How Do Busy Moms Read The Bible?

Finding time to read the Bible as a busy mom can be difficult. I am sharing practical advice that doesn’t include waking up at 4am.

How Do Busy Moms Read The Bible?

Before I was a mom I had a picture perfect routine for reading my Bible.

I would gracefully slide out of my bed feeling well rested and at peace. There were no bags under my eyes, birds were chirping, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee floated in from the kitchen. After pouring myself a cup of the delicious brew I settled myself on the couch, snuggly wrapped in the warmth of my robe, highlighters and devotional at my side, and opened up my Bible prepared to spend the next 45 mins or even an hour saturating my spirit in the word of God. 

This was a Disney princess level quiet time that checked all the boxes and typically ended with long thoughtful prayers and my favorite worship music. 

Today… that quiet time is but a mere memory that some days I am not even truly sure is mine. The very fact that spending time reading your Bible is often referred to as “quiet time” feels like the punch line of a super cheesy joke. Once the toddler is awake you can kiss any passing thought of “quiet” goodbye.

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Busy Moms Have No Extra Time

I love being a mom.

Little giggles, messy kisses, and snuggles that turn me into some kind of human jungle gym are the best. I do not regret anything about being a mom but that does not mean that every bit of motherhood is easy, well-organized, or tidy. It’s rarely any of those things.

There have been times that brushing my teeth or taking a shower felt luxurious. Self-care can be really hard as a mom. It stands to reason that if 2 minutes brushing your teeth is hard to come by then 10, 15, or dare I say 30 minutes reading your Bible can feel like an Olympic feat. 

So how do busy moms find time to read the Bible?

Step One: Put It On Your To-Do List

I have a daily and weekly routine for housekeeping that I swear by. It absolutely saves my sanity and has granted so much freedom over my time. In addition to those chores I will make a to-list each day of things I need to get accomplished. I will prioritize which 3 items on my list absolutely MUST be done that day and if I get to the rest of the list that’s great but if not then no big deal. 

Make reading your Bible one of your top 3 priorities. It is something that absolutely MUST get done. Period. End of discussion. 

By making it a priority in your day it will help push you to get into, or back into, the habit of seeking God’s word daily. 

Another positive is that when reading your Bible is on your to-do list it does not mean it has to be done before the kids wake up, immediately after breakfast, during nap time, or any other specific time of the day.  You remove all time constraints and simply focus on making sure that it happens at some point (ANY point) during the day. 

If you have ever felt like it’s not worth it to spend time with God if it doesn’t happen first thing in the morning then listen up. Starting your day in God’s word is awesome. It is amazing. It is also not a requirement. The goal here is to read your Bible at any point during the day so don’t throw in the towel if it does not happen at the magical time that you think it should. Just make it happen.

Something Is Better Than Nothing

Reading one verse is better than reading nothing at all. 

Spending 5 minutes in God’s word is better than never opening up your Bible. 

Your goal here is to spend time with God. To spend time in His word. Lengthy Bible studies are wonderful and can be such a blessing to our souls. I certainly do not discourage you from spending as much time as you can with God but if you can only spare a few minutes before the baby starts crying, the toddler needs a snack, or someone skins their knee… do not despair. 

God called you to this season of motherhood. God knows more than anyone what you are facing and what you are going through. He will meet you where you are at. God will equip you for the journey ahead of you. He knew the diaper blow out was coming before even you did. 

Focus on spending ANY amount of time in God’s word before you beat yourself up for not meeting expectations you have for how much time you should devote to quiet time.

Lower Your Expectations

For a busy mom to read the Bible there is a good chance she needs to lower the expectations on herself first. 

God never tells us that we need the perfect lighting, color coded highlighters, an expensive journaling Bible, and Instagram worthy setups in order to have a relationship with Him. 

Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me.”

It does not say that we have to show up in a certain fashion in order to find God. It says that we just have to search. So consider that the picture you have in your head of how things “should” be is not necessary at all. 

Quiet time may not be quiet. There will be a season for long sessions in the word, beautiful highlighters, a journal, and in depth studies. This may not be the season for that. This may be your season to grasp onto what you can and trust that God will take care of the rest.

Consider Resources To Help Moms Read The Bible

Something I have found unbelievably helpful to me to me recently is the BibleRecap. It’s been such a blessing in fact that I’m sure this section is going to sound like an advertisement so let me say right from the start that it is not. I just really do love it this much. 

The BibleRecap is a Bible reading plan and podcast that has transformed my time with God. Yes… TRANSFORMED.

If you follow the plan then you will read through the entire Bible, chronologically, in a year. This does not mean you need to start on January 1st. Nope! I was told about this little jewel of a resource at the beginning of March and started right then. Don’t wait until Sunday, or Monday, or the first of the month. Start now!  

Do Busy Moms Have To Wake Up Early To Read The Bible?

Here’s the thing. I loathe any advice for moms that includes waking up before your kids to have “extra time”. Excuse me but did you forget about sleep? Sleep is a thing that I cherish and hold near and dear to my heart. Mornings are icky and gross and not fit for human consumption. 

If you are a morning person who loves being up before the sun and all other reasonable forms of life to exercise, read your Bible, have some personal time, or win the Noble prize then that’s awesome. I am not that person and I have no aspirations to ever be that person. Mark Lowry once said, “If God wanted me to see the sunrise he would have put it later in the day” and honestly… AMEN

Advice For Moms Who Want To Read The Bible

I just refuse to suggest that sacrifice sleep for anything so here are a few other suggestions that you can consider including into your time with God.

• Trade off time with your partner
  • Figure out a way to arrange your schedules so you each get 10-15 mins alone to dig into God’s word
    
• Find an optimal time of day for you and stick to it
  • Do not be so rigid that you won’t seek out God if you miss your optimal window but finding a time of day that suits you best can be very helpful to maintain a routine
    
• Include your kids or make it a family devotional
  • Having a personal one-on-one time with God is ideal but if the only way you can spend time reading the Bible is to include the whole gang then do it. It’s a season of life it is not forever. You are training up your children in the way they should go, setting a wonderful example, and really filling their spirits with the good stuff.
    
• Trying memorizing verses 
  • Having a few Bible verses that you can revisit throughout your day can help you saturate yourself in the Word and give you an extra bit of motivation or inspiration during the more difficult parts of the day
    
• Include worship music and Christian audiobooks/podcasts in your day
  • These things cannot replace time spent in the Word. I know you know that. But when your time is limited then it can be a real encouragement to fill your day with God-centered, Bible believing truths.
    
  • You may also consider using the Bible app to listen to the Bible rather than reading it.
    

Keep going

The very fact that you have read this blog post means that time with God is on your heart and that it is something you are seeking. Keep putting in the effort. Keep trying new ways to make it happen. 

It does not have to be perfect. 

It just has to be.

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