Finding Solitude as a Mom When It Feels Impossible

I had just sat down on the couch. Finally! The day was over. I popped open my laptop to check a few e-mails and read the news. The kids were in bed. Silence.

And then my alone time was over.

“Mom? Mom? Mom, I’m thirsty!” My youngest daughter’s voice pierced my solitude. My alone time was over before it started!

I’m taking a wild guess here, but my inclination tells me that you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. You maybe even have experienced the same exact scenario.

Motherhood is demanding, isn’t it? Oftentimes our day begins with a little one pulling at us, anxious to wake up and start the day. Even nights aren’t sacred or off limits with kids.

A nightmare startles your son or daughter awake.

The flu hits.

Someone wets the bed.

Friendship troubles keep a child awake.

Motherhood is anything but easy. And it’s far from quiet. All of the demands can be draining. What mom hasn’t wanted to lock herself in the bathroom for a few minutes of peace and quiet?! (NOT that I ever did that. Ahem.)

As moms, we should all take comfort in knowing that even Jesus, God in the flesh, needed solitude. He, too, knew the busyness of a life in demand.

People were always pulling and tugging at Him.

The needs were endless.

And so He routinely withdrew to “lonely places” (Luke 5:16). He got away. Slowed down.

In all of the giving, He got away to be fed by His father.

Jesus knew and practiced the discipline of solitude. Before He started His public ministry, He spent forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Before making important decisions, like choosing twelve disciples, He spent time alone (Luke 6:12; Mark 1:35). After some of His miracles, He found solitude (Matthew 14:23; Luke 5:16). And, of course, just before Jesus would go to the cross for our sins, He spent some time alone with His heavenly Father (Matthew 26:36-46).

So let me assure you. If you are feeling worn, you are not alone. And? There’s no guilt in getting away. Solitude is a gift God gives us so we can recharge and refill. If we don’t spend time away and time alone, the self-neglect can be dangerous. One of the greatest things you can do for your own soul is find solitude. Resist the rush. Halt the hustle. Press pause and find some calm in the chaos.

Let’s pray this together: Father, give me time today to be alone with You. Give me the wisdom to carve out space and time to stop. Help me to push pause and be quiet. Refresh me today. Renew my strength. Pour into me so that I can pour out to my family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Whether you’re juggling a career, kids’ schedules, and church commitments or you’re covered in spit-up and anxious about what the next eighteen years might hold, you can carve out a few quiet moments to rejuvenate your spirit. Pressing Pause has 100 encouraging devotions for you as a mom to help begin each day with scripture, drawing on God’s power, ingesting His Word, and learning practical ways to love and serve more like His son.

And oh my word…this book.. it is BEAUTIFUL. Hardcover. Journaling space after each devotion. Silky little bookmark to keep your place (LOVE it!). Just gorgeous.