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Oh, friend. The season you’re in is full. Your mornings don’t start the way they did before. Long gone are the days you could sit down, alone and undisturbed, with a hot kopi siew dai in one hand and a journal and Bible in the other. These days, your day unfolds in a blur of breakfast service, school runs, morning meltdowns, and those growing laundry piles guilt-tripping you.

You love God. You want to spend time with Him. But when you finally get a moment to yourself, you’re exhausted right down to your bones, and that Bible you’ve been meaning to read suddenly feels heavy as a brick — more like a burden than a refreshing drink, you’re afraid to admit.

I’m right here with you, friend. This is my struggle too.

So this blog post is not another “you’re not doing enough” list to add to our already overflowing plates. It’s meant to encourage you and offer some ideas on how it’s possible to flip the “I’m just too busy script.”

When we spend time with God, the number of things to get done doesn’t decrease, but we won’t feel as frazzled and out of control.

I’ve been implementing a few things that help in this busy-mum season, and I hope you’ll find them helpful too. The main thing is, you don’t need a two-hour, before-sunrise morning devotional to keep your faith alive. You can walk closely with God even in the middle of your busy, where-did-this-sticker-come-from?, mama-on-duty life. Here’s how:

Reframe “Quiet Time”

It doesn’t have to be formal

Just like you don’t have to wait until Sunday morning in church to sing songs of worship, you don’t have to wait to create a formal “quiet time” hour to spend with God. Spending time with Him is exactly that — spending time.

“Just like you don’t have to wait until Sunday morning in church to sing songs of worship, you don’t have to wait to create a formal “quiet time” hour to spend with God.”

Bring God into the little moments throughout the day. The mundane moments are often the best — folding laundry, washing dishes, patting your little one to sleep at naptime, or during your daily work commute.

It doesn’t have to be paper and pen

Technology is a great help these days, with apps, podcasts, and online resources available to support us in our faith journey. I use YouVersion’s Bible app to access reading plans. I can set it up to send daily reminders at a set time for my reading, and it allows me to place a widget on my phone’s home screen that shows a beautiful image for the verse of the day. That way, God’s Word stays front-of-mind, since I pick up my phone multiple times a day.

Podcasts can also be a great encouragement. Hearing others’ stories of faith spurs me on to keep my own faith alive. Be mindful to carefully curate who you listen to and practice discernment in the messages you consume.

Many Bible apps have audio Bible features too. This gives us the option to listen while going about the routine tasks of our day, whether hanging up laundry or washing dishes.

It doesn’t have to be a big effort

If the idea of “quiet time” feels like another burdensome to-do list item, simplify it. Pick one chapter to read or listen a day — it doesn’t take more than ten minutes (not even five sometimes). Listen to the audio Bible on school runs, or during your commute to work. Even ten minutes a day is good — ten minutes of quality time in God’s Word each day will bear more fruit than an hour you keep postponing.

Bring God Into Your Everyday Moments

Pray in the pauses

Instead of waiting for a “right” or “perfect” moment to pray, use the in-betweens in your day:

While stirring the soup
While patting your baby to sleep
Waiting in the car before school pickup
First thing in the morning as you get out of bed
While in the shower

It can be as simple as, “Lord, help me stay patient,” or “Thank You for this little life in my arms.”

Tune in to worship music

Even your Spotify queue be a sacred pathway. Collect and curate worship songs. Play them while cooking or tidying up. Worship music has the power to shift the atmosphere in your home and has been especially helpful when I need to reset a bad mood — mine and my toddler’s included!

Tips for Building Habits

If you’re hungry for more time actually reading the Bible, here are some things that help me build more reading time into my day:

Stack habit on habit

Building a new habit is hard work, so you can simplify this by pairing it with something you already naturally do every day.

If you never skip your morning kopi (that’s me), make it a rule: I take my coffee with my Bible. You could even do this standing at your kitchen counter with your toddler tugging at your pyjama pants. It’s not less sacred if you’re reading a few verses at a time while spreading peanut butter on bread in between. God doesn’t meet us at our Sunday Best; He meets us right where we are.

Do you have a habit of “zoning out” on your phone after all the kids are in bed? Why not tap on your Bible app to read scripture for a few minutes before starting a scrolling session? At the office, why not read a chapter of the Bible on your browser before checking emails? Or at lunch, swap out watching K-dramas and watch sermons instead?

If you do have a nightly skincare routine, play a short Bible reading or devotional on your phone while you wash your face or go through your steps.

The point is that these moments are already part of your day — you don’t need to carve out “extra” time. It’s about shifting what fills the moments you already have.

Put your Bible somewhere visible

I’m a plain victim of “out of sight, out of mind,” and this applies to God’s Word too. I keep my Bible and devotional open on my dining table. You can choose any prominent location in your home — the key is visibility. This acts as a visual reminder to get into God’s Word, and you’re less likely to skip days that way.

Use a devotional to stay on track

Devotionals give you structure and focus, especially for brain-tired mums. Choose one that’s manageable (short), Scripture-rich, and applicable to the topics or struggles of your current season.

Faith Thrives in Community

Get your family in on it

Family is front of mind and center of our attention already. Instead of thinking of time with God as something extra, think of it as something woven into serving and living life together.

For example:

Giving thanks at mealtimes: Everyone mentions one thing they want to thank God for today and one thing they’d like prayer for. Mum or dad can lead the prayer time — short and simple, not a full-on family meeting.
Bedtime stories: Consider a Children’s story Bible to read instead of or alongside existing stories. Even adapted Scripture can move your heart — I remember being moved to tears one night while reading the gospel to my son.

When faith becomes a family rhythm, it feels natural and not isolating. You’re not carrying it alone.

Join an online prayer group

A WhatsApp group with a few like-minded mums can be the nudge you need to keep praying and sharing. If your church or faith community has online prayer meetings that fit your schedule, consider joining. A set block of time can help you avoid constantly putting off prayer.

Open up in trusted community

The Christian life is both personal and deeply communal — community keeps us tethered. Without other believers around, it’s easy to drift spiritually.

“Being a mum can feel isolating because your world narrows to the needs of little ones. It’s easy to slip into the false belief that you don’t have time for church or small groups.”

Being a mum can feel isolating because your world narrows to the needs of little ones. It’s easy to slip into the false belief that you don’t have time for church or small groups.

Community keeps you anchored, reminds you of God’s promises, encourages you when you’re weary, and shows you His work in others’ lives. Even a five-minute check-in with a trusted friend can make a huge difference.

It also allows us to model faith for our children. Even if you pace the hallways of church to soothe a crying baby and miss the sermon, showing up faithfully teaches that faith is more than words in a Bible — it’s life lived out.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” — Hebrews 10:24-25

Community also puts your struggles in perspective, reminding you that you’re part of something bigger and that God is on the move through us together.

Guard Your Heart

A final tip I have is to decrease your appetite for worldly entertainment. This is something I’m personally working on too. Endless videos, media, and mini dopamine hits can dull your hunger for God’s Word. You don’t have to ban all entertainment — just be mindful. Swap 15 minutes of scrolling for 15 minutes with a podcast, worship music, or God’s Word. It will make a difference.

Action Steps You Can Take Right Now

Choose one of the above to try this week and commit to it.
Tell someone what you’ve committed to doing, and ask them to check in.
Download an audio Bible, select a reading plan, or put a verse-of-the-day widget on your device today.

Dear friend, your days may feel messy and unpredictable, but God is never far. He doesn’t turn away from moments that feel chaotic. He hears every whispered prayer, every hum of worship as you wipe kitchen counters, and honors every verse you manage to read before interruption. You might not have more time to carve out, but you can bring God into the time you already have.

A Prayer Before You Go

Lord, I want to know You more, even in this busy season. Teach me to bring You into the small moments, to lean into Your voice, and to grow in hunger to draw closer to You. Help me to love You more and more each day, and to let my children see Your light in me. Open my eyes to see Your goodness in my life each day. Amen.

DID YOU FIND THIS HELPFUL?

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