Oh Jennie, such a good post, and exactly what I needed to read at the moment! It’s been six days since I gave birth and, of course, prayer has been as intermittent as my sleep. Fortunately before birth, I was using this system with six index cards (six cards because seven felt like I had to get through one card a day, seven days a week), and the system seems to have translated okay to life with baby. Each card lists a bunch of people/organisations to pray for, and they go something like this:

1. Family, and friends from high school
2. Blogroll friends and (*a bit embarrassed*) the comics industry
3. Church
4. University ministries—specifically at the University of Wollongong and the University of New South Wales (and people I know through them)
5. Moore College and Matthias Media (and people I know through them)
6. Missionaries and mission organisations

I find the cards help me focus, so if I completely lose my train of thought, I know where I’m up to and can pick it up again fairly easily. Sometimes I don’t get through the card in one day, but I don’t worry too much if I don’t; I just pick it up again later.

I’ve been trying to get through one card per day during feeds. It’s sort of working, even if I fall asleep in the middle of praying!

Bible reading isn’t going so well, but I’m hoping to fix that—once again, during feeds when I need something to read (I often do feeds in front of the computer). It doesn’t really help that I was in the middle of Isaiah just before birth ;P

Dear Karen,
Thanks for such a great contribution! I love your system, and am impressed that you still pray for high school friends; so faithful.

Your comment about Bible reading reminded me that I would often listen to the Bible rather than read it in JD’s first year.

...And Daniel and Revelation go even better with sleep deprivation than Isaiah. Lots of bizarre images to make you wonder whether you’re awake or asleep…

Dear Lee,

Yes, and welcome. If you think this would be useful for people, by all means please use it.  And if the women in your group have other ideas to add to this list, we’d love to hear them.

It might be useful for the struggling ones to know that the imperatives that clutter my little list were meant to motivate me rather than condemn others. 

It was part of trying to train my thinking into seeing even loss of sleep as something planned by God as the current context for his transformation of me by his Spirit through his Word. So, rather than feel defeated I should work out how to best co-operate with his Spirit! 

Thanks for your encouragement,
Jennie

Hi Jennie!

Just passing on a comment from someone on my blog who saw a link to your wonderful post:

“As a shift-working newlywed who is still adjusting to sleeping next to an asthmatic husband, I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to come across these posts giving a Christian perspective on the sometimes all-encompassing state of sleep deprivation. So I’m not the only one battling to hold my tongue and wondering where my supplies of Christian charity and patience have flown to on 3 hour’s sleep! Thank you for your honesty, and the practical tips on re-establishing prayer life. Such a timely blessing indeed.”

Thanks so much for your reflections, on behalf of everyone who’s struggled with sleep deprivation, mums and others.

Love Jean.