The Single Mom's Mite

There is a story in the Bible that is known as "The Widow's Mite" (Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:38-44) -- a "mite" being a monetary term of course -- This story is also known as "The Widow's Offering".
Luke 21:1-4 says: "While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

1 Samuel 16:7 says: "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
John 7:24 says: "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment"
Proverbs 21:2 says: "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart"

When we think of our tithes and offerings, we are often told to not just think of these as monetary gifts but also to think about the amount of time we "tithe" to the Lord each day. Your tithe is giving the Lord your "first-fruits" - giving back to Him a portion of what He has blessed you with, for every good and perfect gift that you have is from Him in the first place (James 1:17). He gives us 24 new hours each day and we choose how to use each of those hours. If we dedicate a portion of that time back to Him, spending time in worship, prayer, and in His Word, then we are tithing that time and thanking Him for blessing us with each day He gives us. A lot of times we have preconceived notions of what that time should look like, based on books we've read, speakers we've heard, other Godly women who tell us how THEY spend THEIR time. This can all be very overwhelming for a single mom who barely has time to brush her own teeth before bed. Fitting into the "Required Quiet Time" mold set by so many well-meaning people should come with "Caution!: Guilt Trip Up Ahead!!!" warning signs for those moms who cannot fit into this mold. The Lord does not stand with a stopwatch, clocking your "30 minute quiet time". The Lord does not stand waiting to see if your prayers contain the Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication model. He does not hold a schedule over your head saying that "Quiet Time", if you even want to call it that, HAS to be first thing in the morning, before anyone else gets up. If any of these are things the Lord has put specifically on YOUR heart to practice and you are able to follow through with them with a joyful heart, then wonderful! But for some moms, these and many other different "methods" may not be practical.
When considering how best to spend time with the Lord, please remember that the Lord looks at your HEART, not your outward "Quiet Time" appearance.
If I pick a "model" for how to spend time with the Lord because I feel like it is what I am "supposed to do" but it's not really what works for me, then the Lord will know that my heart is not in it and that I am only going through the motions of worshiping him, with no true worship in my heart. And who wants to spend time with someone whose heart is not there with them, who is only with them out of duty? The Lord does not want us to come unwillingly to Him, trudging up to Him at 5 AM saying "Here I am Lord because I have to be. I have to spend my 30 minutes with you." Just as we long for people to spend time with us because they want to be with us, whether it's 30 minutes or 5 minutes, the Lord wants our hearts to be engaged with His through our own desire to be with Him, not our "duty".
I remember one summer in college a guy I was dating was on a well-planned road trip but drove hours out of his way, deviating from his plans, to spend literally 20 minutes with me at the camp where I was working. He called beforehand and said "I want to come see you but it really can only be 20 minutes" because he had somewhere he had to be that night. Those 20 minutes were more precious to me than hours spent together when we lived in the same town and I knew it was no big deal for him to walk to my apartment. He drove hours out of his way for 20 minutes of time with me! I was honored! If we have 3 hours of spare time to "waste" and we give 30 minutes of this time to God because we feel like we have to, is that as precious to Him as those times when we do not even have 10 minutes to spare and yet give those meager 10 minutes to Him because we miss Him, we desire time with Him, we know we need him or we will not be complete?
As single moms, our time is often so very limited - it is all we can do to get more than 4 hours of sleep each night and we wonder every day where the time went. When I talk to other single moms, we are all saying the same thing : "I'm exhausted... I can't keep up... I'm treading water here...". Even married moms with small children feel this way - so how much moreso for the single moms!! I just want to encourage you that God sees this - He KNOWS how much time you have and don't have. He knows your heart. He knows what the amount of YOUR "mite" is and He will bless your offerings, no matter how meager they may seem from the outside. Am I saying that if you are a single mom then you don't have to spend time with the Lord because He knows you don't have time and He'll forgive this? NO! We never want to take advantage of God's grace like this (Romans 6:1-3). What I AM saying is that you know the truth and God knows the truth about how much time you really have each day and how you can best use that time. I am saying that you need to free yourself from the guilt of trying to fit into a "Quiet Time" plan that is just not realistic for your own lifestyle. Only you and God know, day by day, when you can devote special time to him and what that time will look like. Whether that means you can have a planned, organized 30 minute sit-down with God and your Bible OR whether that means your "Quiet Time" will be spent in the car, praying while driving from one place to the other and receiving the Word through Christian radio ---whichever way, God sees your heart and He alone judges your offering. Our "Quiet Time" with Him is not something to fit into the world's standards, but a time planned between you and Him - a special road trip detour mapped out just for the two of you!

Father, thank you that you do not judge by outer standards, but that you look at my heart and my motives. Lord, you know exactly how much time I have any given day and you will honor and bless the time I spend with you each day according to your standards and not those set by the world. Lord, please help me find a way to spend time with you each day - please show me when and how I can fit this in so that I can grow closer to you and just be filled each day with your Word and your power. I love you Lord...I WANT to spend time with you; I know you will help me find the time and you will honor that time. I trust that you will show me creative ways to be in your Word and to pray to you throughout my day - In Jesus's name, Amen