🧪 Growth Story 9.3: Her Bible Was Open, But So Was the Laundry
Growth Story 9.3: Her Bible Was Open, But So Was the Laundry
Monica wanted to grow closer to God.
She really did.
On Sunday night, after getting her children to bed, she made a plan. She placed her Bible, journal, and pen on the kitchen table. She set her alarm for thirty minutes earlier than usual. She told herself, “This week will be different. I am going to pray every morning before the kids wake up.”
Monday morning came quickly.
The alarm sounded, and Monica reached for her phone. She had been awake twice during the night because her youngest had a cough. Her older child had a school project due, and Monica had forgotten to sign the permission slip. A message from work was already waiting. A text from her child’s father came in with a sharp tone about the weekend schedule.
She looked at the Bible on the kitchen table.
It was open.
But so was the laundry basket.
So was the lunchbox.
So was the school folder.
So was the bill on the counter.
So was her heart, tired and tender before the day even began.
Monica whispered, “Lord, I need You,” but before she could read more than one verse, her youngest called from the bedroom.
“Mommy!”
The morning started moving. Breakfast. Shoes. Hair. A missing backpack. A spilled cup. A child crying because the socks felt wrong. Monica tried to stay calm, but she snapped.
“Just hurry up!”
The room went quiet.
Her child’s face fell.
Monica felt shame rise immediately. “I am a terrible mother,” she thought. “I can’t even do a devotion right. I can’t even speak gently. Maybe God is disappointed in me.”
By the time she dropped the children off, she felt heavy. She had technically opened her Bible, but she did not feel spiritual. She felt rushed, guilty, and behind.
The Pressure Underneath
What Monica felt was not only about time.
It was also about identity.
She feared that being a single mother meant she would always be spiritually behind. She compared herself to women at church who seemed calmer, more organized, and more supported. She imagined that “real Christian mothers” had peaceful mornings, obedient children, warm breakfasts, and long quiet times.
Monica did not have that kind of morning.
She had cereal on the floor, a child with a cough, a tense message from her child’s father, and a heart full of guilt.
She also carried a deeper fear: “Maybe I am not enough for my children spiritually.”
She wanted her children to know Jesus. She wanted her home to be peaceful. She wanted to be patient, prayerful, and strong. But most days, she felt like she was barely keeping up.
An Unhelpful Message
At church, Monica once heard someone say, “If you are too busy for God, you are too busy.”
The sentence may have been meant to encourage spiritual priorities, but Monica heard it as condemnation.
She thought, “I am not choosing busyness. I am working, parenting, cooking, cleaning, helping with homework, answering messages, and trying to keep life together. I don’t know what I am supposed to cut.”
The message left her feeling ashamed rather than invited.
It made spiritual growth sound like one more test she was failing.
So Monica began to avoid talking about her spiritual life. When other women spoke about prayer journals, Bible reading plans, and quiet mornings, she smiled politely and stayed silent.
Inside, she felt embarrassed.
A Wiser Ministry Response
One Wednesday evening, Monica stayed after a small church gathering to talk with a mentor named Denise.
Monica finally said, “I feel like I am failing spiritually. I want to pray and read Scripture, but my mornings fall apart. I open my Bible, and then someone needs me. I get interrupted, and then I feel guilty all day.”
Denise listened without rushing to correct her.
Then she said, “Monica, your desire for God matters. Your tired prayers matter. Your one verse matters. Your children are not interruptions to your discipleship. They are part of the place where Jesus is forming you.”
Monica started to cry.
Denise continued, “Maybe this season does not need a complicated spiritual routine. Maybe this week, you choose one simple way to abide in Christ. One verse. One breath prayer. One worship song in the car. One prayer with your children before school. Small does not mean fake.”
Monica said, “But I keep losing patience.”
Denise answered gently, “Then your spiritual practice may include returning. Apologizing to your child can be discipleship. Praying after a hard moment can be discipleship. Asking for help can be discipleship. God is not asking you to pretend you are not tired.”
That sentence stayed with Monica.
God is not asking me to pretend I am not tired.
A Safety and Support Check
Denise also asked a few careful questions.
“Are you getting any sleep at all?”
“Do you feel safe at home?”
“Are the messages from your child’s father just stressful, or do they ever become threatening?”
“Do you have someone who can help when you are overwhelmed?”
“Have you had any moments where you felt like you might hurt yourself or could not keep going?”
Monica said she was not in danger, but she admitted she was exhausted and isolated.
Denise did not treat exhaustion as a lack of faith. She helped Monica think about support.
Together, they identified one older woman in the church who might help with school pickup once a month, one friend Monica could text for prayer, and one evening when Monica could stop folding laundry early and go to bed.
Denise reminded her, “Prayer is important. Scripture is important. Worship is important. Rest is also part of honoring God with your life.”
A Small Next Step
That week, Monica changed her plan.
Instead of trying to create the perfect morning routine, she chose a seven-day spiritual rhythm.
Her Scripture was John 15:4: “Remain in me, and I in you.”
Her breath prayer was: “Jesus, help me abide.”
Her worship practice was one song in the car after school drop-off.
Her rest practice was going to bed earlier on Tuesday and Thursday, even if the laundry was not finished.
Her parenting practice was simple: when she snapped, she would return, apologize, and pray one sentence with her child.
The next morning was not perfect.
The youngest still coughed. The older child still moved slowly. The laundry was still there.
But Monica paused at the kitchen sink and whispered, “Jesus, help me abide.”
Later, after speaking too sharply, she knelt beside her child and said, “I am sorry I raised my voice. I was frustrated, but I still need to speak with love. Let’s ask Jesus to help us both.”
It was not a dramatic transformation.
But it was real.
Monica began to see that spiritual growth could happen in the margins. Not because her life suddenly became easy, but because Christ was present in the middle of it.
Her Bible was still open.
So was the laundry.
But now Monica was learning that Jesus could meet her there.
Reflection Questions
Where do you relate to Monica’s story?
What makes spiritual growth feel difficult in your current season?
Have you ever treated an interrupted routine as a spiritual failure?
What small practice could help you abide in Christ this week?
How might apologizing, returning, resting, or asking for support become part of your discipleship?
Who could encourage your spiritual growth without shaming you or adding pressure?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, meet me in the real places of my life. Meet me when I am tired, interrupted, behind, and overwhelmed. Teach me to abide in You without pretending. Help me release spiritual perfectionism and receive grace. Show me one small practice that can help me stay connected to You this week. Strengthen me as a mother, as Your beloved daughter, and as a God-designed woman walking with honor, self-respect, and hope. Amen.