My Quiet Time…That Isn’t Very Quiet

I think the last time I actually sat down and had quiet time was six months ago.

Don’t get me wrong, I am in scripture every single day (sometimes multiple times a day). More often than not, I’m not sitting down reading scripture, I’m listening to it.

Did you know that if you use the youversion Bible app, you can have the Bible read to you?

I am a huge fan of listening to audiobooks. I love putting on my bluetooth headphones and pressing play while I sew a quilt, put laundry through the machines, or even when I’m making dinner for my family. My kids know that if they see me with my headphones on and I gasp or laugh, it’s not about them. Mom is just in her own little world.

When I figured out that I could do the same with the Bible, my world was changed forever.

So, when I was painting and redoing my three childrens’ rooms this past summer, you can better believe that I was listening to the Bible at the same time. I started the challenge of reading the Bible in chronological order using the Bible Recap in January 2026, and as of today, I just finished Lamentations…my 29th book this year. I would’ve struggled to focus if I tried to sit down and read all of that, but listening to it has been wonderful for me.

I tell you all of this, not to brag, but instead to give you freedom to read scripture in the way that works for you. I used to feel guilty that my quiet time wasn’t actually quiet. So I tried harder, thinking I must’ve not been “doing it right.” I lost focus often and gave up, thinking I was doomed for failure.

In reality, I personally just learn better when I have something to do with my hands while listening instead of reading all the time. Nothing was wrong with me, I just needed to let go of “the right way” because there is no right way to study scripture.

As long as you’re studying scripture for yourself, it doesn’t really matter how you’re doing it.