This week we are doing book reviews on books we have enjoyed reading. I am currently reading A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming and I LOVE it. I got this recommendation when we did parenting book reviews on POH. Looking from a biblical perspective, it's a call to mothers to challenge, build, and refine us in this most important task - of rasing our children to glorify the Lord in all things.
Rather than giving a brief overview, though, I want to share a couple passages from the book that have particularly spoken to me. In her chapter on What Values are Really Important? Fleming discusses the lie of instant satisfaction:
"The spoiler called 'instant satisfaction' surfaced clearly one day when I stopped to evaluate why some days ended in satisfaction while others ended with a vague sense of dissipation and discouragement. Finally, it dawned on me that 'good' days were those days when I scratched lots off my 'do list.' 'Bad' days were those days when I could show few tangible results for my day's efforts. . . . As I reflected on my 'good-days, bad-days syndrome' a startling revolution surfaced: I realized that if I lived my life for what made me feel good at the end of each day I would give my life to things of secondary importance (her emphasis). . . . I must choose to do those things that will give satisfaction as I view my life as a whole, rather than measure satisfaction at the end of each day" (pp. 50-51).
Later Fleming was talking about how we show love to our children. She said, "Perhaps the ability to truly enjoy one another comes in proportion to the unselfishness of our love" (p. 121). This hit me like a ton of bricks! I realized I have no problem loving Lydia unconditionally, but I don't always show this same love to my husband. When Lydia needs me, I immediately drop whatever I'm doing to tend to her. Yet, I don't show this same unconditional love to Josh. Instead, he may want to spend time with me and I'm exhausted from the day and just want to blog or read - thinking first about what I want to do, rather than putting him first.
These are just a couple tidbits, the book itself is much more comprehensive than this but it's an easy-read and written by a godly woman with great mothering wisdom. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have.
3 comments:
I love you site and subscribe to the feed in my google reader =). I have a great book to share. The Mentoring Mom by Jackie Kendall
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=690054&event=1033SBF%7C31740%7C1033
It is very inspiring and motivating - written with openness by a very godly woman.
This is off of the subject, but has anyone had a problem with your child not liking fruit? My friend is looking for help in that area. More details are on her blog:
http://luke2-14.blogspot.com/ under "Discerning Palate" in the
"Artwork" post from Thursday, 6/12.
Thanks!
Mariah
www.cmbadura.blogspot.com
swan5475@hotmail.com
Oh, how I love eavesblogging! A friend of a friend of my mother-in-law mentioned your site on her blog and after only a few moments I had bookmarked it. What a joy to find like-minded moms, even in cyberspace. I absolutely adore "A Mother's Heart" and I'm so thankful that a friend shared it with me when my firstborn was still young - under a year old. Something I try to do on a regular basis is the 1 Cor 13 exercise, where you "rewrite" it to fit your circumstances and struggles as a mother in the stage you find yourself at that time.
I am currently reading "Created to be his Help Meet" by Debi Pearl, which I know is not directly related to mothering, but I feel like one of the best gifts I can give my children (more to come, God willing) is to have a happy and healthy relationship with their father, my husband. It has already enriched my marriage and my contentment in the home and I'm only on chapter 6! I know without a doubt that my son and daughter feel the difference when I am truly joyful.
I look forward to catching up on past postings here. Blessings ~ lauren
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