As a new mom, one of the many struggles that I face is trying to balance motherhood and my spiritual life. A goal of mine is to be a mother of faith and for me that means living the life of an Orthodox Christian the best that I can. Additionally, I am sure that not everyone who reads this blog post will be an Orthodox Christian and that’s okay! I hope that I can provide even just a little inspiration to any Christian mom who takes the time to read this blog post.
Steps on How to Be A Mother of Faith
Prayer
Whether it’s washing the dirty dishes from supper, taking the kids to swimming lessons, or anything in between, prayer can be done. The beauty of prayer is that it doesn’t have to be long or said out loud. In fact, I often times find it easy to say a prayer in my head while doing the dishes. A prayer that I really love to think, and sometimes say is,
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
This prayer is also known as the, “prayer of the heart,” and plays a huge role in Orthodoxy for monastics and laymen alike.
Additionally, prayer should also be said as a family. Praying with children teaches them the importance of prayer and, like a sponge, they will absorb the significance of it. In the Orthodox Church, we pray at least twice a day, in the morning and the evening. Also, we pray before and after meals. These prayers can be sung too, which make them easy to do as a family.
Reading
“When you immerse your mind and heart in spiritual books, you will always be filled, for spiritual reading gives you a foundation in God,” St. John Chrysostom.
In addition, reading scripture is another great way to spiritually grow. Reading scripture, or any other type of religious book, can be done with children present or during some of your own free time.
In the Orthodox Church, there are many wonderful books to read on your own and as a family. One great example of a book to read as a family would be The Prologue of Ohrid. This particular book has commemorations for the lives of different saints for each day of the year. Also, it contains reflections, hymns, and homilies.
Additionally, some books that I like to read on my own have to do with motherhood and parenting. For motherhood, I really like Fertile Ground: A Pilgrimage through Pregnancy and A Sacred Beginning: Nurturing Your Body, Mind, and Soul during Baby’s First Forty Days. These two books are amazing for moms! They are relatable and give comfort in this very distinct season of life. And for parenting in general, I like Parenting Toward the Kingdom: Orthodox Christian Principles of Child-Rearing. Parenting Toward the Kingdom is a phenomenal book that gave me a new perspective on what it means to raise children in a loving, Christian home.
Reflecting
Another amazing tool to have for being a mother of faith, would be a journal of some sort. In a journal, you could write down favorite quotes from different saints, passages from scripture, thoughts and questions about sermons that you might hear, or even different prayer requests.
If you happen to be in the market for a good Orthodox journal, then I recommend this journal. This journal lasts for three months and is simple yet straightforward and beautiful. It’s also very affordable which is another bonus! However, just a plain notebook from a local store will do as well.
Making a point to go to church services
In the Orthodox Church, it’s not uncommon to have multiple church services a week. For example, you might have church on a Saturday night, Vespers, church on Sunday morning, Divine Liturgy, and then Vespers one night and Divine Liturgy the next morning on a weekday.
Being able to attend all of the church services is a huge blessing, but it can also be tricky. One of the ways that it can be tricky is if you have to bring the kids along, especially by yourself. However, many agree that it’s important to bring kids to church. So, God certainly blesses even those of us who make an honest attempt to come to church with the kids. Thus, you are also balancing motherhood and faith once again by taking the kids to church.
I have found that for me personally, there have been days where I have just wanted to stay home. For example, I want to stay home because I feel like there’s so much to be done around the house. But, I force myself to go anyway, and I always feel a lot more at peace once I’m there at church and after the service has ended. This peace that can be felt after church makes it all worth it and helps me to remember that we go to church because we need it for our spiritual infirmities.
Going to church groups
Another idea would be to go to a church group. I know that not all churches have organized groups outside of church. However, if there’s enough people interested who attend your church, you could maybe see about starting some sort of weekly or monthly group.
In the Orthodox Church, we decorate icons with flowers. So you could have a group dedicated to making flower arrangements for icons. Also, some churches have book clubs as well. And, I’ve even heard of play groups where moms will all get together and bring their kids. These are just a few ideas!
Giving Back
Lastly, another important foundation of Eastern Orthodox Christianity and even the other Christian denominations is giving back or alms giving. In fact, your church might even have some different alms giving/volunteer opportunities already set up. Giving back can be as simple as going online and donating money to a fundraiser or charity of your choice.
In addition, volunteering is another great way to give back and is a way that you can get the whole family involved in alms giving. Some of the places that you could maybe volunteer are at local shelters and food pantries.
Shop the books of this blog post, A Mother of Faith:
Fertile Ground: A Pilgrimage through Pregnancy
A Sacred Beginning: Nurturing Your Body, Mind, and Soul during Baby’s First Forty Days
3-Month Prayer Journal: Orthodox Prayer Book
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Also check out, 10 Steps on How to Embrace Your Femininity
Thank you for reading about how to be a mother of faith!
Please comment below if there are any ideas about balancing motherhood and faith that I might have missed. Or comment what idea is you favorite.
We love volunteering as a family and feeling this beautiful sense of community. It’s so rewarding to put a smile on people’s faces and care for each other. Thank you for sharing!
This is such a great article full of good ideas! As a mom, I priority my time with the Lord in the morning before the kids get up, and it is such a blessing to have that time to read, pray and reflect.