8 Ways to Live a Simpler Life as a Christian Mother
Do you wonder how to live a simpler life as a Christian mother? Here’s what I’ve learned!
I love for life to feel simple.
That is where I thrive the best. When life is simple, I have the space to be settled within myself, to experience peace, and to chart an intentional path forward, with eyes ultimately fixed on heaven.
Simple doesn’t mean easy. But it is uncluttered and unhurried.
So this week, I’ve been thinking about what it means to live a simple life, on a practical level. Here are a few things I’ve discovered…
8 Ways to Live a Simpler Life as a Christian Mother
1. Do Less
It is SO easy to get overburdened in life.
As God has added each precious child to our family, my capacity for other activities has decreased significantly. As my life season has changed, I have chosen to make hard decisions to do less, so that I can do a few things well.
For me this has meant fewer nights out with my husband, fewer playdates with friends, and fewer ministry commitments outside my home. This has been a sacrifice in some ways, but it has also added peace and satisfaction (and simplicity) to my life.
It enables me to invest whole-heartedly into the things God is calling me to be mostly about in this season: my three little children, my home, my husband, the ministry of this blog, and a few other key things.
Because I’m not trying to do too much, I am able to thrive in the things I have determined to be my top priorities. I am ultimately relieved that I am not trying to function outside of my current, limited capacity, but rather, have chosen to embrace this season.
2. Have Less
I have written quite a few words on this point over the life of this blog. Having less is a wonderful, powerful way to live a simpler life. In fact, it is nothing short of ground-breaking in this age of excess.
The less we have, the less we must maintain. The less we have, the less mental space our “stuff” requires of us.
- With a mostly clutter- free home, it is easier for us to keep it tidy.
- With a minimalistic wardrobe, it is easier to select clothes each day that look great on us.
- With unstuffed drawers and cabinets, it is easier to see, access and organize what we have.
3. Rest Better
God made our bodies (not to mention our souls) to need rhythm and rest! When I make intentional rest a priority in my life, it brings a deep-seated peace to my bones.
Personally, I do this by setting aside one day of the week as a “Sabbath rest day,” and also by setting boundaries around my working time –plus choosing to go to bed early!
This has produced wonderful fruit in my life! I would love for you to experience the same rest in your own life, so I’ve put together a free Sabbath Planning Guide to help.
4. Work Diligently
Simple living is not idle living. In fact, it is quite the opposite!
Life is simplest when I take on only what I can do well, and then work at it with my whole heart, for God’s glory! (Colossians 3:23) It’s simplest when I ruthlessly eliminate idleness from my life.
For me, this means limiting things like excessive social media surfing or unfruitful tv watching.
It has also meant retraining my habits and mindsets to gain a measure of control over my home for God’s glory. Over the years, I’ve gone from messy and hopeless as a homemaker to competent and feeling successful. I’ve discovered a few simple yet profound disciplines which have made all the difference!
Now I teach other women what I’ve learned in the Help for the Hopeless Homemaker online course.
5. Be Grateful and Choose Contentment
Life is sweet if we choose to let it be!
We don’t need vacations or trendy clothes or a certain home or a perfectly manicured environment to experience the abundant life Christ came to bring us. All we need is Christ Himself; He is our treasure and lasting inheritance! All that other stuff is quite empty an should not consume us.
We must intentionally prune back our sinful, insatiable longing for more, better, newer, …more. When we fight for contentment and CHOOSE gratitude, we have apprehended the true depth and beauty of a simple life.
6. Plan Ahead
When I take 20 minutes each week to plan out a menu before going grocery shopping, my week is unburdened in a big way!
I only need make one trip to the store for the entire week, and I don’t have to fret about which dinner to make each evening. I know exactly when I must start prepping, and I usually have the right meat thawed.
Planning ahead simplifies life profoundly.
7. Center on God every day
For me, simple living has a lot to do with an inner serenity and connection to God.
I’m not perfect at this, but when I remain unhurried and non-anxious in my countenance and soul, it bears good fruit in every other area of my life. When I take time every day to seek God out, read His word, pray, and quietly sit before Him (cup of coffee as my calming companion), I am able to move through my day with greater intentionality and love. It helps me center in on this deeper, simpler way of living.
Want to start the habit of daily time with God? It only takes 21 Days to form a habit! Here’s how to do it and where to start!
8. Determine priorities and set goals
So much of my life is lived scattered and ineffective, simply because I fail to make the effort to determine my priorities and chart out my time accordingly.
I get in a cycle that goes like this: I am so overwhelmed by life, I can’t seem muster the time and energy to hash out priorities, create goals, eliminate excess, make a plan, and set boundaries around it. Then, because of my lack of a plan, life continues to be overwhelming.
It feels like a downward spiral, and leaves me in “survival mode” when I don’t have to be!
When I take the time to re-evaluate and set goals and priorities (which I have recently done), it makes life much simpler and more effective!
What would you add to this list?
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Love that idea God bless you
Thank you for such an encouraging article! God has been working on me to slow down and embrace a simpler life and I’ve found that just by making a few small changes here and there, it’s made a world of difference. The funny thing is that once I started getting rid of all that clutter (both physical and mental) my life took on a whole new richness then it had before!
Great tips and reminders you wrote you about. Its so true about having less and about being content. God desires us to be content just as Paul wrote about in Romans. Blessings to you!
Yes! I agree! Contentment has become one of my passions, as I’ve seen it’s value in my own life. Thanks for stopping by!
I love this..we seem to be all just zipping around and not enjoying what we really care about. Your helpful tips are right on. I set goals -sometimes though they can be a burden so I have to watch that also. Have a blessed day.
Thank you so much Vickie!
I am thankful for you Katie and for the encouragement and wisdom you share here! So much of this rings true for me. Doing less is a must for me right now, as are resting and choosing contentment. I have been itching to purge and put away more things recently, too, but I simply can’t get it done while taking care of my newborn and everything else. Just when you think you have things organized and reduced, you go through a season where daily routines are interrupted and clutter spreads across the floor and every surface. You realize how much you really have then! It’s driving me bonkers, but it will have to wait a little longer. For now my priority is enjoying my last season with a newborn, finding moments to share with my older children, and taking care of the house enough that everyone has clean dishes and clothes (even if they have to pull them from laundry baskets!).
Lisa, those are such great goals! I’m happy and relieved to hear you are able to give yourself grace in this season! Life with a baby is just harder, for so many reasons, and extremely taxing on the overall “capacity.” But they’re so precious and sweet too, it’s all worth it. Bless you friend.