Today I am delighted to introduce you to guest, Carey Bailey! Here is a little bit about Carey: Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama, and the Family Life Director for her church in Arizona. She hosts an online community for moms called Cravings: desiring God in the midst of motherhood where she strives to make God time easier. Not less meaningful, just easier. She is the author of Cravings {The Devotional} which is a set of forty devotional flashcards for the mama on the go. You can find her at her blog called Cravings.

Carey Writes:

“By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.” Genesis 2:3-4 (MSG)

Will you play a little game with me? I say a word and you tell me the first thing that comes to your mind.

TIRED …

REST …

SABBATH …

What were your words? Mine were: TIRED: YES! REST: Sounds nice. SABBATH: I wish.

For years now I have used the rational that, because I have kids, I can no longer experience Sabbath. But over the last several weeks my eyes have been opened and my heart has been reminded of the importance of Sabbath. Therefore, I have been on a quest to figure out how to REALISTICALLY apply it to my current life.

The original word for Sabbath is Shabbat. For the Jewish people, Shabbat is considered a celebration day. On that day, the Jewish people are FREE of regular everyday duties! This day can be spent in prayer, worship, time with family, enjoying nature, and more. The point is to break free of things that keep you from time with the Creator.

Wow! I don’t know about you but even the idea of being free of regular everyday duties once a week is exhilarating! But alas, it is not realistic. I can’t look at my child and say “Change your own diaper; it is my Sabbath.” The question I have been asking myself lately is What can I do in my week to disconnect from things that keep me from God? Here are my new 1, 2, and 3’s to having a Sabbath.

1. Get on a Schedule. My kids function best on a schedule so why would I think it is any different for me? For the Jewish people, Sabbath was on a time table. Sundown on Friday night started the clock ticking for them. I have decided that my clock starts at 11:45 p.m. on Sunday night. At that time, I log out of all email accounts, log out of facebook and twitter, and shut down all computers in the house. Because of my work schedule, I have deemed Monday as my Sabbath and I have defined it as a rest from technology. No checking blogs, posting on facebook, or looking at sales on Zulily. Emails can wait and the cyberworld goes on without me for a full 24 hours. What I gain is quality and quantity time with my kids. They aren’t fighting for my attention. I gain tuning pages in books, writing with a pen and paper in my hands, and on some weeks, I simply nap.

2. Let Go of the List. If I want my Sabbath day to be good and to be a TRUE break from regular activities, then I have to prep for it. Groceries need to be bought, dishes out of the sink, laundry put away, toys fairly picked up, and there needs to be a plan for meals. It takes some work but doing that prep is the only thing that allows me freedom from that to-do list that never ends. On top of planning ahead, I must make a choice to LET GO!!! Typically I use nap time for my kids to hit “the list”. It is a mad rush to see how much I can crunch into those precious hours. However on my Sabbath I use that time to see how free of the regular things I can be. It is fun! Some weeks I have been sinking into my comfy chair with a book, some weeks I hit my journal, but so far the winner has been taking my very own nap. What a concept!!! It would not happen if I wasn’t willing to let go and know that the list can wait.

3. Be on the Lookout. I have always believed that God is in everything from washing dishes to the most incredible sunset. The nice thing about God is that you don’t have to go searching for Him. Our task is simply to recognize that He is present always. He is in the kids’ giggles, He is in the time we sit at the table and color, and He is in the trip to the park that results in us running home because my four year is screaming that he has to poop. He is everywhere. I simply need to remember He is with us in the moments of silence and the times of play. It is easy? NOPE! It takes practice. Practice makes perfect, right? I find it best said in God Is Here by Steve Case. “God is so far beyond our understanding that we can’t put into words what He is. If we want to connect with that…if we want to have a “union of the soul” with our Creator, then it’s going to happen when we put away the things that keep us down and simply open ourselves to the presence.”

As a busy mom, taking time for a Sabbath may seem like something that is completely impossible. But as a fellow mom who desires God in the midst of motherhood, I can promise you that making room for Sabbath not only deepens your relationship with God, it also refreshes, restores, and renews you which allows you to be a better mom for your children.

I would love to hear from you in the comments. "How do you create room for Sabbath in your own life?"

Blessings, Carey

Now I get to tell you about Carey's devotional that I had the privilege of receiving in the mail!! It is lovely and I know that moms will love it!

Cravings is a collection of card-size devotionals based on the Psalms. They are written to help mothers develop their relationship with God in the midst of motherhood.

Each card contains a scripture for the day, a “thoughtlet,” and an action idea. As moms crave the sweet morsels from God’s Word, they can draw a card from a delectable Cravings holder—a pink cupcake!—that also displays the daily card for hands-free viewing. Versatile enough to fit with any feminine décor in a dining nook, a prayer closet, a kitchen--wherever you‘d want Scripture at your fingertips. If you find you need Cravings around the home, just one may not be enough!

Cravings can be a mom’s daily devotional, a supplement to her regular quiet time, or even doubled up during the day. The set of 40 cards offers over a month’s worth of Cravings in whatever way serves the spiritual needs of individual moms.If you would like to order Cravings click to order from Dicksons Gifts.

**************************************************************************************

So now it is time to LINK-UP and join the party!!!!

*****We pin our favorite link-ups on The Better Mom's Pinterest Board!!*****

Better Mom Mondays Link-up is every Monday!!! Join the fun by adding your blog, and by checking out all of the others listed!! Don't forget if you join below -please add the Better Mom Mondays Link Up button to your post so your readers can find us here! (Posts can include the topics of mothering, marriage, homemaking, discipleship, recipes, organization and more!) You can find the html code in the sidebar, or "save as" copy, and paste the button below.