Can you spare 15 minutes a day? Can you find or make another 15 minutes in your schedule? Maybe close the Facebook or Instagram apps on your phone for a little while? If so, I believe there are a few habits that you can develop as a busy parent to help you pursue biblical spirituality.

What is “biblical spirituality?” When I think about biblical spirituality, I am not thinking chiefly about what has commonly been called, “spiritual disciplines.” Instead, I am thinking about the way that the apostle Paul prays for his churches that they may be given “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father (Eph. 1:17). As Paul would go on to pray in the next verse that “the eyes of your hearts may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and in his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Eph. 1:18-19). This, of course, is not to pit “biblical spirituality” against ” spiritual disciplines,” but rather to refocus the aim of developing habits or rhythms of spiritual disciplines for the purpose of knowing God Himself. If we are not careful, we can turn spiritual disciplines into the ends in themselves. The goal is to know God in “his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

What, then, are some helpful ways that busy parents can pursue biblical spirituality? Here are three, practical ways to begin this journey:

  1. Humble, Needy, and Brief Prayer – Praying is not easy, especially when your children are asking for cereal, you are sleep-deprived, or you are already running late. In times like this, we have a tendency to idealize long seasons of prayer to the neglect of brief prayer. While it might be great to spend extended times in prayer, do not allow the great to be the enemy of the good. It is good for you to voice brief, needy, and humble prayers to God, asking Him for the power described in Eph. 1:17-19. Do this frequently. Even if it is just 10 seconds at a time. Pray to know God more.
  2. Listening to God’s Word – If you are like me, you need some quiet time to actually engage in reading. I often find it hard to read my Bible at home while my children are awake. And, while you might opt for a good set of noise-canceling headphones to drown out some of the happy chaos, that might not always be an option. So, maybe give listening to God’s Word a try. There are multiple apps available like the Dwell App or the ESV Daily Bible Podcast that will allow you to listen to God’s Word on a regular basis. Will you retain as much as when you sit down and read it yourself? Maybe. Maybe not. But at least you are consuming some of God’s Word throughout the day.
  3. Singing – Finally, even if you are not much of a singer, you still need to be singing. Throughout the history of the church, singing has served as an important way to teach others the Christian faith. This means that you need to be sure that you are singing songs that are doctrinally sound because the lyrics do tend to work themselves into our theological vocabularies. My suggestion would be to build a playlist of worship music like this one here. Listen to it frequently. Watch how fast your children begin to learn these doctrinally rich songs and how often you find yourself encouraged and strengthened by them.

To be sure, these are relatively easy practices to incorporate into your daily rhythms. Some might even call these “atomic habits” which can serve as a foundation for more growth in the future. If you can begin to consistently practice these actions with the aim of knowing God more, then I believe you will be on the path to biblical spirituality as a busy parent.