The Busy Mom’s Spiritual Life: How To Make Time For God

Spending time with God is something we often hear about. I have heard many sermons and read quite a few devotionals on the significance of taking time each day to talk to God, to study His word, and worship Him. I cannot and will not deny that this is not a true statement, but I can attest that it isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Personally, and what I’ve noticed with many others, I feel like there’s not enough time in the day to accomplish all I need and want. Spending time with God becomes frustrating when you feel like you really don’t have any time to begin with.

We have to be careful that the demands and distractions of life don’t take precedence over our relationship with God though. The first commandment is that we shall not have any other god before Him. Yet there are so many things occupying our time, our attention, thoughts, and our money that can end up taking the place of God. We have to keep God in His rightful place, first and foremost.

It might be a no-brainer, but we cannot let our spirits run dry. If we do that, our flesh will gain more power and begin to take over, and I will just say that things don’t exactly work out that well when this happens. Truly, we can’t afford to not be with Him daily. It isn’t about how much time we spend with Him either, but more about putting Him first. We must prioritize!

Our walk with God isn’t one based on religion, but a walk that is founded on a relationship with Him. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to give us a religion, He died so we could have a close and personal relationship with the Father. So we need to strengthen our commitment to Him and carve out some time to spend with Him one-on-one, filling our spirits with all of Him every day.

I believe being a mom is one of the best and most rewarding things God can give, but it can certainly be a difficult and taxing responsibility as well. I don’t typically wake up each morning and have quiet time, nor do I really ever experience what is called “quiet time”. My days simply are full of my two kids; breakfast, lunch, and dinner, showers and teeth brushings, doing my 8 year old daughter’s hair for school, making sure both children are dressed properly, homework, dance class, grocery shopping, throw in some meltdowns, hugs and kisses, you name it!

So the question is, how and where do I fit God into this? Well I think the answer just might be more simple than we make it. I once heard the saying, “Stop trying to fit God into your schedule, and instead work your schedule around God”. This completely changed my view and my life; He just has to be first. That’s it. Everything else will fall into place if He is first in our lives.

He longs to hear from you, to help you, to guide you, and to simply have a beautiful relationship with you. He loves you, a lot! He also forgives you and He knows we are all busy and have big schedules. However, I think we definitely can and should set our schedules around Him. He deserves it, and you will be much happier when you make Him a priority. I want to provide a few examples or ideas of how we, as moms, can set out time for God each day. (Note that I know these won’t work perfectly for everyone, but my goal is just to help us invest time in our Heavenly Father)

-wake up a bit early to begin your day reading the Bible, praying, or journaling
-when the kids are napping read devotionals/your Bible, pray, and refocus
-listen to sermons through a mobile app or on your laptop while you get ready for the day, or while cleaning, folding laundry, cooking, etc.
-read a devotional/the Bible while on your lunch break
-keep a prayer journal and reflect on all God has done
-write out verses on sticky notes and place them around your home, in your car, and/or workplace as reminders and encouragement
-read a Christian book while you wait for the kids at gymnastics, dance class, basketball practice, etc.
-read the Bible with your kids every day before bed or other scheduled time

It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing, you can always pray and worship Him. Do whatever you can and feel comfortable with, just get time in to be with Him each day. Don’t focus on the amount of time you spend, focus on the quality and effort. Be intentional in this journey with Him!

--Emily