Have you ever noticed that the greatest spiritual leaders of all time were single? It's probably not a coincidence. Jesus, Buddha, Mother Teresa - they weren't changing diapers or nursing a baby at two in the morning. They didn't have to figure out how to get three kids to three different schools and 27 extra-curricular activities on time. And when they had a moment to spare I bet they never thought (like I do), "great, time to fold some laundry!" No, it's probably not a coincidence that single people like Jesus soar to such amazing spiritual heights, and that's because single people have the one thing we need in order to grow closer to the Divine. And what, you might ask, is that one elusive thing we need for such spiritual growth? It is, quite simply, unhurried time.
The spiritual practices of any religion are those things we do to open ourselves up to God. Traditional Christian spiritual practice includes things like reading scripture, praying, meditating - practices that require one not to be interrupted.
For those of us with young families finding unhurried, uninterrupted time for spiritual practice is like winning the lottery. I don't know about you, but some days my only uninterrupted time is the time I get to go to the bathroom. And there are some days when I don't even get that.
Is it possible to soar to the same spiritual heights as Jesus when you've got a family that takes up most of your time? I actually have no idea. I do, however, think spiritual growth is possible - even without daily scripture, prayer, and meditation. Maybe we just need to think of parenting as a spiritual practice in and of itself.
