Babies don’t come with an instruction manual. But with all the how-to books and unsolicited advice directed at us as mothers, it’s easy to feel like we can’t measure up. When we’re up all night and surrounded by laundry all day, it’s easy to forget why we’re doing what we’re doing.
Sometimes we just need to pause and remember that children are a blessing from the Lord. And that He gives us grace for each moment, strength for every day.
Callie Mitchell 6 Minute Read I first started praying for my son Aviel (and any brothers or sisters yet to come) when I was twenty, seven full years before he was born. (Aviel, pronounced ah-vee-EL, is a Hebrew name meaning “My father is God.”) Honestly, I wish I had started sooner! In my early single days, it simply never occurred to…
Jeannie Pederson 3 Minute Read Forget meditating (I can’t remember what I’m looking for in the fridge, much less what I read three days ago), fasting (I’ve been pregnant or nursing or both for the past six years), or silence (does that even exist anymore? I’ve forgotten). As much as I miss spiritual disciplines, I just . . . can’t. Not…
Callie Mitchell 8 Minute Read “I just need some help.” This wasn’t the first time total and utter exhaustion had settled in. Being pregnant with number three made for many challenges while chasing a toddler and spending countless hours on the city bus getting my bigger one to school. “Can you call someone to come over?” my husband asked. My…
Chantel 8 Minute Read I gave up on parenting books years before I became a mother. While many of my friends were devouring them in stacks, I found myself wandering a maze of conflicting opinions and parenting style wars that ranged from mild eye-rolling to outright heated controversy between people in my circles. And the older I got, the…
Gretchen Louise 8 Minute Read Now I know why my mom never really finished books when we were growing up. Because now I have those same stacks of half-finished books everywhere — by the bed, near the couch, on my desk beneath my Bible. Each one is supposed to inspire me just by sitting there, right? Can I absorb traits of…
Trina Holden 4 Minute Read Now I desire to encourage other young moms and moms-to-be to make the time to read certain titles before the squalls of full-time motherhood arrive. Get direction now, so that when the winds hit, you’re not scrambling through the rigging trying to figure out which rope to tighten…
Mandy J. Hoffman 8 Minute Read As a young mom, I would browse the parenting section of our local Christian bookstore only to become overwhelmed by all the choices. Brightly colored covers offered a new kid by the end of the week and tips on how to parent without going crazy. Other titles offered comfort with their claims to teach me…
Jeannie Pederson 7 Minute Read I have long wanted to be the parent who doesn’t just dole out punishments when my children disobey. My goal isn’t to produce a little army of “yes men” who blindly obey anyone in authority. I want to raise confident, competent adults who have the inner strength to honor God regardless of what the rest…
Natasha Metzler 5 Minute Read I used to devour books by the dozens. I’d read theology, fiction, memoirs—whatever I could get my hands on. Except one thing. I didn’t ever read devotionals. (Well, except that one time I picked up a Guideposts and read the whole years’ worth in one sitting.) The problem was they only took like 2.3 seconds to read…
Hayley Novak 8 Minute Read Last week, tilted back in the dentist’s chair, unable to speak, I listened to the technician praise my kids. “They are amazing. I wish every kid was like your kids. They’re so good.” I couldn’t argue with her or let her know the true reality since I couldn’t talk, so I decided to just bask…
Caroline Rose Sanders 10 Minute Read Dear Adoptive Families, You may be wondering why I’ve called you all here today. You are probably already on the defense, expecting me to ask you all sorts of inappropriate questions. You have little laminated notecards in your purse with “auto-responders” for queries such as, “How much did your kids cost?” and “Are they real…
Natasha Metzler 8 Minute Read I did not think of myself as someone who had it all together, but I suppose I came off as one who did. So many children had passed through my care that dozens of moms asked for input on parenting, never mind that I was a single, childless woman. After I married and infertility became…
The End.
The End.