The Best Thing we can do for our Families

We moms are pretty good at laying down our lives for our families. We learn early. While anticipating a child (through the pains of pregnancy or the adoption process), we discover how to put another before ourselves.

Self-Sacrifice vs. Neglecting our needs

This capacity for self-sacrifice is stretched through the ever-changing phases of motherhood.

If we let Him, the Lord will use our role to make us truly holy.

But sometimes, we take on a martyrdom that isn't ours to bear.

We can busy ourselves with meeting everyone else's needs, expectations, and desires that we forget to tend to our own wellbeing and development.

This kind of unrelenting disregard for ourselves is not a holy pursuit but one that often leads to...

• burnout
• bitterness
• exhaustion
• and just plain giving up.

Are you experiencing one of these right now?

What Catholic Families Need to Thrive

There are many areas of life in which we are prone to neglect ourselves in motherhood, including:

1. our physical health
2. our mental stimulation
3. our leisurely delight
4. our community cultivation
5. our hobby enjoyment
6. our spiritual life

There is much that can be said about each of these, but I'd like to focus on the last one: our spiritual lives.

Spiritual starvation can happen in the heart of even the most devout Catholic mothers. It's happened to me!

We can be so focused on

• our children's spiritual formation and catechesis,
• or bettering the ministerial offerings at our parish,
• or talking with our friends about ways the Church can do better,

that we actually wind up not praying much. Or at all.

All these things are good and worthy pursuits, but they must be an overflow that comes from our personal union with Jesus Christ.

Our Prayer Life Matters

We are great at buying Catholic stuff for our kids, carving out time for family prayer, and footing the bill for Catholic school or camps.

However, when it comes to investing in our personal prayer... it's often the first thing to fall off our to-do list.

Especially when things are busy. But things are always busy...

Eventually, we have to realize that investing in our own, regular, personal prayer time will lead to a deeper relationship with the Trinity.

This relationship will give us true peace, clear direction, and firm hope. It will make us better wives and mothers.

Our families don't need us to die a thousand unnecessary deaths each day. They need us to be filled with Living Water that does not run dry.

They need us to pray.

What might happen in your life if you dedicate just 10 minutes of focused time to the Lord each day?

Try it. Make it an experiment. See if you (or your family) notice a change.

Imagine a world in which Catholic mothers prayed deeply each day! Perhaps this is how disciples are made.

If you want a place to begin this 10 minutes of prayer time, can I recommend my favorite prayer journal? Its foundation is Sacred Scripture, so it's His Word you'll be hearing and no one else's.

It can help you receive more of His love, allow you space to love Him in return, and a provide a place to pour out your heart to the One Who laid down His life for you.

How could you set time apart for the Lord this week? Think of a moment of the day where you could make a pause for 10 minutes to be in the presence of our Good Shepherd. His loving heart is always waiting for you.

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Ready to dive deeper? 

Here are 4 ways to fill your nets... 

 1. Memorize Bible verses with your children easily with our FREE guide: Stocking the Storehouses

 2. Make your dreams of family prayer a reality with The Daily Feast framework, making it possible in just a few minutes a day. This free guide shows you how.

 3. Want to steward your own prayer life? Check out this Scripture prayer journal we made just for you.

 4. Looking to level-up in your family faith formation? Join over 10,000 families that use our resources. We make open-and-go, family-style resources to make your role as primary catechist easy AND delightful. Click here to browse!