Simple ways to connect with God as a busy professional

One of the hardest things over the years for me, has been keeping a consistent quiet time, or spending time with God every day. In my medical residency, similar to this year for me, my schedule would change almost monthly. I would go from working 5am-4pm, to 8am to 5pm, to overnight shift work… and trying to maintain a regular life with that, especially a quiet time, is easier said then done.

The first thing I had to do in order to get into a good routine with God was actually forgive myself. I wanted to start out something new perfectly and completely with no interruptions or failures involved. Unfortunately, that’s not normal life. Just like with our careers, sometimes there are learning curves, bumps along the road, and mistakes we didn’t intend to make. God isn’t asking us to be perfect from day one, but rather just to spend some time getting to know Him better.

Initially, I thought working on our foundations as a Christian was just a timing thing—similar to the way I used to study for classes. Ten minutes studying equaled a certain grade—but ten hours studying equaled one much better. But the important thing when it comes to our quiet time, was not how long I spent, what exactly I did, or how perfect it was. The important thing was the commitment to making God a part of my day before anything else. The important thing was the commitment to build my faith and my security and my confidence, not on the hours I was working—but on the moments I spent at God’s feet. The important thing was not whether I was reading, or praying, or shouting—but that my heart was dedicated to getting to know God better, and in the process, getting to know me better as well.

The second thing I had to do for my quiet time was be willing to change it up. Maybe this month for you won’t include 4-hour devotional studies at church. Maybe it won’t be you leading the study  every day at church or spending 2 hours a day in prayer. But could this month involve you spending ten minutes speaking verses out loud while you do your hair? Could this month involve you reading a scripture off of your phone every time you have a bathroom break? Could this month involve you praying while you drive to and from work? Could this month involve you and your friends emailing encouraging prayers and verses to each other? It’s not hard to find the time when you view it the same way you prioritize your studying, your research, and your career. But you have to make it a priority.

So, here’s some practical tips based on a sermon I listened to last week:

• S- Start small.
  1. I feel like 10 minutes is a good, encouraging amount of time to spend in prayer or in the Bible. But sometimes, I had to start with one minute. Pick a reasonable amount of time that you will not beat yourself up about, and commit to it. You can increase it later after it becomes a more natural habit.
• P- Prioritize a place
  1. One way to do this is to pick a favorite chair, cozy fireplace, or spot on the patio that’s ideal. If you’ve got the time and energy for that, it’s awesome.
  2. If your schedule is crazy, pick some place you already regularly go. For me, the bathroom while getting dressed in the morning or the car during lunch or while driving home were much more practical to commit to. On days off, I could do something cozy and ideal, but the goal is to start small.
• A- Avoid the distractions
  1. Put away your tv and your phone while you are personally reading the Bible.
  2. To start getting into a place for regular quiet time, it was easiest for me to listen to a sermon while getting dressed and quiet my head, and then spend 5-10 minutes reading the Bible myself without technology.
• C- Come as you are
  1. God is not worried about perfection, He just wants to spend time with you. He would rather you come in your emotions or frustrations then not come at all.
• E- Establish it as a non-negotiable 
  1. Sometimes getting into a new routine takes some discipline. Try giving yourself a win or withdrawing a reward based on your activity for a few weeks. For instance, you can have your cup of coffee if you spend time with God, but if not… Again, this isn’t a hard and fast rule from the Bible, this is just a trick to help you keep it high on your priority list until it becomes more routine.

James 4:8- "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."