Staying Spiritual in the Little Years

I recently blogged about wondering why I even go to church. If that blog resonated with you, this one may as well.

Now that I have two small children, a 5-year-old whom I’m homeschooling and a VERY active 18-month-old, gone are the quiet days of spending my time reading and crafting. Instead, the days of diapers, homework, refereeing fights, and juggling nap times are here and in full swing.

The never-ending load of responsibility can often push off anything that isn’t practically begging to be done, like the dirty dishes that seem to multiply in the sink and the perpetual mountains of laundry. Often procrastinated and/or forgotten is time spent in prayer and in God’s Word. Today I’m sharing a few tips I’ve found that have helped me on my quest to stay spiritual in the little years.

1. Be faithful to church. I understand if your sweet angel baby has a fever and a wracking cough, and in those cases, please do stay home. But make staying home the exception, and not the rule. I cannot begin to explain how many times during this season of raising kids that the presence of God has strengthened me, comforted me, and encouraged me during a service. Often times, it’s been a service where I was late to prayer, distracted during the message, or disciplining kids during worship —times that to me it seemed it was pointless to even be there. It’s been during those times that I have felt God’s grace SO real, realizing again that He loves me and touches me when I totally don’t deserve it. Those moments help me make it.

2.  Make time for what’s important. Prayer and Bible reading are important. Find time to commune with God. Create the time to hear from His Word. I’ve noticed a HUGE difference in my day if I set aside time to read the Bible and pray. Be realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure with unattainable expectations. You probably won’t find time to pray for three solid hours in between feeding kids and cleaning house. But you absolutely can find time to slip in 10 or 15 minutes consistently. Making the effort will make the difference.

3. Realize that your time of prayer and Bible reading probably won’t look like it did before you had kids. What I’ve found works best for me is to read the Bible at one point in my day and pray during another. Whether that’s before the kids are awake or during naptime, a consistent routine is what makes the difference. That’s what works now in this stage of my life. Honestly, it’s not my preference. But it won’t always be this way. There will come a time, once again, when I have an entire hour to flow from devotions into prayer without interruptions. However, today isn’t that day. Today, it’s important that I redeem the time I DO have, and not compare it to the time I wish I had. 

4. Let technology be your friend, and not your downfall. I use an app to keep track of my yearly Bible reading. The only issue is how easy it is to pick up my phone with every innocent intention of reading my Bible, and somehow end up scrolling through Facebook instead. A good rule of thumb is to not check social media until you’ve read your Bible passage for the day. What is really more important anyway? 

Do you have any tips on maintaining your relationship with God while raising small children? Let me know in the comments!