell: Yeah.

[00:17:06] Diane Matthews: I wanna talk a little bit about journaling.

[00:17:08] Leslie Corbell: Yeah, I do. Because that's something that I don't do. Journal you do

[00:17:12] Diane Matthews: that. Yeah. Share with me and I, I really, I. Love journaling. I don't do as much art as I used to do, but I do love art and so my journals books are filled with little pictures and just, even if I'm, I'm thinking and praying, I'm doodling, you know?

So it's just a fun time that I'm communing with the Lord. But just a couple of things. Number one, it forces you to slow down. It's an intentional time that you're seated and you're saying, speak to me Lord. Another thing, it deepens the process of what you're thinking about when you're writing it down.

And one of the most important things, there's a long list of, of the benefit of journaling, but another one, it reinforces memory retention because when you're writing it, you're thinking it, you're seeing it and you're writing it. The more senses you [00:18:00] pull into this experience, the more you. Or apt to remember it.

And so I need all the help I can get. But I really do love journaling. I don't worry about grammar, I don't worry about incomplete sentences at times. If I'm creative, I make my, my journals make it look pretty to me, to my eye. So it's just a fun experience and I know that it's, I can stop and I'm still.

Before the Lord, and then I'll just write what he, what he's speaking to my heart. I couldn't imagine my walk of faith without journaling, actually.

[00:18:36] Leslie Corbell: And I can think too, you saying that, that that does encourage me to begin that practice. But I'm thinking about David. I mean, we talked about David earlier about strengthening himself in the Lord.

What did David do? He wrote. He wrote, he wrote, wrote Psalms.

We mentioned praying minute ago, but keeping a prayer list and post-it notes of things that we're praying for. People that we're praying for. Mm-hmm. [00:19:00] And making a note of answered prayers.

[00:19:03] Diane Matthews: Ooh,

[00:19:04] Leslie Corbell: a journal. Yeah. You can do that in a journal too. Yes, that's right. They could add that to your journal.

[00:19:07] Diane Matthews: It could be a prayer journal.

That's right. Yeah. Like right now I have this, I love plants, so I have a plant on my desk with this beautiful yellow pot and a a post-it. Note on it with, there's about six, seven people that I'm praying for right now. You know? Yeah. Some for salvation. Some for health issues, but it's like I sit at my desk and that yellow plant Oh.

Catches my eye and then I can pray for 'em. Yeah. I need little triggers to help me. No visuals. Yeah, visuals, just like we

[00:19:36] Leslie Corbell: talk about children need visuals all the time. Visuals send a quick message to even us as adults. Yes. Of something that we can do in that moment. That right there in that moment, yes.

[00:19:47] Diane Matthews: What about family worship time?

[00:19:49] Leslie Corbell: Yeah. That could look very different for you, depending upon how old your children are. Mm-hmm. And so you'd be creative with this. Mm-hmm. But how could you have a family worship time? [00:20:00]

[00:20:00] Diane Matthews: Well, you know, you think about a toddler. They're going to maybe sing the song or decide what song, and they'll probably go, Jesus Loves Me, or something like that, but let them sing.

Mm-hmm. Or lead the song. And then a little bit older, uh, maybe in elementary they could read the scripture. Even older than that, they may have a message for you. Yeah. For the family. So once again, you're together. You could do that at the dinner table, you could do it wherever you want, but once again mm-hmm.

You're in the word. And so I,

[00:20:26] Leslie Corbell: we'd encourage you to find some way to give your children a role in it. Bring them into it, give them visuals to help structure that time for them. It would be just a really meaningful Yeah,

[00:20:36] Diane Matthews: and it's such a, a, they'll have a sense of belonging about it and they can do it. Now, I have to be honest with you times together with my family when they were younger.

It didn't always end well. We would have arguing. I wanna read it. I wanna read it. You wanna read? I mean, it wound up a lot of times just in chaos. So just, you know, go with it. That's what's gonna happen sometimes. Don't give [00:21:00] up. Don't give up. Keep

[00:21:01] Leslie Corbell: well, and I think some, we can keep it short. Yeah. And, and take the wins as they come.

In that moment and grow it with your children. Mm-hmm. You know, those first times might be really short.

[00:21:12] Diane Matthews: Yeah. And don't get frustrated when that, yeah. When it doesn't go the way you want it to. Well, you might get frustrated, but don't verbalize that. Just kind of go, okay, well maybe it's time to stop. Let's have a closing prayer.

Yeah. Beginning and move on. That's right. Beginning and end

[00:21:24] Leslie Corbell: with prayer. Mm-hmm. And any time scripture spoken, it will be, it will do the work for which it's been purposed. That's right. I think too, you can read children's bibles. I mean, we all had our favorite children's bibles and children's Bible storybooks, and so those would be a wonderful opportunity to give you some sort of time soon with the Lord.

When my children were little, I wanna say elementary school, I did a lot of leading the worship time at church, and so that looked like. Either reading stories to the large group of preschoolers or acting out the stories to them, [00:22:00] and even the time spent in these children's stories, hearing the simple truths.

Really nourished my soul at a time. I, it was serving a very good purpose for the children and it was also nourishing me, yeah,

[00:22:16] Diane Matthews: where I was at that time. So I know when my kids were young, I had never read through the Bible and some of the stories weren't even familiar to me. And so to read through the Bible with them was very beneficial for me as it was for them also.

So yeah, I'm all in on reading children's, uh, Bibles. There was one that I listened to the story and it takes you from Genesis to Revelation. I've listened to that quite a few times. On audio, it just opens up just new. Dimensions of what the Lord did his his. It was one story. It's one story from Genesis to Revelation and that's, that's a good one to listen to too.

But I think we have some, yeah. Suggestions or recommendations for Bibles?

[00:22:56] Leslie Corbell: I just got the one that you recommended 'cause I bought it [00:23:00] from Madeline and her little, the baby she's expecting. And that's the one by Kenneth. Taylor, the new Bible for little Eyes and a child's first Bible. Mm-hmm. Absolutely precious.

Yes. I'm really glad looking

[00:23:12] Diane Matthews: forward to getting that. And when I pulled them out to show you, I realized how worn they were. Yeah. So I might have to order some new ones too. Yeah. For the grandkids. Yeah.

[00:23:20] Leslie Corbell: Other ones that, um, I've seen at my church and I've also purchased, or the biggest story Bible storybook by Kevin De Young.

And that's the book of, uh, of many Bible stories. And then he has a shorter story called The Biggest Story, which puts it into more of a picture book form for one sitting reading, and then the biggest story, A, B, C for little ones. And those, those were are also very engaging books that share truth with young children.

And we do have this link through our mind of a Child podcast. Amazon store. Mm-hmm. We're gonna share that link in the show notes and we are, as an Amazon affiliate, we do receive a commission on [00:24:00] on purchases and we do appreciate your support of the Mind of a Child.

[00:24:08] Diane Matthews: Bottom line, this episode is. What? Let

[00:24:14] Leslie Corbell: Jesus gently lead you as a parent. This is gonna be the biggest thing that you do as a parent, is spending time in the word. It will change your day, it will change you. It will gently lead you through that day. And so we wanna encourage you to find some way. We've given you lots of ideas.

Some of these may speak to you, some may not. Whatever it looks like for you. We just encourage you to find that time each day, spend it in the word, spend it

[00:24:39] Diane Matthews: communing with the Lord, and that will influence your kids more than you'll ever, ever know. It happens without you even seeing it happening. Lord, help us have intentional time with you daily.

May your Holy Spirit teach us, changes us, and make us more like Jesus so that [00:25:00] we can be. The tool that you use to help our children grow up to love you more and more every day. Uh, we humbly ask you to create the rhythm in our lives that will please you for the rest of our days. And it's in Jesus name that we pray.

Amen. Amen.

[00:25:19] Leslie Corbell: Thanks for listening. Check out our Instagram at the Mind of a Child Pod, or you can email us at the Mind of a Child podcast@gmail.com.