If you are reading this you are probably a new mom, pregnant, or a mom of multiples and we are all going through this together guys so don't stress.
I got pregnant 4 months after I was just married at 21. We loved it and are so grateful to have kids at a younger age. But something I struggled with was finding time to spend with God. Before I was married I lived with my parents and I would be home in the evenings and have so much time to read, workout, write, worship, pray. You know all the stuff that everybody else on the internet does perfectly who don't have kids? lol
But after I got pregnant it was super tough because my pregnancy was so hard. So I literally was sick almost my whole pregnancy and then having a baby was like whoa I don't have any time still. When I did I just wanted to sleep, relax, call people, or I just was so overwhelmed I tried to handle it myself and go on social media to distract me instead of bring it to God.
Now looking back, I can see how much time I had that I didn't utilize that I could have used to spend time with God. But I just felt so out of place and not myself. I kept wanting all the conditions to be perfect to sit and read and worship...like it used to be. I thought, I just want to get back into that same on fire relationship that I was on before kids. Being able to go to Bible study groups, praying for long periods of time, worshiping by myself, reading the word for as long as I want. There was other things as well like working out and eating healthy.
What I didn't realize was God knew about my pregnancy, He knew what motherhood was like, He knew how much it was going to rock my world in the best way. He knew all this before and He was with me the entire time. But I felt my physical conditions had to align with what I was used to. That even means worshiping alone, praying alone, being on the streets ministering to people, leading bible studies and just having it all together. Don‘t get me wrong, I love all that stuff that’s why I felt like I was thriving. However, God is in the midst of struggle and growth. In those places, He is not any different, He is unchanging. He is our Rock.
When conditions are easy, its easy to have it all together. When conditions are hard, its harder to have it all together.
This may sound obvious but its not just knowledge. Its realizing that nothing in my life is ever going to go back to what it was like pre-pregnancy. Not my body, not my relationships with other people, not my schedule or anything else because God was taking me from glory to glory and created me to be able to grow humans and raise humans and through that, He is growing and refining us to be like Him. We are made in His image and are set apart for His purpose.
God said this was good. God designed motherhood and called us to be fruitful and multiple the earth. He knew your 5 month old was still going to be waking through the night like a thousand times. He knew your toddler was going to test every bit of patience in you. What a blessing it is to be the nurturer and teach the love of God to the next generation.
We need Jesus. We need His love. He is not a feeling. He is our rock. I can only imagine what you have gone through. The loneliness, struggles, confusion, frustration, fear, vulnerability. But if you get anything out of this know that He is faithful to be by your side no matter what and you can always turn to Him and say "Hey Jesus, I need your help."
My faith in God has been refined from a feeling and a perfect condition to worship Him. To a strong foundation in knowing He is my Rock and my Salvation my God in whom I trust no matter the circumstance, His love does not change for me.
Because of that revelation; my feelings of guilt, shame, distance and isolation from Him changed into accepted, worthy, loved, purposed, strength. I was not defined by my works because I never could do it on my own anyway. I am solely defined by Jesus.
The cycle of trying to have the perfect time to spend with God was erased and what came out of it was solid foundation that I didn’t even know needed to be solidified.
I’m not saying that when you have a baby there is no time to spend with God or that you should or need to take 6 months off, I’m saying that life is going to change and it’s a good thing. God is refining you, so lean into the change by the unchanging Father instead of resisting and trying to hold on to the old. Through that, I believe your relationship with God will grow and flourish. From Glory to glory.
So obviously you clicked on this for ideas to find time so I will share what has worked for me as a new mom.
1) Reading the word time = Nursing/feeding Sessions: Pick one or two nursing sessions a day that you can count on that this time I’m going to read the word and next time I can go on instagram or check emails or shop or whatever.
2) Listening to the word- it doesn't have to be just read, we have audio bible apps now that can read it out loud while you listen. Or put on a podcast or sermon from youtube or your online church. All these are feeding your spirit while you are tending to your new baby, doing the dishes, cleaning up, getting work done.
3)) Worship sessions = singing to your baby your favorite worship songs to put them to sleep. Put music on in the background while your making food or playing with your new nugget.
4) Prayer time = night time nursing/feeding sessions - helps you stay awake because we all know its really hard while lights are dim and you have a snuggle button laying on you. What a gift from God that we get this time to pray over our children as well.
5) Journalling-a different nursing/feeding session or while the baby is napping or playing. Writing down how your days was, things you liked, didn't like, looking forward too. I love writing poetry, songs, things God has told me in prayer. This is fun to look back on to remember where you were at and how far you have come.
6) Get a devotional- sometimes its really hard to quiet your mind as a new mom and just focus on a place that you open up to in the Bible and be totally engaged. I found that my mind wandered a lot. A devotional is guided to help you think about a specific topic, read in the word and study that topic and then journal what God says to you. It can vary on time. There are so many out there but I have been loving the Candace Cameron Bure devotionals. I own three on them: Beautiful Broken, Unwavering Faith, and Love over all. I highly recommend these ones because I feel it goes deep enough where I can meditate on His word and what He is saying without being distracted. These can be done during nursing sessions as well.
Remember God is with you. He sees you and He has called what your doing good. Not just what you used to be like but what you are doing now as a mother raising your children He has called good. We can't work to be in right standing with God only Jesus has made us in right standing with God.
Comentarios