Let’s just go ahead and sum up my prayer life as a mom in one photo.
Yup.
It’s been blown to smithereens.
There are days that I am alright with that fact and other days I grown impatient with it.
All in all I know it’s NORMAL and for some amount of time it’s appropriate.
But Josie is nearing 6 months now…and believe it or not, I am getting a hang of this thing called motherhood. I sometimes know what my day will look like, as opposed to being clueless as to what this tiny creature would do the next minute let alone hour.
I could start praying with more regularity and structure again…but why has it been so hard to do?
First, I am lazy. It’s just easier to pull up Netflix and watch some Gilmore Girls or Grey’s Anatomy during nap time or when I am folding cloth diapers. Sure, I could use that time to pray a rosary or dive into scripture but I’ve gotten lazy. Ruh roh!
Second, I am scattered.My brain used to running in Q1 mode whenever Josie’s around that it’s hard to switch into a focused, prayerful, and intense meditation mode.
Lastly, I am afraid. I was used to praying a holy hour every day for over a decade before Josie was born. I am scared that I’ve forgotten how to pray or that I won’t be patient with myself if prayer feels “dry” as I come back to it more formally.
So to combat these fears, I am going to write up my HOPEFUL new prayer routine here at True Good and Beautiful to gain some accountability. What am I hoping to do each day to rev up some daily convos with God?
First, I will embrace the first nap. I know that about 2 hours after waking up for the day, Josie will take her first nap. That nap will usually last anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours. I want to start with 20 minutes of that time dedicated to reading scripture and praying with it.
Second, I will pray the rosary throughout the day. If it’s nice enough to take a walk, I will plan to pray the rosary before I make phone calls like I typically do when we take walks. If I know we won’t take a walk that day, I will begin praying the mysteries during our morning nursing session and hopefully get all five in by bed time. I plan to use You Tube or an app to listen to an audio version of the rosary to stay on track and focused as I pray.
Lastly, I will shoot for one daily mass per week outside of Sunday. I’d been going to mass daily for years before Josie’s birth and I knew what a gift it truly was. It’s really hard to make daily mass work in our schedule these days but I will try my very best to make it work once a week. The rest of the days? I will plan to do a spiritual communion.
And that is how I plan to start building a prayer life once again. Slow and steady wins the race and I am hopeful that if I just start with small seeds, it will grow into more over time.
Or, God-willing, we will have another baby just as I get the hang of things and it will be blown to hell once again. 🙂 But at least the next time I will know how to get back on the saddle more quickly!
All you busy people out there, mommas or not, how do you make sure to have prayer be part of your daily schedule? I would love to hear!
11 Comments
Yes! My son is 7months. I read him one bible story from the book “Words to Dream On” each night that also includes a verse and a mini prayer. I also try to pray when I nurse him, especially before bed.
I’m in the same boat! Robert’s only 2 weeks younger than Josie and I just restarted my prayer life a few weeks ago. I just heard of the book The Mother’s Rule of Life and it sounds very intriguing so I might try to read that. I’ll be praying for you:)
It’s so hard, praying was never a problem for me but getting my time back in studying the scripture has been impossible. I used to be so good, 10 chapters a day, for a decade and then you have a baby and out the window it goes! I still haven’t gotten into a routine for this, and Colin is 2, then I had Lathan and he’s 4 months old, but it is so hard to get into a routine when he is not! I hope that it goes well for you, and just remember to be gracious with yourself.
For years I have prayed while I am showering. Often it’s the only time my kids would let me be alone, especially when they stopped napping. Also, take Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing” seriously. Sometimes it’s the little popcorn prayers that are spread throughout my day where I seem to be closest to God.
Confession: I’m not a mom. (Yet.) But, I’ve struggled with finding time to pray. I finally found a good solution. I regularly run 1-3 miles/day. While I run, I pray the rosary. Some days, I only pray a couple of decades. Other days, I can pray three full rosaries. Praying the rosary became a part of my exercise routine. Plus, on a slightly selfish lens, it distracts me from running, allowing me to run farther and faster. 🙂
If your prayer/spiritual life has gone to pot from having the baby, what does it mean when it gets bad while you’re still pregnant? :/ Lol. For example I used to be so happy to go to mass every morning during the week, and now I prefer to sleep in until almost noon…
As for me, but I have found making a practical goal very helpful. Love you idea for shooting for small steps (maybe I will work on going to daily mass once a week, etc.). And love the suggestion for doing a rosary by podcast…for me I have the Laudate app on my phone and I run the Christian Pesken rosary before I do the day’s dishes, and finish with a bit of kitchen sweeping etc. I know it would be better if I spend the whole time doing nothing and focusing on the prayer (and sometimes I manage it), but I figure doing something achievable is better than nothing at all…and I think of how I am sure Mary must have prayed while doing her housework and that makes me feel a bit better. 🙂
Love your volcano! Made me laugh! After college, I was struggling to pray since I wasn’t able to do all the things I had been doing before. My spiritual director reminded me that I had not joined a cloister-I had become a working adult and prayer life has to change. We can be so hard on ourselves so I’m glad you are taking little steps. Be patient with yourself! 🙂 And also, get thee to daily Mass before your daughter becomes a mobile crazy person! I’m kicking myself now for not going to Mass more when I didn’t have to chase her!
This is absolutely true for FOCUS Alum who no longer work in Ministry! I lasted about a year with frequent holy hours, rosaries, and daily Masses before I just. could. not. anymore. My deep desire for God and prayer remained, but my mental, physical, and even emotional ability to respond to that desire were (are) exhausted.
Recently, I picked up the Magnificat again. Since it includes Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evening Prayer, I get three chances. My goal is to at least get one in a day. Fitting in all three is a rare. Praying with something that is so widely used among the faithful helps me feel more connected to the Universal Church and having friends/family who also read it daily provides a lot of accountability.
Back in high school, a priest proposed a challenged called “Jesus Once a Week”- to go to Mass at least ONE more day a week than Sunday. Almost ten years later, I still can’t get that challenge out of my head. It’s there forever. Kudos for making that one of your goals!
…I also started just carrying medals in my pocket. I couldn’t keep up with all the novenas and devotions I had grown accustomed to as a missionary, so now i just hold the little saint or Mary that I need that day with me as a reminder that they are there and rootin’ for me.
Hi,
I have a suggestion for the rosary, which has worked for me. We have four kids, age two through nine, and we make it a daily routine to pray the rosary that they show on EWTN each morning, here in mountain time it is on at 9:30am, and we watch it through their app on the iPad, but you can also see it via the ROKU as well. (Or, you can buy it on DVD). It has lovely pictures throughout the prayer said by Mother Angelica and the nuns in their beautiful church. It helps keep me focused. I used to try to say it piece by piece throughout the day but that never panned out, and if I got into bed to say it…forget it! I would soon fall asleep. Now that it is a daily routine, I feel more apt to pray more. I used to feel like that was the most I could do, but now the day is opened up for more. Try it for a week, make it a usual occasion, at the same time each day.
These are great goals! I am newly Catholic and am still trying to figure out for myself how to pray and do it often. I have found that I like to pray the rosary while I’m driving or running on my treadmill.
I came over to your blog from the Edel FB page. I’m hoping I’ll be able to meet you in Charleston in a few weeks!
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