I remember a time a few years ago when I had just managed to scoot my big kids off to school and the baby was still sleeping. I had five minutes until I needed to wake my little one to drive to an appointment. My first inclination was to do something, wash dishes, throw in a load of laundry, accomplish something, anything off my continually growing to do list. Instead, that day, I decided to capture the moment and pray. I do not recall exactly how I prayed. I may have grabbed a book, uttered a spontaneous prayer, prayed a rosary, or simply muttered a few Hail Marys.
Regardless of the method, I prayed and felt a renewal, an overwhelming peace. I am confident that was exactly what my soul needed in that moment. It was ‘only’ five minutes but it truly set my day on the right track. When we decide to be intentional and choose to grab those small moments it makes a monumental difference in us, in our parenting, and in our lives. Choose to refocus on Him, the One who made us and loves us.
How do we find the peace we desire in this wild and crazy, fast-paced world? Sometimes I think we tend to focus too much on the tools we need when really, we can just drop to our knees and pray. When you pray a Hail Mary or an Our Father in times of distress it can bring your focus back and allow you to be the mom, wife, sister, or daughter that you desire to be. You can choose to carry a rosary in your purse so you can pull it out on a drive in the car when your little one is momentarily occupied or sleeping. Take advantage of the small moments of peace to refresh your heart and soul.
There are other times, that call for me to set aside a window of time for a specific action or prayer that just speaks to me or tugs at my heart. In these allotments I elect to:
- Journal
- Sit in Adoration
- Attend daily Mass
- Pray a rosary
- Devote time to a specific prayer or novena
I carve time into my day and trust that God will take care of the details, the millions of minute aspects that we are required to manage each day for our families. Often, I set an objective, but allow myself flexibility with that goal. For example, I commit to pray a full rosary throughout my week. I say a decade here or there, a few Hail Marys as I fold laundry or pair socks. On other occasions, I set aside time to pray a specific prayer each day for a span I decide is right. I wake up early to fit this in, or stay up just a few extra minutes. I am known to sneak it in while my kids are eating a snack or even while I am in the bathroom. You do what you must when you are a mom!
I remember a few years ago, I was with a group of women and one shared that the only time she could find to pray was while she was on the toilet. She asked if we thought that upset God or if that was okay. The group supported her. They encouraged her sharing that they believed God is pleased whenever we pray and talk to Him. However, I distinctly remember my judgmental heart believing they were wrong. I had deduced that it was important to dedicate devoted time for Him, not toilet time! After all He is GOD!’
After years of motherhood, a new perspective has come to me. Grab every single moment you can, no matter how small and make it a prayer, even on the toilet. Life often gets away from us and we swirl and twirl in the busyness of daily life. We feel we need to grasp onto something, anything. This something is God!
We reach out to God through our prayer. That means we must pray as we live life. We pray as we drive kids to sports or fold laundry. We drop to our knees in the quiet morning before the birds have risen or in the dark of the night after they have gone to bed. We utter clear pleas to Heaven when we have been awoken by a child’s cry or tug in the stillness of the night. These are the times He has given us in this season of our lives.
Prayer is never perfect. Peace comes from making the choice to grab those little flecks of time, take action to refocus and recenter through prayer. Do what feels achievable and do not worry about the way it is supposed to look. Even when we pray imperfectly it pleases God and is certainly better than waiting and never praying at all. Life does not stop. It slows down, but never stands still, the momentum simply changes form.
The good news is we can make choices. We can decide to pray over calling to chat with a friend. We can choose to commit to a morning retreat or bible study instead of accomplishing chores at home or going to the gym. These activities are important, but we must put things in their place, first things first. There has to be a balance. Priorities in line, sister! We must help ourselves to find this harmony by scrutinizing all our commitments and choosing what is best for our family and best for our family’s souls.
I read a book a few years ago that encouraged me to examine where I spend my time. The author incited her readers make it a priority to write down their schedule for the week and focus on how much time is spent in various areas. Some activities I examined were: drive time, sports, clubs, volunteer hours, homework help, meals together, date nights, exercise, prayer, etc. She felt when we track our schedules it promotes a balance and brings our attention to excess when we might otherwise fall into our perceived normal schedule.
I can say with every season of life the balance shifts and I have to reexamine where my commitments lie. In the winter and summer, I review schedules and look at how our family is functioning with the activities we have currently committed to each week. Then, my husband and I decide on the changes that need to occur to the schedule to help us to remain healthy for the next season, sports season or season of life. We pray on it and tweak as needed.
Sister, you are in charge and can tweak it mid-commitment, you are qualified! You can pull out, you can enter late. I am giving you permission. It is okay! To make the change work, recognize that sometimes sacrifice is needed on your part or of someone in your family. Yielding for other is acceptable. It is actually fruitful to sacrifice for the good of another. Peace takes sacrifice.
One of my favorite quotes from one of the most peace-filled women I can recall. She had it down. She knew the journey to peace in Our Lord begins with silence and prayer. “The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.” instructed St. Teresa of Calcutta. My experience leads me to advise you to examine your schedule and then grab the little moments. Do not let them slip by you.
Simply pray, explore new methods if you like, but know you can fall back on and use what you know to be tried and true. Prayer is not something fancy. It is an utter from your heart, a cry to Our Lord, a deep heart felt conversation that can happen anywhere, anytime. He is always near, waiting and ready to listen to you.
Call to Act: Listen to those peculiar twinges in your heart that nudge you to go somewhere or talk to someone. Act when your dear friend whispers, or shouts, as a amazing girlfriend sometimes will, that you need to make a change. These little yeses draw us ever nearer to Him, even if it is only five minutes here or there during this season. We do not need things of this world. We do not need anything elaborate. We need Jesus and a continual connection with him. When He is the focus, peace follows like one you have never experienced before. Grab on and keep plugging away! Seize the small moments, sister, and peace will follow when you simply place Him first.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us that we may find peace in the minute moments of silence we discover in our lives as women, mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters in Christ. Ask our Lord to guide us closer to Him so that we may experience a deeper union with Him and be able to share those graces with our families. Saint of simplicity, pray for us.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is one of the twentieth century’s most known and loved saints. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. She began her mission by pouring out her love to the poor and outcast in the streets of India and spread mission across the world. Full of life and love, her order spread to 120 countries with over 4,000 sisters. Mother Teresa believed in great sacrifice. She had a great zeal for her Catholic faith and deep love for the poor and Christ crucified. Devoting an hour each day to Eucharistic Adoration and requiring her sisters to give Our Lord this time as well, she kept her eyes fixed on Christ. She was convicted that this time with Our Lord was especially essential in times of disaster and crisis. She experienced a dark night of the soul for many years until her death in 1997. St. Mother Teresa relied on the Lord and turned to Him despite her interior darkness. She inspires and stirs Christian and pagans alike with her great charity. Read more about her here.
https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/september-5-saint-mother-teresa-calcutta/