Becoming: Rebuilding a Soft Life After Mom Burnout Part 3
A deeper look into the first of the Soft 7 Rhythms for an Intentional Life: Scripture
I grew up in church but I didn’t start actively following Jesus until around 2016. Growing in my faith then already felt like how I imagined a baby feels learning how to walk. But throw in becoming a new mom in the pandemic while also in a 5 year burnout stint and I felt like someone took the training wheels off my bike mid-lesson and pushed me into the middle of the Tour de France.
Long story short, I was a bit wobbly.
During this time, I was getting involved in community, learning to serve in church, and taking a 9 month, seminary -level discipleship class that lead me deeper into theology.
In my daily life, though, I was flailing when it came to a consistent quiet time with God and figuring out how I could possibly read and meditate on the Bible when I couldn’t even remember if I showered or ate that day.
I was getting so bogged down by everything I thought my quiet time SHOULD look like in terms of time and content and structure that I missed God’s invitation for how it was DESIGNED to be: a messy meeting between a loving, pursuing, relational God and a broken, burnt out new mother in desolate need of her Father.
Sometimes, it’s less about doing more and more about inviting God into what already is.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
When I hit my lowest point of burnout, Scripture was one of the first rhythms I lost and one of the last I learned to hold again.
It wasn’t that I didn’t love God. I just felt numb. Overwhelmed. Like even opening my Bible took energy I didn’t have.
But little by little, I started finding small ways to reconnect:
🌿 A single verse on the fridge
🌿 Worship music during nap time
🌿 Bible memory songs on the drive to preschool
🌿 Family Bible reading at bedtime
And slowly, those small moments began to rebuild something sacred.
When you’re a mom in burnout, Scripture doesn’t need to look perfect.
It just needs to be present.
Soft Faith Practice: Doing What You Can, When You Can
If you’re in a similar season, try starting with this rhythm:
Simplify: Choose one short passage or verse for the week.
Repeat: Let it weave through your days — read it in the morning, write it on a sticky note, pray it before bed.
Reflect: Ask, “What might God be teaching me here, right now?”
Faith With Our Children
As my own faith grew, I noticed how naturally it began to spill into my girls’ lives.
We started small: reading a verse at breakfast, listening to Bible songs in the car, or thanking God for simple things before bed.
Faith doesn’t always have to be taught through a formal plan. It’s often caught through the rhythms of our daily lives.
I have been often surprised and humbled by how my now five-year-old manages her emotions and works through hard things because of how she has seen me visibly and audibly breakdown and bring my heart and pain to God. Faith is best lived out loud.
When our kids see us turning to God in ordinary moments, they learn that faith isn’t a Sunday-only ritual. It’s an everyday relationship.
Sometimes the holiest moments happen around the breakfast table, not the altar.
So if you are in the middle of burnout or just went through a big change, if your Bible feels heavy right now and your prayers feel scattered, you’re not alone.
This rhythm isn’t about getting it right but about gently returning to what’s always been true: that God meets you right where you are.
If you’ve been encouraged by this post and want to support my writing, you can “buy me a coffee” to help me keep creating gentle, faith-filled content: buymeacoffee.com/bysarahsmith