Seven Ways to Seek God as a Busy Mom

I remember the days as a new mom, wondering where all the time was going.  Daytime and nighttime blended together as I was feeding my newborn around the clock, and caring for her every need in between.  When I would sit down to read my Bible, she would inevitably wake up and cry out for my attention.  As she got older and I began having more children, they always seemed to need me. I’ve always enjoyed scheduling my days to make sure I devote time to my priorities, but as a mom, I’ve learned that many times my schedule has to be changed at a moment’s notice and interruptions happen often.  As a Christian mom, I want to “seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually” (Psalm 105:4). The main way I do this is through the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, prayer, and scripture memory; but I’ve had to become flexible and creative in my pursuit of following Christ. God knows our hearts, and he sees that we desire to seek after Him.  2 Chronicles 12:14 tells us that King Rehoboam, “did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.”  We should pay attention to this negative example of what happens when we do not seek the Lord. As a mother I feel it is more important than ever to set my heart to seek the Lord, because I have children following my example.  I want to “make the best use of my time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15) Whether it’s getting up earlier than my children or making myself pause during nap time to seek the Lord, it’s important to make this a priority. The thing is, we make time for what is important to us, and spending time seeking the Lord is a good use of our time.  Some ideas I have found helpful during different seasons of motherhood are:

1. Listening to Bible apps read the Bible to me.  During feeding times or a walk around the neighborhood pushing the stroller, having the Bible read to me has been a helpful tool.
2. Singing God’s word throughout the day. Scripture set to music has a way of lifting our mood and filling our minds with truth.
3. Memorize scripture around the dinner table. We have a stack of scripture memory cards sitting on our table so that while we are eating dinner we can memorize new verses or recite some we’ve memorized in the past.
4. Read the Bible with our children.  Whether it’s a Children’s Bible with our toddler or an adult Bible with our teenager, seeking the Lord with our children has many benefits.
5. Praying during car rides. When driving to the grocery store, church, school or doctor appointments we can praise him, thank him, or make our requests known to him.  He hears and answers even when we are seeking him on the go.
6. Make church a priority. I understand the temptation to sleep in on Sundays, watch church at home, and not have to get everyone up, ready, and out the door for church. God tells us to “not neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25). He has come up with this great idea of the local church where we gather together with other believers weekly for encouragement in the faith.  God has set this up to be a channel of grace in your life.  Don’t miss this opportunity. 
7. Be intentional with little pockets of time.  Throughout our days we have little pockets of time when we can seek the Lord if we are intentional.  The times I have in mind are during our lunch hour at work, while sitting in the school pickup line, waiting on our groceries to be delivered to our cars, watching the kids play outside, waiting on a kid to get out of a sports practice, or sitting in a doctors waiting room.  I use these times to listen to Christian podcasts or sermons, read a few pages of a book, or go over scripture memory cards so that I am “setting my mind and heart to seek the Lord” (1 Chronicles 22:19).
   
   

Ultimately, we make time for what is important to us and I believe seeking the Lord with our hearts and minds is the best use of our time. I want to encourage you with these words found in Hebrews 11:6, “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” And even if it looks a little bit different these days while raising little ones, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6).