Hectic school routines, multiple discipline issues, outrages and temper tantrums, messes, stresses, spills and strong wills might describe your mothering yesterday, but I’m here to remind you that there is grace for the task in front of you today, dear mom!
Many women feel so overwhelmed at their task of mothering. I can remember wondering what it would feel like to just hop in the car mid-morning and head to the grocery store. That’s my high energy time! I thought about how fun it would be to be able to just GO! But I was a homeschooling mother, with two girls to train and educate. Our days were full and I usually went to the store at the end of the day when I was weary. However, it was not a sacrifice!
She remembers the day when she could get up, pour coffee, grab her Bible and head out to some comfy, solitary place to read, journal and pray. Now this busy mom’s alarm clock is a baby, a toddler and her school-aged children. Their faces, their needs, their cries all come first. There’s only apple juice, baby bottles, Cheerios and burned toast first thing after getting up. Oh, the coffee is made, but has been sitting on the burner for far too long. Her time in God’s Word is a desire in her heart, but how will it happen when there are so many other demands on a young mom’s plate? What is a young mom to do to grow spiritually?
Your demands as a woman might be different, but you’re busier than you’ve ever been, and find it difficult to cultivate time in God’s Word that is meaty and meaningful. What is a busy woman to do to grow spiritually?
I believe there are several practical ways for every woman to spend time in God’s Word when life is busy.
Place devotional books, books of God’s Promises, or other short reads in places where you can stop for a minute and read something from God’s Word. Put those kinds of books in a basket in the bathroom (if you’re fortunate enough to be in there alone!), in the laundry area, or in the car. Read something that will encourage your heart for that minute or two.
Listen to podcasts of preaching or other biblical broadcasts while you’re nursing the baby, folding clothes, making dinner, riding in the car, etc.
Listen to Scripture on your phone. In the same times I listed in #2, when you can’t sit down and open your Bible, you can still listen to someone else read it! I love the You Version.
Read the Proverb for the day. It probably only takes about five minutes to read a chapter. Highlight the verse(s) that jump out and speak to your heart and needs.
Don’t fill your mind with television and other “junk!” Use every opportunity to fill your heart and mind with God’s Word instead!
Write one verse that you want to memorize on a 3×5 card . Tuck that card into your pocket and keep it with you all day. Pull it out and refresh your heart with the next sentence, and the next and the next. In a couple of day’s time, you’ll have it memorized! Scripture in your heart can feed you all day long!
As your life slows down, begin to add in more and more of the kind of Quiet time that will really nurture your heart. These strategies are for a season, but not forever. Eventually you’ll be able to be back in a regular routine of study, journaling and prayer, but in the meantime, you can still be fruitful and growing!
Don’t allow the busy times to make you stagnant. This (busyness), too, shall pass – but you’ll never recapture what you could have gleaned if you don’t grab the spiritual nuggets when you can!
Are you a busy woman like I described? Which of these tools will you try?
Getting older has its advantages. One plus is that after having passed through the years of motherhood when my children were little, I can reflect with a little more insight. Sometimes looking at motherhood through the rear view mirror (my mistakes) gives a better perspective. I certainly don’t have all the answers (who does?), but as I reflect on my own mothering years, and watch and listen to young moms, I have a different perspective. When I was experiencing it myself there were days when I felt like I was drowning. Now I stand on the shoreline to throw you young moms a rope of encouragement.
Recently I had a friend ask me what I thought about the statement,
“Every mother’s middle name is guilt.”
I considered it for a couple of days – even mentioned it to a couple of women and was interested in their responses. “Oh, boy, isn’t that the truth!” was pretty much what I heard from others.
Hey moms, I know your plate is full, and so is your day. You have so much responsibility on your shoulders and there are days you wonder if you can get it all done. Today’s Refresh Her podcast is meant to encourage you in your role of motherhood. It’s not about doing more, it’s about the one tool that will make what you are doing really matter in your children’s lives. Do you think you know what it is?
