Words and Image by Mia Fuller

Whether you are a mama who is working inside or outside the home, one thing is true: the work of a mother is abundant and seemingly never-ending. It was certainly no accident that God created mothers to be excellent at multitasking. But sometimes our inability to chose our workloads wisely can weigh us down and drown out the still, quiet voice of Truth. Wisely tuning out the noise, laying down the heavy workloads, and making space for God to fill us up can save us a few tears (mama and child tears alike). Sometimes organizing our thoughts and to-do lists helps to cultivate joy in our hearts and homes. Here are some simple ideas for thriving —not striving—in motherhood: 

1. Make a plan for the week ahead. 
   
   Having a list for the week can make daunting tasks not seem so overwhelming. Sometimes the monotonous tasks we face can steal our joy and distract us from the incredible calling and ministry that is motherhood. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly,” is a steady promise from Christ found in John 10:10 to grab ahold of and proclaim over our weekly schedules. 

• Meal planning can help not only your family’s grocery budget, but can allow for simpler meals to be made on busier days, with helping hands. 
• School projects and deadlines can be planned for school-aged children.  
• Making a simple cleaning/chore chart can ease the pressure to keep everything tidy and involve kids in maintaining a peaceful and clean home. 
• Keep calendars updated—both paper and electronic.  

2. Make space for quiet morning time before your family wakes for the day. 
   
   Ask God to prepare your heart and mind and give you everything you will need for the day.  

• Set an alarm, wake up gently, and start each day by yourself with a clear mind. 
• Engage in the fruitful discipline of spending time in the Word and prayer (Josh. 1:8; Col. 3:16; Phil. 4:6–7). 
• Have a sleep schedule for kids to make your day’s rhythm more predictable. 

3. Set a predictable daily rhythm. 
   
   Not every day will go as planned, but establishing predictable patterns can help things run more peacefully overall. 

• Set an alarm, wake up gently, and start each day by yourself with a clear mind. 

• In the morning, give kids age-appropriate morning tasks, keep the rushing and striving to a minimum, and try including kids in family morning devotions and Bible memory verse review. 

• Maintain a consistent afternoon quiet time, allowing a break for everyone to breathe. Smaller kids can nap, and bigger kids can read. 

• Protect the family dinnertime routine. Engage the kids’ help with preparation and cleanup, and use the time gathered around the table to connect, share stories from the day, or communicate prayer needs. 

• Keep evenings as media-free as possible. Focus on reading or puzzles, and save movies and other screen time for the weekends of special occasions. 

• Establish and keep a bedtime routine. Kids thrive on schedules, and if bedtime comes at the same time daily, kids expect that and push back less. In our house bedtime is 7:30, but depending on your family needs or schedules, your bedtime could be 10! 

• Adult time. (My favorite time of the day!)  Enjoy a quiet house, good conversation, and giving your husband the best of you, not the exhausted leftovers. Enjoy a date night in, or a movie night. A special dessert just for the two of you is a huge bonus, or even a sweet-smelling candle can make the home a restful retreat after a long day. 

Sometimes our days go by smoothly with overflowing joy. Some days drag on with frustrations around every corner. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are encouraged to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Our worst days are not a declaration of who we are as mothers, but this encouragement found in 1 Thessalonians and throughout Scripture is certainly a reminder to choose joy—no matter how many spilled cups of milk hit our freshly mopped floor.  

Dedicating each day back to the Lord can set your mind for the day. There’s always time to hit that reset button—over and over again, if needed. We recognize and depend on all good things to come right from the Father, and having that mindset can eliminate the striving in our daily lives as mothers and bear fruitful lives that are indeed thriving.