Editor’s Note: The Power of Moms is a website for mothers of all religious preferences. Our Spiritual Sundays section is a place where our authors can write about thoughts that are more spiritual in nature, and our goal is to gather a wide variety of perspectives. The following article is written from a Catholic perspective. If you (or someone you know) has something to add to this section to help us reach a wider audience of mothers, please send the submission to [email protected]. Thank you!
Our Creator designed us as women and mothers to be a source of comfort to those hurting around us. A giver of human life. A protector. A person of wisdom who offers perspective and shares her life experiences with her children, her friends, and everyone whom He brings into her path.
What a grand responsibility! But how are we supposed to be able to connect with our fellow men and with our God while also checking off our long list of “dailies,” such as picking up our child’s prescription, doing three drop-offs before 9 a.m., sorting through three sets of homework packets, making healthy snacks, teaching our two-year-old that licking jelly off the floor is not okay, exercising, and paying our mortgage or rent on time?
I have learned that if I am going to have a meaningful prayer life with God, even in the midst of the busyness of motherhood, I have to make Him easily accessible through simple, spiritual habits. My wise friends and I came up with a list of ideas to try:
- Get a prayer rock. Last year, my first grader brought home a rock from her annual Catholic school retreat. She told me she was going to place it under her pillow in the morning so it would remind her to lift her prayers up to God before she fell asleep each night. I thought this was a great idea for moms too. I wrote the word “Wisdom” on my rock, and I keep it in my purse (along with extra socks, a toy motorcycle, and my favorite lip gloss!). Every time I reach for my cell phone or to dig something out, I am reminded that God is with me always, granting me wisdom, patience and peace.
- Buy a fancy-pants notebook to journal, write your worries, your intentions…and just give it all to God.
- Put up a cork board where you can pin uplifting things, like thank you cards, photos, scripture verses, and things that make you smile. Keep it somewhere you will see it frequently; I keep mine in my closet.
- Pick up an easy-to-read spiritual book, with a daily devotional or reflection, and make a routine of reading it each morning at the same time while pouring your coffee or while you are putting on make-up.
- Get up five minutes earlier in the morning (easier said than done, I know), and just say a simple prayer like, “Lord, make me an instrument of peace today” or “Lord lead me with an open heart.” You can use this time to pray for a connection with a friend or family member or other women around you. You’ll be amazed just how much better your day will be!
- Pray at least once a day with your children. Teach them that prayer with God before a meal or before bedtime is a great way to connect both with Christ and with each other!
- Lastly, set a “Time with God” goal. Challenge yourself every once in awhile. Maybe you will pray the rosary once this month. Attend mass every Sunday. Read scripture with your spouse one night. Share with your children a blessing or prayer you got from an email or website. As women, we set goals all the time to improve ourselves; we can do the same to improve our relationship with God.
When I became a mother, I told myself that every day would have one purpose: I would show my children in the way that I treated them and in all I do–whether it be changing diapers, driving them to school, or brushing their teeth–that they belong to Christ. They are on loan to me. And in the heated challenges of the day, I remind myself that with God at my side, I can handle my “dailies” with grace and joy, knowing that I’m fulfilling the calling God has gifted me in my life.
I want to end with a prayer that reminds me that there really is more moments to pray than we often think we have. As mothers, we seem to find ourselves rushing here, hurrying there. And in the midst of it all we must find that desperately needed “me and Christ” time. In Mom Connection:Creating Vibrant Relationships in the Midst of Motherhood, author Tracey Bianchi quotes Ecclesiastes 3 in the context of motherhood:
Dear God, please remind me to remember that
there is a time for everything,
a season for every activity under the heavens,
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant, a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn, and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Please help me to find the right time for me, to discover your pace and to live your rhythm. Amen.
As we pray and ask God to help us discover space and time in our lives to be with Him, listen to Him, and understand His love for us, I know we will be strengthened as individuals and our ability to mother with grace, love, and perspective will be increased.
QUESTION: What pockets of time can you find throughout the day to connect with God and build your relationship with Him?
CHALLENGE: Choose one of the ideas from the list above to connect with God in the midst of the busyness of motherhood, and try it out this week.
Image courtesy of winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Sometimes I go for a “gratitude walk,” especially on hard days when I feel like I am going to pull my hair out from the mess and the tantrums! I put my son in his stroller and go for a brisk walk, and I say an audible prayer of gratitude–thanking God for everything I see and everything I can think of.
Thanks for these great ideas!
Love the gratitude walk! What a great way to invite peace into your soul while teaching your son about gratitude and prayer! Will be adding that to my toolkit!
I love that these are things which are spread out throughout the day; given the command to “pray always” it can be tough to actually do that. I follow a blog called kitchenstewardship.com where the sweet blogger talks about “Mary and Martha moments” – how we can be meditating on Christ, praying, (being Mary) in the midst of our cooking, cleaning, laundry (being Martha). And how we can sanctify those moments, offer them up to the Lord as service that builds up his kingdom. Realizing that there is a place for both private, intense, focused prayer and for “rolling prayers” (little moments of expressed gratitude or calls for help throughout our “dailies”) can lead to increased spiritual support in our lives.