If you didn’t have a chance to read part 1 of this post, you’ll want to do that before reading on! Click HERE to read that post. I’m covering five ways I’m seeking Jesus in the baby season of motherhood and I already covered:
- Making it a goal to get to church whenever possible
- Staying committed to Bible study and small groups
Now onto the final three…
3. Daily prayer reminders
My mentor friend and small group co-leader has daily alarms set for the “birthdays” of her husband and kids. (Example: August 5th would be 8:05 AM or PM.) When the alarm goes off, no matter where she is, she pauses to pray for that family member. Sometimes it’s a longer prayer, sometimes it’s brief if she’s out and about. She even includes me when we’re together and an alarm goes off!
As someone who has struggled to stay faithful in praying daily for those closest to me, I decided to adopt this practice. I have a daily alarm set for my daughter’s birthday to pray for her and my wedding anniversary to pray for my husband. Sometimes the alarm pops up and I think to myself “I’ll pray later,” but I’m getting into the habit of stopping to pray no matter what I’m doing. It’s sweet to include our daughter in these prayers since I’m usually with her when the alarms go off. And I slowly added additional loved ones’ birthdays and anniversaries both daily and weekly, but I wanted to start small and build on the discipline.
How God is using this new habit
God is using this new habit to keep me focused on Him in my day-to-day life. It’s sweet to pause and remember Him and the needs of my family. He’s also using this practice to reshape my understanding of what it means to seek Jesus in the baby season of motherhood. He’s teaching me what it looks like to faithfully pray and do so without ceasing (Romans 12:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:17). I can see how God is using this simple practice to prompt me to pray at other times too. (Ex.: When I’m burdened by world events or when a friend I haven’t seen in awhile comes to mind.) I hope to continue in this spiritual habit long term. And, I look forward to seeing God use it in my life and the lives of others.
Question to Consider: What would it look like to develop a similar discipline of prayer in your own life?
4. Listening to biblically-rooted podcasts
I like podcasts! And since my time alone with Jesus is limited and I have a baby with me all day, I’m more intentional about what I choose to listen to. In the newborn phase, I listened to a conference on YouTube while nursing since so many hours were spent sitting each day. But now that I’m on the go a bit more, I primarily stick with podcasts.
My current go-tos are Wretched Radio and Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey. Wretched primarily focuses on theological, church, and cultural issues and Relatable is more cultural and political from a biblical lens. I still use my judgment if I think a topic is too heavy for little ears. But in general, I find that the episodes are usually more appropriate. God is using this discipline to help me make better choices for when my daughter is old enough to start processing what’s being spoken about. Likewise, God is blessing me personally. I used to listen to a lot of secular political podcasts. And while I still like to be informed, I’m finding that less of that (or receiving that from another believer) has me feeling a lot lighter!
Question to Consider: How might God bless you and those around you with an adjustment to what you listen to throughout the day (whether it be music, podcasts, news, etc.)?
5. Reflecting on truth as I create
I have dialed way back when it comes to creating and writing. However, hand lettering is still one of my creative go-to’s after my daughter goes to bed. God continues to use hand lettering Bible verses as a way to get me memorizing and reflecting on His written Word. The art I create is not just a gift in material ways, but in deeper spiritual ways. When my time seeking Jesus in the baby season of motherhood is limited, having a creative outlet and job that is so centered on Him is a blessing words can’t adequately express.
But of course, my life isn’t all baby and work. I have other creative outlets as well. And in recent weeks, I’ve been learning to crochet. I am a long-time knitter, but there are so many cute lovey and toy crochet patterns I wanted to try, so I took a class. Admittedly, there is less of a direct biblical reflection happening in the moments im crocheting. But the Bible teaches that we can glorify God in whatever we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). And creating for my sweet daughter reminds me that in doing so I am reflecting my Father in heaven who gives even better gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11, Luke 11:13). Praise God for those visible reminders of who He is!
Question to Consider: How do you like to spend your downtime? Whether you have a lot or hardly any at all, what would it look like to reflect on what’s true during that time?
To close…
I hope you enjoyed this little update on how I’m seeking Jesus in the baby season of motherhood. Even moreso, I hope you were able to glean some encouragement or an idea to seek God in new ways when life is full. To be clear, I am in no way implying that these practices are all that’s needed to cultivate a healthy relationship with Christ. I am still a firm believer in having a regular quiet time. And truthfully, I’m still struggling to figure out what that looks like right now. But, I know that God gently leads those with littles and that His grace abounds (Isaiah 40:11, Romans 5:20, 2 Corinthians 9:8).
This week and last week’s posts weren’t exhaustive lists by any means. I just hoped that sharing a handful of things I’m learning could be used by God to encourage other busy sisters in Christ to seek Him in new ways. But of course, I would love to hear ways you’re seeking Jesus if you’re in a busy life stage. Whether it be a season of motherhood, work, school, serving, caregiving, or something else, I’d love to hear from you. And perhaps you could encourage someone else as well!
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