Tag: Mom Life

Bible Study Blues

RBrown

Let’s face it! Making time for daily bible study can be HARD as a mom in today’s world. Between making breakfast, picking up toys, packing lunches, helping with homework, cooking dinner, reading bed time stories, washing laundry, and the endless list of other motherhood chores, it is sad to admit that our daily time with Jesus often gets put on the back burner. But, incorporating a daily bible study time all boils down to time management and making spending time with Jesus a priority. The truth is, digging deep into the Word and making it a daily habit to spend time talking to God is essential in our daily lives.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Psalm 119:105

If our goal is to raise children who go out into the world knowing that Jesus loves them and feeling confident in the person they are in Christ, we must model what it’s like to have a DAILY relationship with Jesus. Psalm 127:4 tells us that “children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hand (NLT)”. As followers of Jesus, we are called to put on the full armor of God, including the shoes of the Gospel, and be warriors for Christ. This means it is essential to dig into the word daily, even in the midst of motherhood.

If motherhood, or just daily life has you bogged down, here are 5 simple ways to break your Bible Study Blues.

  • Listen to a Christian podcast or YouTube channel. Put your headphones in while you fold laundry. Connect your Bluetooth speaker while you’re in the shower. Connect your phone to your car radio while you’re in the car rider line. It doesn’t have to a lengthy production, just make sure you’re listening to someone speak truth based on Biblical principles.
  • Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier and read Scripture. I know, I know. Who WANTS to get up 30 minutes earlier? It will be hard at first. You will be tired. You will want to hit snooze. But, DON’T! Get up. Grab your Bible and your favorite morning drink and dig in!
  • Pray daily. This seems like a lot. But, good news, Jesus goes with you EVERYWHERE! You don’t have to be on your knees at the altar to talk to Jesus. You can pray in the shower. You can pray while cooking dinner. You can pray over the phone with a friend. Your prayers don’t have to be filled with eloquent words and be super lengthy. Jesus simply wants to hear from you DAILY, even if you can’t find the words to speak.
  • Start a journal. If keeping a journal is your thing, do it! Doodle words that stand out to you as you read, or listen, to the Word. Keep a bullet journal of thoughts that the Holy Spirit reveals to you. If you’re at a loss for how to journal, download my FREE {Bible Study Notes} Printable below to get you started!
  • Last, BE GRACIOUS AND KIND TO YOURSELF. There will be days you fail. There will be days you hit snooze. There will be time periods where you don’t open your Bible. It doesn’t mean you failed, it simply means you are human. God didn’t create us to be perfect. He created us to love and serve Him.

So, kick off your Bible Study blues and dig in!

FREE {Bible Study Notes} Printable

Being Still and Quiet

RBrown

Let’s talk about silent struggles for a minute! 

In today’s society, we get so caught up in what looks •perfect•. We want our social media photos to be edited and “filtered” until they look worthy of being on a magazine cover. We want to be the mom who serves restaurant quality meals to our families. We want to create Pinterest worthy crafts and projects for our homes. We want to do all of these things (and more). But, the reality is, rather we openly admit it or not, we all struggle silently with different adversaries each and every day. This makes successfully completing the above list absolutely absurd.

Your silent adversary may be an autoimmune disease, a mental health struggle, diabetes, pain, grief, fatigue, or one of the many other things we tend to hide and conceal behind the smiles on our faces. But, what happens when your silent struggle appears and takes over your life?

This photo is during a flare of my own silent struggle, conversion disorder. This particular flare affected both sides of my body, paralyzing my face and producing an inability to smile.

A few months ago, I was diagnosed with conversion disorder. It’s a neurological disorder occurring when the functional part of our brain functions improperly. I’m learning that it affects everyone differently, and is triggered in a plethora of ways. Most days, it stays hidden and undetected in my life. But, some days, it appears suddenly and cannot be controlled.

When I am in the midst of a flare, my face becomes paralyzed, my speech becomes distorted, and my hands tingle. Sometimes, I struggle to move my arms and legs. My brain becomes foggy and I experience extreme fatigue. 

It’s so easy to get lost in a pit of self-pity, bitterness, and frustration. It’s so easy to lose myself in worry and anger because I haven’t received a successful treatment plan.

Yet, it’s in those moments I learn to be still. I learn to focus completely on Jesus and the will of the Father. I learn to listen intently for guidance and how to rest completely in Him.

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

We don’t have to know all of the answers to the situations we are facing. We don’t have to strive to reach unrealistic expectations set by this world. We don’t have to worry about tomorrow. We don’t have to hide our struggles. We simply have to BE STILL and trust that He is God.

Whatever your silent struggle is today friend, know that He has it all in His hands. Lay your worries aside. Take a break and trust Him. Lay aside the need to be perfect and learn to appreciate the still, small moments. Sometimes, it may mean serving frozen pizza to your family for dinner! And, guess what? It’s ok! I promise it won’t hurt them!

Head to your local Walmart and grab the Totino’s party pack for $4.88. You can thank me later. 🙂

We aren’t called to be perfect. We are just called to be present.