I know people will joke about struggles light-heartedly.

But if I may be transparent with you, fitting time in with God is a real struggle for me. Like many others, much of my life throughout each day is a life of prayer. Yet, fitting time in to read the Bible, memorize verses, and journaling from my readings is seemingly rare. So, it’s challenging for me to feel continually discipled by God’s Word. Therefore it’s hard for me to feel like I have time or the ability to disciple others much.

 

I know many of you are just as busy, even busier than I am. And perhaps #thestruggleisreal for you as well. So, here are some thoughts I have on discipleship for busy moms. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration in my random ponderings.

Sometimes it can feel like I won’t have “enough” time to make it worth it. Can you relate? Maybe I woke up later than I wanted and have 15 minutes before running out the door. Or it’s been a long day and I feel like I have about 20 minutes before I won’t be able to keep my eyes open any longer. Is 15 or 20 minutes enough time to dig in to the Word? In a word? Yes. Really, even a few minutes in God’s Word can make all the difference! So, even if I can fit 5 minutes in here or there it’s better than nothing at all. Because within those few minutes I can be encouraged . . . or admonished. And I find that when I spend even a few minutes, I’m so refreshed from that time, that the next day, I’ll make my time in the Word more of a priority (how quickly we forget, am I right?).

 

Your time spent worshiping each week is precious time with God. Especially if one is blessed to have a pastor who encourages you to read Scripture along with him during the sermon. Do take time while listening to a sermon to jot down notes and write out Scripture passages. There’s such a huge impact on memory and understanding when writing. And it’s likely you can use your notes to dig in deeper later during your personal study time. Sunday sermons are a great jumping off point for Bible study and Scripture memory at home.

 

And friends — don’t forget that your smartphone, where you’re probably spending too much time on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (you’re not alone either), can be your link to God while you’re getting ready for your day, cooking meals, or drifting off to sleep.  

You know the scene many of us imagine. As busy moms, we find a time of solitude to sit down in a cozy spot and do a Bible study. And beside us are our warm beverages of choice. Maybe we have a cushioned pillow and comfy blanket, too. Happily somewhere in our homes are our quiet children getting along with each other famously. Or maybe they’re out for some time with their dads or at a friend’s home. We pull out our journals and favorite pen (or multiple colored pens as the case may be for some of us – ahem) and we jot down our thoughts . . . 

::record scratch::

I did say it’s a scene many of us imagine. Right?

But do you know that there is a solution?  Have you seen some of the gorgeous journaling/coloring Bibles available in the past few years? I have several of them (mostly because generous Bible publishers and sellers like sending them to me), but I love them. The margins of these Bibles are sometimes empty so I’m free to journal or draw as I’m inspired. And other times, the pages have beautiful drawings and verses ready for me to take a few moments to color. Never in my wildest imagination did I think as a grown, middle-aged woman, I would find coloring in a Bible something that would encourage me, but it does. My right-brain loves to create, and when I’m having a busy day, a few moments in my journaling Bible sometimes centers me.

Now this one can be a bit trickier for us busy moms. For certain, it’s a whole lot easier to memorize Scripture if we have some quiet time. But do you know what? I bet there’s something we can do. Because even the women we read about in the Bible were busy wives and mothers. And they didn’t even have the “conveniences” we have, yet they learned.

Thinking back to how we can integrate note-taking with listening to sermons, we can do something similar with memorization. In general, pastors will give several Scripture references in relation to their sermon topics. Well, what if the one that stands out the most—that brings either connection or conviction—is the one that we focus on memorizing? 

It makes sense to me because already our thoughts will be dwelling on this point. And the point is in relation to a verse. So, we actually have the benefit of a few things going on here:

All of these help us with memorizing. So, it seems like a logical and beneficial approach.

 

You can also fit in Scripture memory on the go. This is a quick little tip that is super helpful. If you have some index cards or a purse-sized notebook, write Scripture memory verses on them. In this way, you can glance at the verses and memorize them in chunks. Often times we have some moments on the go to where this is doable. For instance, as we sit in an office waiting to go back for an appointment we can memorize. Or we can do so right before we jog into the market. Surely we could sacrifice some iPhone  Facebook time on our phones in order to do this.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re in the grocery store and bump into a friend you haven’t seen in a while. In your casual chit-chat, you ask the question — “how have you been?” And before you know it, your friend begins to pour her heart out to you about recent challenges. You would love to invite her to sit down for a cup of coffee so you can really listen to her, encourage her, or pray for her, but you have about 20 minutes to finish your shopping before you have to pick little Johnny up from soccer practice.

 

It can be so tough when we run into someone in this kind of situation, but time constraints prevent us from being able to stop everything and be in the moment. Or it can be a struggle if we have our kids with us and we’re being pulled away by this most precious priority. 

But you know what? There are simple things we can do. Why not carry some note cards with Bible verses on them to hand to her right then? It can be an unexpected encouragement or comfort at a moment like this. And be sure you have her phone number and/or address so you can sit down later, when you’re not so busy, to touch base with her and offer that time of prayer and support. But do be sure to follow up and discover other tangible ways to support your struggling friend.

 

 

Moms are busy, but we should never be too busy to make our personal discipleship a priority. I’ve created a few helpful tools to make it a little easier for you. This free printable Discipleship for Busy Moms Kit includes 4 tools for you to print and use as you wish: 

 

1. Daily Bible Study Journal

2.  Sermon Notes

3. Scripture Memory Cards

4. Monthly Calendar

 

I’ve combined all 4 tools into one PDF to make it convenient for you to use. To download your copy, enter your email below.