Don’t Make Me Come Up There! {Or Down There, Or In There…}

 

C’mon, we’ve all said it-or some version of it-at one time or another. Mine is usually some kind of “straighten up and fly right or ELSE.” Mama-ing can feel overwhelming and underwhelming, very natural and very foreign. One minute I feel equipped and the next I wonder, “What in the Sam Hill am I doing?” There’s the good moments when my family looks {sorta, kinda} like a Norman Rockwell painting, and then there’s the moments we start World War III. And of course, there’s the country-mile in between.

I know my family isn’t alone here.

It’s been a long time since I’ve found a devotional for Moms that touches on all the good, bad and crazy this job brings. But I’ve found it in Kristen Welch’s Don’t Make Me Come Up There! Quiet Moments for Busy Moms.

Kristen writes regularly at We are THAT Family and is a contributor for (In)Courage. After traveling to Africa last year with Compassion International, she was led to start an organization called Mercy House Kenya. Mercy House exists to provide support and resources for pregnant girls living on the streets of Kenya. Also? All royalties from every book sold go to Mercy House. Kristen is a mover and a shaker whose heart is as big as her home state of Texas.

{And to top it off, she spells her name the right way. KrisTEN. Cuz she’s a ten. Like me. Heh!}

In humorous, light hearted, poignant and relevant words, Kristen writes about all kinds of parenting moments, many of which I read and shook my head saying, “Uh huh, been there before!” There are the humbling times, like when her daughter’s dental hygienist informed her that her daughter had no cavities but a head full of lice. There are the scary times, like when her daughter ate Super Glue. There are the humorous times, like what happens when she hides in the garage in an attempt to have a quiet phone conversation. Through all the highs and lows, Kristen details in a natural and fresh way how God is teaching her more about Him and His love. After a particularly difficult day when she felt all her failures and shortcomings breathing down her neck, Kristen writes:

“We live in a world that doesn’t like failure. It’s ugly and messy. Our world wants perfection, perfectly manicured poeple who never mess up…But we were created to fail. We were born imperfect and into sin. Through failure, I am drawn to the One who runs to me. He does not turn away from my shortcomings. He is not afraid of my humanity.” p. 33-34

Total fresh-air encouragement. Reading her words makes me a better Mama and a closer daughter to Him.

Some good news: I am giving away one copy of this fantabulous book! If you would like to throw your hat in the ring for it, just leave a comment below. Also, you may earn an additional chance to win if you “like” my brand spankin’ new facebook page. Just leave me a comment below saying you did so. I’ll announce the winner on Monday.

If you would like to purchase this book, click here or here.

{Also, I am not being compensated in any way for this review. Kristen didn’t ask me to write this, I’m just doing it cuz I think her book is da bomb. Amen.}