Let’s be honest…
Life with a new baby is wonderful and precious, but also exhausting and difficult.
Suddenly you’re up all hours of the night, dealing with a flush of new hormones, figuring out the bumpy road of breastfeeding, healing from the birth, and figuring out your new norm.
With my first baby, I remember thinking it was a successful day if I actually brushed my teeth at some point in the day. And if I changed out of my pajamas, wow, we were doing really good!
In the midst of this transition and the new demands of mommyhood, it can be really hard to find time to connect with God.
Right?
Cuz suddenly the early morning quiet time I used to have is out of the picture. Either my baby thinks that 5:00am is a great time to start the party for the day. Or if he does sleep in, my eyes refuse to open any earlier than absolutely necessary after being up all night.
Ok, so what about nap time? Maybe I can steal a little time with God then.
But wait…I also haven’t showered in three days and I do need to make some breakfast. Ok, I’ll do those two things really quick and then sit down to the table with my Bible and breakfast. That should work.
But right as I sit down to the table with my breakfast and Bible, he wakes up. What?!!!! What happened to the hour nap the sleep book said he should take?
Ok, maybe the next nap. But at the next nap, I desperately need a little shut eye too.
And when I make my last valiant attempt to get into God’s word as I fall into bed at night, my foggy mommy brain and heavy eyes can’t seem to read or understand a single sentence. And I reluctantly give in to some much needed sleep.
Oh well, maybe tomorrow…
It’s tough and it’s frustrating. Especially when you so desperately need connection time with God. This season is full of so many ups and downs, swirling emotions and hormones, and fears and doubts.
As new moms, we need God’s loving touch, comfort, guidance, and friendship. We need His perspective. His peace. His joy. His life-giving presence and words.
So how do we get it? How do we find time to stay connected to our first love during this season? Well, here are four ways that I’ve found to maintain that connection and intimacy. I pray they spark your own ideas and help you reconnect to His beautiful heart for you!
1. Use Worship Music
Keep worship music on in the house! Let it minister to your heart as you make breakfast, brush your teeth (assuming it’s a good day :)), nurse for hours, and rock your little one to sleep.
Worship music has such power to shift the atmosphere in your home, set your heart on things above, and remind you who God is and who you are.
My favorite worship set right now is from One Thing 2014 (starting at 46 minutes through the end). Anytime I’m starting to feel some mommy blues clouding my day, this worship set snaps me out of it. I encourage you to put it on!
And for anyone struggling with postpartum depression, I believe the line in this set that says, “I know the end of the story, I come up from the wilderness, leaning on my Beloved” is for you (played at 57 minutes and 101 minutes).
Listen to it and let that truth flood you with hope today. Where you are right now is not the end of your story. The end of your story is going to be beautiful and victorious and you WILL come out of the wilderness leaning on your Beloved.
2. Go on a Walk With God
Getting out of the house and breathing in some fresh air and God’s creation can be so life-giving during this season! Even if your baby is crying, it feels more manageable when you’re outside than in the confines of your house.
And for me, I found that going on a slow walk with my baby was the one way I could get in the Bible. I would slowly push him in the stroller and read my Bible as we strolled. Distracted by the trees around him, it was the one time he would let me read without giving him my full attention. So I learned to love my walks with God, my Bible, and my baby.
I encourage you to give it try! Even if you only read a couple lines, you can meditate on them as you walk and let them soak into your heart and spirit.
3. Sleep
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is sleep. I mean it. No guilt for making sleep your priority. Sleep is so important for your healing, your well-being, your family’s well-being, your baby, and your connection with God!
When we’re beyond exhaustion and on the verge of a breakdown, what our bodies need most is sleep. God understands this. And when we take care of our bodies, it honors Him and prepares us to connect with Him better later on.
I love the story of Elijah running from Queen Jezebel in 1 Kings 19. He’s exhausted and depressed. He lies under a tree and wants to die. But God sends angles to minister to him. They bring him food and let him sleep. Then they bring him more food and let him sleep again. And it’s then, after he’s had adequate sleep and food, that God brings him to the cave to speak to him. It’s then that Elijah is able to have his life-changing encounter with God in the still small voice.
God understood that Elijah needed sleep and food first. And he cared that Elijah received those things. He understands that you need them too! Feel his love and care for you as you eat and sleep and care for yourself during this time.
And know that while you sleep, your spirit can still connect with God. Your body and mind get to rest, but your spirit is active and can receive encouragement, revelation, and dreams from God. So as you fall asleep at night, ask God to minister to you while you sleep!
4. Get the Mommy-Baby Soaking Album!
My current favorite way to connect with God in this season!
An album filled with encouraging Scriptures and peaceful background music to draw you into His sweet presence. A way for us moms to let his life-giving Word and promises wash over us as we nurse, cuddle with our babies, and even sleep!
I created this album out of my own frustration at trying to find time to get in the Word in this season of mommyhood. I desperately wanted to soak in His word and presence, but just couldn’t seem to make the time. So I recorded this album to play throughout the day and to fall asleep to at night, and I LOVE IT!
I no longer struggle with guilt for not finding time to get in the Word. And I love how the encouragement and promises in the Scriptures renew my mind and shift my perspective throughout the day.
I love listening to it while I nurse. While I fall asleep at night. While I clean. And I love putting it on in my baby’s room while he sleeps – knowing that the truth in these Scriptures is soaking down deep into his spirit even at an early age.
I’m so excited to make this album available to you now! You can read more about it and get your copy of it here!
I pray it blesses your journey of motherhood as much as it’s blessed mine!
And I pray this post has inspired and encouraged you! I’d love to hear some of the ways you’ve found to connect with God in this season too! Share them in the comment section below – they may be exactly what another mom needs to hear.
He loves you and there is grace for this season, and He will carry you through! You’re doing great Mama!
**** Click the button below to get the Mommy-Baby Soaking CD ****
