Taking care of my five-month-old grandson this week has sent flashbacks searing through my heart. The joy of reaching into a crib and watching a groggy-faced baby break into smiles, as though your very presence were enough to light up his life…the sweetness of “baby talk” as your little one lets off the last little bit of energy before drifting off to sleep in your arms…the struggle to get home before an over-tired youngun absolutely loses control in a carseat that has worn out its welcome…and the unrelentless, exhausting, 24-hour delight of nurturing, feeding, changing, playing, rocking, and soothing. ..all moments reserved for the season of life known as young motherhood.
As I dabbled in the world of young motherhood and at the same time determined to prepare my lesson for a Sunday School class, I found my senses awakened to the struggle I had endured decades ago. Between the diapers and the formula, the drool and the way-too-short naps, where do you find time for God?
As a young mom, I had two daughters 29 months apart who were nothing alike. My husband worked three-month-long hitches in Singapore with about 27 days at home. I was a new Christian with a strong hunger and insatiable need to know my God. This week I remembered what worked for me:
Get rid of every notion and discard every piece of advice about how and where to have a “Quiet Time.” Other believers may give you their own ideas about how or when to pray, read your Bible, go to church, serve, etc., but keep in mind that they are just that: ideas. There are no rules about when or where or how much. Don’t allow other people to burden you with well-intended ideas that are manmade rules. That is religion. You are seeking a relationship.
Listen to praise music along with your child. Back in the day, I purchased “Psalty” tapes and listened to them right along with my girls. I was able to praise the Lord while playing and singing with my daughters. To this day, they have a huge affection for Psalty. Some of the preschool tapes designed to introduce memory verses to toddlers are excellent for memorizing scripture yourself! My daughter has a tape player she keeps on a bookshelf next to her changing table with the most beautiful praise music designed for babies. Every time I change Parker’s diaper, I flip on the music and sing along with Bethany Dillon and Mercy Me, and my thoughts are lifted to the heavens no matter how stinky things are around me! And, besides, I'm pretty sure Parker thinks it'shis grandma and not Bethany Dillon singing like an angel!
Get outside. There is nothing like the sky to lift your eyes to the heavens and be reminded of God’s majesty and power. On my way home to my daughter’s house the other day, I had to fight the urge to pull over next to the reservoir near her home to take in the beautiful sunset that cried aloud of an incredible Creator who has the entire universe in His hands. I saw moms walking their babies in strollers, and I thought, they are in the right place to get some refreshment for their souls. Whether it’s a park, the backyard, or just standing next to a window, the outdoors can shift our focus. When my girls were small, our house stood at the end of a ¼-mile gravel road. I would place my youngest in a stroller and take the older one by the hand, and we would bump our way down the driveway, stopping to look at caterpillars, and talking about the birds in the sky. My girls were entertained by me while I was entertained by the amazing creations of the Lord that shouted out His magnificance.
Pray without ceasing. There is no better way to learn to pray than to squeeze a prayer into every spare moment of sanity. Since I didn’t have the luxury of huge chunks of time in which to praise, intercede, confess and “be done with it” as some are apt to do, I prayed as I rocked, when the baby screamed relentlessly and I had no one else to turn to for relief, when my feet hit the floor every morning, and during the rare silences of simultaneous naps. I learned to pray naturally, to carry on an ongoing conversation with the Most High God.
Get rid of everything that competes with your opportunities for Bible study. I loved a good book, a good magazine, and the daily newspaper. But there are only a few unclaimed moments in the daily life of a young mom, so it is critical to choose carefully. I stopped buying magazines, and fiction books became a once-a-year luxury, saved for a long weekend at the beach when my mother was there to help with my girls. Instead, I read my Bible. I copied verses onto notecards and taped them onto my mirror, and some days that was the only Bible-reading I managed to grab. I even kept a Bible in the bathroom for the moments (alas, sometimes mere seconds!) that were mine. I made an intentional decision to place Bible study above every other thing that clamored for my time.
Seek out other moms who are seeking the Lord. Look for moms in the same boat who are willing to see the challenges of this life through the mind of Christ. But also look for older moms who have already walked the road you are on and whose lives are a testimony to God’s faithfulness.
Know that God is interested in every detail of motherhood. Don't for a moment think the Lord doesn't care about fevers, feeding schedules, constipation, or temper tantrums. After all, He is in the parenting business, too, and sometimes He deals with the biggest babies of all...including Yours Truly! Don't get into thinking that you need to separate your mothering from seeking oneness with Christ. He is in this mothering with you...Christ IN me, the hope of glory. In fact, His presence in us is our only hope of pulling this mothering business off with any success that makes any kind of eternal difference. So, relax...you've got the greatest Parent of all by your side.
As I dabbled in the world of young motherhood and at the same time determined to prepare my lesson for a Sunday School class, I found my senses awakened to the struggle I had endured decades ago. Between the diapers and the formula, the drool and the way-too-short naps, where do you find time for God?
As a young mom, I had two daughters 29 months apart who were nothing alike. My husband worked three-month-long hitches in Singapore with about 27 days at home. I was a new Christian with a strong hunger and insatiable need to know my God. This week I remembered what worked for me:
Get rid of every notion and discard every piece of advice about how and where to have a “Quiet Time.” Other believers may give you their own ideas about how or when to pray, read your Bible, go to church, serve, etc., but keep in mind that they are just that: ideas. There are no rules about when or where or how much. Don’t allow other people to burden you with well-intended ideas that are manmade rules. That is religion. You are seeking a relationship.
Listen to praise music along with your child. Back in the day, I purchased “Psalty” tapes and listened to them right along with my girls. I was able to praise the Lord while playing and singing with my daughters. To this day, they have a huge affection for Psalty. Some of the preschool tapes designed to introduce memory verses to toddlers are excellent for memorizing scripture yourself! My daughter has a tape player she keeps on a bookshelf next to her changing table with the most beautiful praise music designed for babies. Every time I change Parker’s diaper, I flip on the music and sing along with Bethany Dillon and Mercy Me, and my thoughts are lifted to the heavens no matter how stinky things are around me! And, besides, I'm pretty sure Parker thinks it'shis grandma and not Bethany Dillon singing like an angel!
Get outside. There is nothing like the sky to lift your eyes to the heavens and be reminded of God’s majesty and power. On my way home to my daughter’s house the other day, I had to fight the urge to pull over next to the reservoir near her home to take in the beautiful sunset that cried aloud of an incredible Creator who has the entire universe in His hands. I saw moms walking their babies in strollers, and I thought, they are in the right place to get some refreshment for their souls. Whether it’s a park, the backyard, or just standing next to a window, the outdoors can shift our focus. When my girls were small, our house stood at the end of a ¼-mile gravel road. I would place my youngest in a stroller and take the older one by the hand, and we would bump our way down the driveway, stopping to look at caterpillars, and talking about the birds in the sky. My girls were entertained by me while I was entertained by the amazing creations of the Lord that shouted out His magnificance.
Pray without ceasing. There is no better way to learn to pray than to squeeze a prayer into every spare moment of sanity. Since I didn’t have the luxury of huge chunks of time in which to praise, intercede, confess and “be done with it” as some are apt to do, I prayed as I rocked, when the baby screamed relentlessly and I had no one else to turn to for relief, when my feet hit the floor every morning, and during the rare silences of simultaneous naps. I learned to pray naturally, to carry on an ongoing conversation with the Most High God.
Get rid of everything that competes with your opportunities for Bible study. I loved a good book, a good magazine, and the daily newspaper. But there are only a few unclaimed moments in the daily life of a young mom, so it is critical to choose carefully. I stopped buying magazines, and fiction books became a once-a-year luxury, saved for a long weekend at the beach when my mother was there to help with my girls. Instead, I read my Bible. I copied verses onto notecards and taped them onto my mirror, and some days that was the only Bible-reading I managed to grab. I even kept a Bible in the bathroom for the moments (alas, sometimes mere seconds!) that were mine. I made an intentional decision to place Bible study above every other thing that clamored for my time.
Seek out other moms who are seeking the Lord. Look for moms in the same boat who are willing to see the challenges of this life through the mind of Christ. But also look for older moms who have already walked the road you are on and whose lives are a testimony to God’s faithfulness.
Know that God is interested in every detail of motherhood. Don't for a moment think the Lord doesn't care about fevers, feeding schedules, constipation, or temper tantrums. After all, He is in the parenting business, too, and sometimes He deals with the biggest babies of all...including Yours Truly! Don't get into thinking that you need to separate your mothering from seeking oneness with Christ. He is in this mothering with you...Christ IN me, the hope of glory. In fact, His presence in us is our only hope of pulling this mothering business off with any success that makes any kind of eternal difference. So, relax...you've got the greatest Parent of all by your side.
