What happened to that newborn baby who spent large amounts of time sleeping in your arms, who stayed in the same place when you put her down, and who took 3 naps a day? Suddenly you are chasing around this 2 year old who’s getting into the knick-knack cabinet, climbing up on the table, pouring cereal all over the floor, and in danger of getting hurt every 2 minutes.
How are you supposed to sit down for 15 minutes, much less engage in focused prayer?
Picture sitting in your PJs in the comfiest chair in your living room with your Bible, journal, and coffee on the side table nearby.
Who decides to trot in 5 minutes after you begin your quiet time with the Lord? Miss high maintenance 3 year old, of course. Can’t you get a little alone time here?
But you are prepared! you grab the children’s Bible you keep under that table in a basket and hand it to the cutie as she jumps up besides you and begs a sip of your coffee.
With a warm sweet drink and a snuggle with Mommy, and the example of a parent who prays, her day is starting off better than most. What a lucky little girl.
What if you don’t wake up first? What if your little one comes in your room every morning at 5:57am and wakes you up precisely an hour and 3 minutes before you want to?
Here’s one idea. You plop your little one in bed with you, sit up and grab your Bible off the night stand. You have a journal for yourself and a notebook for your toddler to scribble on if they demand to copy you. You give that toddler a warm hug and thank God you and your kids are given another day to live, a fresh start! Then you begin.
Maybe you are a strategic type A woman who loves to strive for the ideal. You set a time for prayer each day, such as during your toddler’s afternoon nap, and you set yourself up for success. You put a show on for the other kids or give them books for a quiet time in their own rooms. You create the silence you need to really focus on God’s voice speaking to you.
Maybe you have tried praying with toddlers underfoot and it just doesn’t work. Maybe you’ve tried waking up before your kids and you just don’t have the discipline. Here is your key: stop coming up with reasons you can’t pray. Decide to do it, then find a way. Once you commit to the decision, you will work to make it happen. Ask your husband for half an hour to yourself each evening after dinner. Slip out for a walk with the Lord and enjoy a wonderful lectio divina session in motion. Or get a babysitter once a week for a couple hours of quiet prayer in the adoration chapel nearby. Don’t want to spend money on a babysitter? You can bet there are other moms with the same desire and problem as you. Ask your friends to do a babysitting trade once a week so you can get some alone time.
One gal tries to pray in the morning before her kids wake up, but if it doesn’t happen, she has a plan B. She prays at/after breakfast and involves the kids, calling it “Journaling with Jesus”. She reads the gospel of the day aloud a couple times, prompting the children to tell what stands out to them, and draw or write in their journal what they think Jesus is saying to or teaching them. What a beautiful family practice!
Another mom walks to the nearby park in good weather. There is a path around the park where she can see the equipment from all angles, and she pushes the toddler in the stroller around and around while allowing the older children to play on the equipment. While she walks, she does lectio divina, with her Bible or phone propped on top of the stroller so she can read and reflect on Scripture. As an added bonus, sometimes the little one falls asleep in the stroller, then she can sit on the park bench for restful contemplation.
One more picture for you: You grab your Bible and journal and favorite pen and sit outside on the backyard patio, wrapped in your robe. You leave the door open so you can hear, and as the kids wake up, they trickle outside. They are used to a few minutes of Mom doing her quiet time with Jesus before making breakfast. They wander around the yard, looking for ripened berries or watching the early birds twitter and play. Once in a while they interrupt your prayer time with “Mama, look! A dandelion!” or “Mommy, you have to see this bug!” You smile and affirm them with a look before attending to your prayers again. Your kids grow up with the security of seeing their Mom put God first and love them at the same time. They are likely to follow your example some day.
What is your unique situation? How can you allow God to provide the time and space for you to spend with Him each day? He is longing to fill your cup, heal your wounds, and set you free. He is waiting to sanctify you and give you what you need to be a good wife and mother.
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress. Get your Bible out, close your eyes, talk with God, even if you get interrupted a hundred times. Slowly, gently teach your toddlers to let you have your quiet time, and eventually to have a quiet time of their own.
What a gift a praying mom is to her family! What an example to her children and a blessing to her husband!
