J1ST 027: On Rethinking Prayer

I suspect that it is a nearly UNIVERSAL problem faced by new mothers: when do I find time to pray? Many of us had pretty good prayer lives before that first baby arrived. We had a routine and a set time that we prayed. Perhaps we had adoration hours or a nightly routine that involved prayer. And, if you are like me, you had no idea that having a baby would change everything, including prayer. But then the baby arrived and somewhere amid learning to breastfeed and sleep loss and becoming a mother our prayer life died. This is pretty much exactly what happened to me. In fact, it has taken me YEARS to figure out that as a mother prayer will just be different. Sure, I would love to enjoy hours of quiet, solitary prayer, but that just isn't going to happen now. Maybe at some point in the future, maybe from time to time, but not reliably now. Because of this all I am THRILLED to share the wisdom of Lauren Nelson on the podcast. Lauren is the Momma behind GATHERING MANNA, a new site for Catholic women struggling to pray amid the demands of life and motherhood. And Lauren's answer to this struggle is rather simple. WE NEED TO RETHINK PRAYER. Prayer does not have to be something that fits into a specific pocket of time. Prayer does not have to be an entire rosary or full hour of scriptural meditation. Sure, those things are awesome, but they are not the only way to pray. And, most importantly, prayer will never be something we "master" or something we graduate from. The more we pray the more we will want to pray and the closer we get to God, the more we will want to be with Him and share with Him. Prayer can simply be the rhythm of our lives. And, prayer is, at it's core, little more than a returning to the Lord, a glance, a thought, a look toward heaven. An acknowledgement that He is gazing lovingly at us at all time. So, go listen in. Her wisdom will change with way you think about prayer. And, make sure to connect with Lauren over on her new site, Gathering Manna (launching the end of January). Until then, go join the conversation on her Facebook page. A BIG thanks to Lauren--and thanks to all of you wonderful ladies! Links included in this episode: Gathering Manna: http://www.gatheringmanna.com/ Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence: http://amzn.to/2CvyZN2 (aff) The KEY to having a prayer life as an at-home parent: http://www.dosmallthingswithlove.com/2017/07/key-to-prayer-at-home-parent.html