Pray Every Day: Just Set Your Alarm

Christi Braschler explains how arrow prayers and alarm clocks can help busy moms make time for prayer in their day.

You should pray every day. 

I know, right, it sounds kind of daunting. 

Because there isn’t already enough to do. 

Where do I squeeze in praying? 

I once read that conversing with God counts, but a lot of times I forget to do that, or I feel like my Lord and Savior deserves more than a side-conversation of complaining in between washing pans and trying to wrestle my toddler into bed, stepping on discarded toy parts all along the way —hoping the pain on my arches counts as part of my temporal punishment for past sins. 

Of course, God doesn’t consider it a side-conversation. 

He wants us to talk to Him. 

He wants us to have a relationship, which is why we feel inclined to pray in the first place.

I forget to pray if it’s not on the schedule and when it is on the schedule it gets bumped by something else that comes up: homework, laundry, fighting, someone gets hurt, the phone is ringing, grocery shopping ... you see where I’m going here. 

You have to make time to pray regularly. 

But how do you make time to pray regularly when you don’t feel like there is enough time for anything else? 

I’m not making up excuses: I’ve always been terrible at finding time to pray. But that was because I always thought praying should be a set-aside time with silence and focus. 

And it should be. 

Except when it can’t be. 

When it can’t be, you use arrow prayers. 

They’re short memorized prayers, parts of Scripture, or Psalms. 

Examples: 

• O God, make haste to help me.
• Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.
• Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
• Lord, help me find peace with this situation I’m in.
• Lord, give me patience and a loving mother kind of mojo right now.
• Jesus, I trust in You.
• Lord, help me find my path. 

Anything really, as long as it opens some form of genuine dialogue. 

So, how do you remember to get into the rhythm of doing this? 

An alarm clock. 

I use my watch, because someone left my favorite kitchen timer on the stove and it melted. So, my watch is the only other thing that I can hear throughout the day.

Here’s how I do this: 

In the morning I try to remember to say, “Thank you for the gift of another day; please help me live it well.” 

Before I go to sleep, I have more time for a little formal, focused conversation, examination of conscience, whatever I need that evening. 

As for in between, my alarm is set for the times I feel are best for me: 

9:00 a.m.
Noon
3:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.

When the chime goes off I make a sign of the cross (if my hands aren’t full) and recite the first thing that comes to mind. Sometimes it’s a general prayer. Sometimes a full Hail Mary. Sometimes a cry for help. Sometimes just the name, “Jesus” and an ever-so-brief moment of nothing. 

Click to tweet:
I always thought praying should be a set-aside time with silence and focus. And it should be. Except when it can’t be. #catholicmom

How has this helped me? In a lot of ways, but specifically with my perspective. My alarm has gone off at some of the most frustrating moments of my days or in the middle of some of the most frustrating situations with other people. It’s hard to stay annoyed or angry or upset when you have to break and acknowledge God. You give Him a chance to put in His two cents.

It’s a deep-breath moment.

This has become part of my day. A lifestyle. A game changer. Often, in a house full of people, moms can feel very lonely. I know God is there, but now that I’ve found a way to utilize a channel to loop Him into my day, well, life feels less lonely.

So, yeah, You should pray every day.

It sounds daunting, because there isn’t already enough to do.

But, it could turn out to be a very wonderful thing for your relationship with God. It was for me.

Just set your alarm.

And watch out for those discarded toy parts.

Copyright 2022 Christi Braschler