3 Ways For Busy Moms to Consistently Flourish in Their Faith

Our calendar consistently needs more margin, especially this time of year. As spring activities and school events dominate, it’s easy to feel like a participant in a mad dash toward the finish line. Yet the busy seasons never entirely finish, do they? With New Year’s a distant past, the last thing we tend to make time for is a consistent pattern of spiritual formation.

Solitude? Quiet? Prayer? We know we need them, but finding space for them remains pretty challenging. Yet it matters not only for the health of our souls but also for the health of our families. So, here are three ways for busy moms to consistently flourish in their faith, creating space for the seemingly impossible yet spiritually essential.

Choose the good Master.

We prefer not to think of ourselves as slaves, yet scripture reminds us that there are a good number of things we tend to serve as competing masters to God. Much of my life has been lived for the kingdom of self, touting productivity as the price of admission. It served me well until the praise of man waned and burnout levels soared.

Money in my self-made kingdom has reigned at other times, tempting me to trust in its deceitful provision over the steadfast promises of a faithful God. My heart beats at an anxiety-filled pace while my eyes seek satisfaction in numerous fleeting loves, and I risk missing God’s gifts in my life.

It may not cross our minds that when we live for the temporary over the eternal, we are choosing to live for another master. However, Jesus warns us to assess where we set our love, not because those areas are lackluster but because they make terrible masters.

So, as we seek a life that flourishes in faith, first identify what tends to enslave your heart, fade your joy, and fuel your worry. Acknowledge their lack, then remember your Good Master who provides what you need in abundance.

As you reject the tempting allure of lesser masters, rejoice that God provides for your every need as the Good Master, feeding you in the nourishment of His Word and sustaining you to flourish in your faith when you trust in Him.

Tidy up your time.

As busy moms, our most precious resource quickly becomes our most significant obstacle, blocking us from attending to what matters most. Before we know it, our days take on a life of their own, and we are swept into motion without questioning its benefit to our families. Fresh beginnings provide invitations to start new rhythms with working systems. Yet, as the year progresses, we need to remember to pause and tidy up.

With four active children living in our home, tidying up is a necessity for survival. Each day, we reserve the 5 o’clock hour to pause and pick up. Placing things back in their proper place has become an essential practice, like a spiritual discipline anchoring us in our day and ushering us into evening hours.

Over the years, I’ve observed how much my physical space informs my spiritual space. When my heart is cluttered with the noise of the world and my calendar with commitments, my faith responds accordingly with discouragement. When you are longing for your faith to flourish, but your days feel burdensome, start by dusting off the rhythms of your day that aren’t working anymore.

How do you know if they aren’t working? Assess the fruit.

Though an activity is permissible, Paul invites us in I Corinthians 10:23 to assess whether it is genuinely beneficial. At the end of a typical day, are you feeling exhausted without an end in sight? What’s the first thing your mind attends to upon waking? What is your mind distracted by when you find a quiet moment? These questions will lead you to areas that need tidying.

You may need to say no to the activities that aren’t producing beneficial fruit for your family in this season. No, for now, does not mean a no forever. Tidying up your physical space and calendar will allow your spiritual life to flourish so you can lead by example for your family.

Don’t forget to breathe.

Last month, we celebrated Easter by remembering that Christ is indeed alive. Hallelujah! Our preparation for Easter invited a pause for spiritual reflection, but as soon as we return to our busy lives, we may forget the abundant life God died to provide—freedom from performance and eternal life.

Because of God’s great love for us, we now have the power of the Spirit to overcome all things because death no longer wins. Likewise, we no longer breathe as those fearful of the unknowns, striving to secure our future success, but as victorious conquerors in Christ resting in His accomplishment on our behalf.

So, in our busyness, let’s remember to breathe. Let’s not even miss the miracle of breathing because Christ died, and we may no longer breathe the same. We no longer simply inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, but we inhale His divine power and exhale ultimate victory.

We inhale His unending promises and exhale persevering peace.

We inhale His steadfast love and exhale patient love.

We inhale His abundant grace and exhale humble forgiveness.

We inhale His constant presence and exhale lasting rest.

Learning to abide by these truths will radically enable your faith to flourish in the entire seasons of life. So, allow your breathing to form prayers as you continue about your days. Find moments of pause, breathing in God’s truth over the world’s lies. Prioritize moments of being over the temptation of doing. Whatever this month holds for you, don’t forget to breathe.

As we seek to live faithfully, Matthew 6:24 reminds us that we cannot serve two masters. Our affections cannot grow for God if we are living enslaved to lesser gods. So, tidy up your physical space and daily rhythms, learn to abide and breathe differently, and watch as your faith flourishes by the grace of God one day at a time.