Kaitlin Gehret, children’s ministry director at Mariners, is a morning person. So, she tries to devote a piece of the best part of her day to God.
“First thing I do when I wake up, is I’ll play a word game to get my mind focused, then I grab some coffee and I just sit with God,” Kaitlin said. “I know if I do it in the morning first thing it starts my day off right. I can be with God. That’s just the way my brain is wired. “
She typically combines Bible or devotional reading with prayer. “Right now, I’m going through the Book of Acts, at least one chapter a day,” She said. “I focus on what the passage is saying, what’s happening in the scene and why it appears in the Bible. I typically go for at least 25 minutes, sometimes longer. Then on the way to work in the car I’m either praying or listening to worship music.”
She even has a special chair. “It’s my reading nook. If I’m sitting there, I can be at ease and be quiet with God,” Kaitlin said. “My quiet times fills me with happiness and joy. It’s like feeling in love with Jesus every day.” It’s pretty great!”
She has tried other approaches. “I tried the method of stopping in the middle of the day and doing quiet time. A friend did that, and it was a great strategy for her. I found I got too distracted,” she recalled. “I also tried doing quiet time before bed, but my brain is so full of other things.”
Kaitlin is quick to note that what works for her won’t work for everyone.
“It doesn’t have to be in a room with a special chair. If you like the outdoors, go take a walk, go see what God’s done and thank him for what’s around you,” she said. “I tell the kids it can be a 5-minute prayer. It can be thanking God in just a few seconds. ‘Thanks for creating the trees!’ The goal is to create a habit of coming to God in study and prayer and recognizing what God has done for you.”
Routine keeps her relationship with God strong.
“There are days when I get out of my routine, when a crisis arises, and I need to deal with something unexpected. But having a routine makes it easy to restart the next day. It’s important to create the habit.”
By Dan Page, Volunteer Storyteller
