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How to stay engaged:

Have you ever committed to something long-term? Like January 1st rolls around, you’re gassed to get in the gym every day, but then the alarm goes off at 5 am… and is promptly turned off. Or a long-term relationship? Or studying for the SAT, ACT, etc.? Or a sport?

Commitment demands work. None of those things would succeed without work: fitness, relationships, exams, and athletics. And the same is true for your quiet time. It’s not always easy, and you won’t always feel like it, but it is always what you need to succeed. While all that is true, there are strategies to stay engaged and enjoy spending time with the Lord.

One thing that I find so important to maximizing the enjoyment of your quiet time is understanding what parts delight you and which parts you have to do out of obedience. Is it worship? Theology? Being outdoors? Serving? Community? Or even traditional silent quiet time? Explore every possibility and whatever helps you feel closest to God is the one you need to incorporate as much as possible. This will help you not grow tired.

Every single day in high school, I ate Oatmeal Squares for breakfast. They were my favorite cereal in the world, but after four years of doing the same thing, I got tired of them. I needed a break. This kind of stale routine is dangerous to our faith too. Some seasons of quiet time have to look different to fulfill whatever necessity you have at that time. Different strategies of reading the Bible help it stay exciting. If you want to get an overall picture of a book or story, then reading big segments may be the best method. Sometimes you may want to dive deep into a story you don’t understand by using a side-by-side commentary. Other times you may long for deep personal comfort from the scriptures, so you add extra time to the reflection parts of quiet time. After mixing it up for a while, my love for Oatmeal Squares returned.