Moms are some of the most busy people on the planet. We serve many in our sphere, often sacrificing stillness with God for days at a time. Too often we find ourselves being much more like Marthas than Marys when it comes to filling our spiritual tanks. Even when we get the rare moment to sit and just be we can find our minds unable to focus and wandering.
So how does one find time to Be Still with God during these busy Mom seasons?
We make our “quiet time with God” far too complicated and an OBLIGATION rather than a REST. Take the pressure off. Quiet time with God can be done in MANY different ways, not just sitting and studying the bible for hours.
You may find that you are already doing these things listed below. You may not be doing any of them. Like most disciplines, there are practices we can adopt to help cultivate a habit that strengthen communication in relationships. Don’t think of these suggestions of things I HAVE to do or SHOULD do, but rather ways you CAN CHOOSE to communicate with the Lord.
- Prayerfully consider your schedule. First and foremost we must consider how we are using our time. Are we “so busy” for “good works prepared in advance for us” (Ephesians 2:10) Or have we added too much too our plate for other reasons? Sometimes we need to give up good things in order to participate in God things.
- Make sure you are getting plenty of rest at night. Too often we forget about our own self-care and the importance of daily restorative rest so we are able to do the things we are meant to do daily. Taking care of ourselves is not selfish, but is a worthwhile practice toward helping others.
- Be honest with God. Recognize and confess your lack of focus to the Lord. Allow Him to explore your heart and give it rest. He loves you so much and has compassion for you. He will honor our requests for peace.
- Find opportunities to make Scripture visible throughout your day. Post verses around your home, office, car, or wherever you will be as reminders of Christ’s love for you. I sometimes stick a verse in my wallet so when I go to purchase the groceries I see a verse about his providing for our family- it causes me pause to give thanks for his gift of nourishment.
- Pick ONE verse to meditate on for a time. We may find ourselves overwhelmed by life, expectations, or “doing.” Sometimes we need the deepness of meditating on just ONE directive or truth of the Lord. Find one that resonates with you during your particular season and meditate upon it. Post it places you will see and remember it. After awhile you will see the fruits of this one truth making themselves apparent in your thoughts and reactions.
- Turn on worship music or a podcast while you work in the home, office, or drive your car, etc…Sometimes the best way to communicate with the Lord is just listening. Hearing his words and sentiments toward us through music and teaching is a way we receive encouragement. In certain seasons of my life this was all I had strength to do to participate with God. It got me through the hard and filled me.
- Pray during a physical activity. Pray during your walk, run, yoga, etc…thoughts all jumbled while praying? Try concentrating on praying for the people that pop into your head…or the people you see at the gym, on your walk in the neighborhood, etc…
- Write down your prayers. There is something powerful about the flow of written words on paper. When we allow our thoughts to freely be written out and then go back and read them the truth about our situation or feelings tend to be made more apparent. Writing helps to also focus our thoughts on a subject so we tend to be less distracted.
- Talk to God while in the Shower or Bath. Sometimes this is a Mom’s greatest sanctuary. The spraying water tends to muffle out the sounds of loud children and wash away the hard of each day. Use this time to connect with the Lord. Pray, cry out, sing in worship, vent to him, ask questions, and then be silent and listen.
- Don’t squander time after kids go to bed. Like so many moms the time after kids go to bed is precious. It’s quiet. It’s ME time. Too often I find myself using this “me time” for purposes that aren’t as productive. I find myself on social media, watching tv, reading a book, or sometimes folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen, or taking care of pets, my husband, etc…Take the 10 minutes after kids go to bed and read your bible. Talk to God. Write a prayer. SOMETHING that is God-Centered. Then go and do the other things that you want to do.
Questions to ask yourself:
Is there an aspect to my schedule that I need to reconsider to help me find stillness with God?
Have I found that participating in one of these ways has helped me keep me abiding in Christ?
What other ways have I found to spend time with God during busy mom life?
Brianna is a Speaker, Encourager, and Missionary. Her desire is to inspire you to step out in faith and courage, despite fear. She’s Ohio born and raised, but currently lives in Middle Tennessee busy being Mom to two spicy little boys and her rescue dog, Bosa the Boxer.
Her love language is quality time so she tries to spend as much time as she can with her husband of 12 years, Jason. Brianna is currently working on her first children’s book as well writing a devotional book for 2016. While writing is a love, speaking to inspire groups of women is her passion! You can find more of her encouraging writing at unveiledandrevealed.com and follow her on twitter at @briannalgeorge.
Unveiled and Revealed is a ministry resource for encouraging women to discover and live out their new nature in Christ. The purpose is to inspire women to claim their own identity using the gifts Christ gives each of us; grace and rest through him. I invite you to come feast with me on what the Lord teaches about the depth of his grace, love, joy and provision.
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Thanks so much for having me Lisa! It is a joy to be a mom and share our experiences with one another.
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Great tips!!
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Thanks!!
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Very good tips. One needs to remember these things
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I agree!
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Me and Jesus have some of our best talks in the shower 🙂
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Ha. Yup me too.
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Love this! So many good tips. My favorite is adding God to my “me time” once the kids are in bed. I think I’m going to start crying that out.
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It has been a great tool for me…just 10 minutes…then I go on and do what I want.
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These are amazing tips, we just finished a session on quiet time at church! I’ll definitely be trying some of these to see if I can get more time with God.
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Some of my best times with God are when there isn’t as much quiet around me as there is need to hear form him.:)
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SO MANY AWESOME SUGGESTIONS! As a Catholic, one opportunity that I have been wanting to take advantage of is Eucharistic Adoration. I want to get myself up earlier and go to the chapel and pray – away from distractions. I love all your suggestions, some of them I need to get back to doing (like writing my prayers). Thanks so much for these great recommendations!
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Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
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YES! To all of these! This is definitely something I’m trying to do better at in my own life.
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so glad you enjoyed this!
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Awesome list of tips! 😀 Thanks for sharing, I loved this post!
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Thanks Lorey! So glad you liked it!!!!
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i like praying and walking (ps – Brianna rocks! 😀 )
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me too. : ) and thanks you rock too!
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Most definitely! I’m starting up my War Room and will be trying to make sure I make time each day for my alone time with God. I do talk with Him on a regular basis so he’s a part of my day always. But, I need more time “with” Him for sure. Life is just so busy!
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I haven’t seen war room yet, but I can definitely say speaking and listening to God all day is something that is a HUGE part of my life.
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I do 9 almost every day. It is what I consider my prayer time most days. I enjoyed this list and I think it is very helpful. I can agree that as a mom it is rough, but these are great suggestions!
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Great list, Rhiannon; you flat covered it! I want to work on writing out scripture more and squandering time is always a temptation, but I’m tackling it! 🙂
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Thank you so much for this! This is exactly what I need. I’ve really been struggling with having quiet time and seeing it as a “to do list” item.
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As a mom of 5 littles, I needed to read this!
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