My Tips for Reading the Bible as a Busy Mum
Why is Reading the Bible Important?
Reading the Bible is one side of our conversation with God. It’s the primary way God speaks to us. As Christians, we profess to love God, but how can we love Him as he wants us to if we don’t know what He wants?
‘If you love me, you will obey my commands.’ (John 14:15)
I believe Charles Spurgeon once said not every meal will be memorable, but it will keep you fed and alive. The same goes for reading the Bible. Sometimes, you’ll get to something that doesn’t feel particularly relevant. But God included it in His word for a reason. We should be diligent in our reading, seeking to understand it and love Him as we do so.
Why is Reading the Bible Beneficial for Busy Mums?
Reading the Bible regularly not only helps you at the time, but it also develops your spiritual muscles. Opening God’s word and intentionally setting time aside to do so regularly shows commitment, dedication, perseverance and a love for the Lord that are benefits in and of themselves.
When you’re in the thick of early motherhood and everything is chaotic and new, carving out time to read the Bible is something you can control and hold on to in your otherwise unpredictable life.
God made you, and He knows you. He knows what you need even better than you do yourself. I’m not saying every time you pick up the Bible you’ll be presented with the perfect verse for that moment, but building a Bible reading habit and making it a top priority can be an excellent source of support and spiritual nourishment.
‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ (Psalm 46:1)
Personally, a character trait I want to be known for is faithfulness – faithfulness to a habit I know is good for me even when I feel like I don’t have time or can’t see the point of it. Like exercise, you might not see the benefits of reading the Bible day-to-day, but as you spend more time with God, you will change to be more like Him, love what He loves, and act in a way that glorifies Him.
My Personal Journey with this Spiritual Practice
I became a Christian in my teens, and read the Bible often, but it wasn’t until I went to university that this became a daily practice for me. As a young graduate, I decided to challenge myself and read the Bible in a year. To achieve this, I woke up half an hour earlier each morning to spend time reading the Bible and in prayer before going to work. I loved this routine and kept it going until I had my first baby.
If you’re a mum, you’ll know routine goes out the window when you have a newborn and nighttime is disrupted. It’s virtually impossible to plan anything when the baby may or may not sleep, may or may not be content, may or may not be ill…
I’ll be honest, I felt quite lost during this period and completely fell out of the habit of reading my Bible. For weeks, the most I got was the passage the minister read before his sermon on a Sunday (if I wasn’t in the creche with the baby at the time) and a verse we had placed beside the sink that I read as I filled my glass with water. I had no idea how to get back the Bible reading habit I once had.
Embracing a New Chapter
Here's what I learned: there’s no point trying to get back what you had! You have to start fresh. Your entire life has changed, and with it the predictable timelines and routines you were used to. Instead, give yourself grace and patience (as Jesus does) and figure out a new way of reading the Bible.
I think it’s safe to say a consistent yet demanding challenge like reading the Bible in a year won’t work when you have very small children to care for. So, how can you make reading the Bible a regular part of your life in this new chapter?
My Tips for Reading the Bible as a Busy Mum
1. Make a Realistic, Achievable Plan
You can find a Bible reading plan on the YouVersion bible app. If, like me, you prefer reading a physical Bible, you could find a reading plan online and print it off or write it down. Whatever format you choose, creating a realistic, achievable plan will help you stay focused.
As part of the planning process, choose a time that suits you and your family to read by yourself. It could be during nap time or right after a feed when your little one is content but near you. Mornings work well in some seasons of life, but not in others.
If you miss a day, you can catch up the next day or just keep going from where you are. Remember, you’re only behind in your plan. Reading the Bible is never something you are behind on in God’s eyes.
2. Listen to the Bible Being Read to You
If you have a husband or partner who is a Christian, ask them to read you a chapter while you feed the baby. We did this from time to time during the last feed of the day, before we all headed to bed, and it is a fond memory of those early motherhood days.
Another way of listening to the Bible is via audiobooks or podcasts. David Suchet has recorded the Complete NIV Bible and it’s available as an audiobook and on YouTube. His voice is so soothing and ideal for lulling your baby to sleep! In fact, you may want to listen while out walking with the pushchair, so you don’t fall asleep yourself! Although, having words of truth in your own ears as you fall asleep is not a bad thing either!
I love the Chapter a Day Audio Bible read by John Stange. This podcast was really helpful on a recent trip when I didn’t want to carry around my big Bible. Jackie Hill Perry also has a Bible in a Year podcast where she reads from the ESV each day.
3. Keep Your Bible Close
In this season, Bible reading may need to happen in the margins of your life, so anything you can do to make it more accessible will help. I’d encourage you to keep a physical Bible close to the chair or sofa you usually use for feeding. You could also keep one by your bed, too. This will make it easier to reach over and open it whenever you have a moment to yourself.
If you don’t know what to read and are tempted to just open it at random or start from the beginning (again), how about reading the proverb of the day? On the 1st, read Proverbs 1; on the 2nd, Proverbs 2 and so on. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, making it ideal! You could do the same with Psalms or start reading Mark – the gospel with only 16 chapters.
I’d also encourage you to keep plenty of Christian baby and toddler books around. This way, even when you’re not deep in God’s word studying the Bible, you’re still hearing His voice through faithfully written books.
I’d recommend the Catechesis Baby Believer Books, a series of board books which are also primers for other life skills like counting, colours and opposites. As well as Tales That Tell the Truth books, I love The Jesus Storybook Bible and The Biggest Story Bible for slightly older children.
Once we were out of the newborn phase and into the toddler and pre-school years, I loved having ‘Bible Time’ together at the table. The kids would sit with me and read their own ‘Bibles’ – often Christian story books or activity books. It wasn’t quiet, undisturbed or blissful, but I was able to read a few verses and lead by example at the same time, showing my children that reading the Bible is important.
4. Give Yourself Grace
Some days, there is still too much on and the day gets away with you. Give yourself grace. There’s always tomorrow.
Even after taking all these steps, there have still been days, and even weeks, where I’ve gone without sitting down and reading even one verse. Thankfully, I know God won’t disown me for this. It doesn’t mean I’m not a Christian – we are saved by faith, not by works! However, He does want to give us more of himself, and His word is the best way we can receive that.
No Season of Parenting Lasts Forever
The newborn phase is fleeting, and children are toddlers for such a short time. If you’re in a season that makes reading the Bible difficult, please know it won’t last forever. In the meantime, whatever you can manage will be enough.
The good news is, getting back into a daily habit of Bible reading when your children are older will be much easier if you’ve been picking it up as and when you can during this busier season of life. My youngest is 5, and for 2025 I decided it was time to go back to reading the whole Bible in a year. When he was 2, I read a page a day, which worked brilliantly for that season of life, and kept me in the habit of reading each day without it being overwhelming.
Read the Bible in a Year with And Hope Designs
If you’d like to join me in this challenge, I have a printable and a sticker version of a Bible reading log. It features all the books of the Bible ready for you to colour in as you finish reading each one. If you like ticking things off a list or gamifying your life, this could be another great incentive to help you read through your bible, even if it takes 3 years to complete rather than one! It’s not a race.
