How to Stay Connected to God When Life Is Full
The house quiets as the school bus rolls away, and I take a moment to pause and review the past few months. I try to do this a few times each year as a way of assessing my rhythms. It’s my way of stepping back to consider how to stay connected to God when life is full.
Golden beams of sunlight pierce the windowpane, and I consider the ways God has been moving in my life.
I see the calling to be more disciplined in my thought life.
I’ve been learning to see what’s right and stop focusing on what’s wrong in my days.
I’ve been learning to be more intentional in my relationships and more strategic in my prayers.
How to Stay Connected to God
As I reflect, a word forms in my mind.
The word is deliberate.
I glean the deeper meaning immediately.
God is calling me to a more deliberate life.
I pull out my journal and begin listing the practical applications that go with living a deliberate life, a fulfilled life. These ways of living not only lead to fulfillment, but they also help me stay connected to God throughout my days.
Perhaps you need these reminders today, too.
Let’s talk about how to stay connected to God when our lives are full. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free eBook to help you experience God’s presence.
How to Stay Connected to God: 6 Ways
1. Slow your pace.
I spend far too much of my life hurrying.
The struggle with hurrying was amplified nine years ago when I became a mother and needed to plan my schedule around the all-encompassing job of feeding my little one.
I hurried as quickly as possible to complete as many tasks as possible between the frequent feedings that made up most of my waking moments.
The struggle continues now as I aim to squeeze as much as possible into my days and completely forget about slowing down to enjoy the quiet moments.
Unfortunately, a hurried life is not a deliberately lived life. A hurried life feels productive, but in our hurry, we often forfeit the moments that matter most as we rush through them with undivided focus on getting to whatever is next.
If you want to learn how to stay connected to God, begin by slowing your pace. Rushing will always pull you out of the awareness of his presence.
2. Put presence over production.
I tend to hurry through the quiet moments of my days as well. I hurry through tender moments with God because I’m eager to dive into the measurable tasks of my days.
Throughout the past year, I’ve learned God wants me to meet with him in ways that fill me with life. This can’t happen when I’m in a hurry. It doesn’t happen when I’m focused on what I’m going to do next.
I find that when I aim to be present to the people and tasks in front of me, I am also more aware of God’s presence, more connected to him.
A fulfilled life puts presence over production. #presentliving #slowingdown #hurry Share on X
3. Offer the gift of a safe space.
For over a year, I’ve been writing about hospitality.
Hospitality is the art of creating spaces where others know they belong.
We can be hospitable no matter where we happen to be. I offer hospitality every time I speak a kind word to the waitress. I offer it when I pause in the parking lot to help the elderly woman with her groceries.
Go into the world and look for the needs around you, and you will step into a life of greater fulfillment. You will also encounter the Living God as you aim to share his love with others.
These first three insights can help us learn how to stay connected to God amid our busy days. Let’s also look at several ways to pursue him in our quiet moments.
How Stay Connected to God Through Spiritual Disciplines
4. Begin each day by immediately looking toward God.
Looking toward God before climbing from bed every morning helps me stay connected with him throughout the day. For several years, I repeated Psalm 118:24 every morning immediately after waking up: “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
I don’t always repeat this verse, but I try to begin my days by greeting God, thanking him for his goodness, or taking a moment to surrender the upcoming day to him.
(Read here for more thoughts on speaking God’s Word first thing every morning.)
5. Spend time in God’s Word.
Reading the Bible helps us stay connected to God because his Word is living and active. I’ve learned to read slowly and create space to enter into God’s Word almost every morning. This practice helps me stay connected to God throughout the day.
I often imagine myself immersed in the scenes described in the Bible. Imagining I’m the blind beggar along the road, an onlooker watching Jesus perform a miracle, or a disciple watching Jesus teach helps me to connect with Jesus in a fresh way every time I read in this way.
6. Listen to worship music throughout the day.
God has used worship to heal me, uphold me, and keep my eyes on him in challenging moments. I’ve been reminded that entering into his presence through worship can change the trajectory of an entire day.
Worship lifts our eyes off of our temporal struggles and helps us focus on God’s power, goodness, faithfulness, and provision. Most of us know how it feels to be “stuck inside our heads,” ruminating over concerns, or letting feelings of defeat debilitate us.
At times, breaking free from these mental blocks feels impossible. When this happens, we desperately need to connect with God by fighting the battle in the spiritual realm—above human reasoning.
Worship is warfare. It pulls us above worldly concerns and fixes our eyes on the greatness of our God. This is where breakthrough happens.
If this resonates with you today, here’s a playlist to get you started. 
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
A Devotional for Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. 
