Ya'll momma's out there!! Have I got the book for you! I have always said "Can someone write a book and like 'keep it real'?? Ya know, tell it like it is. And then give encouragement to back it up. Well good golly ya'll, she did it!
Jen Hatmaker has written "Out of the Spin Cycle" Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load.
The title alone hits the nail on the head! I have a serious Mother Load that I would like lightened every once in a while :)
Jen is the wife of Brandon Hatmaker, who was youth pastor at the church we were involved with. Unfortunately I didn't get to know her that well since I was on my way out of youth and onto college but I so wish she still lived here! I would love to crack my head off with her while drinking some Sonic Route 44 drinks. :)
I have devoured this book! It is hilarious, insightful, right on, encouraging and did I mention HILARIOUS and exactly RIGHT ON?? Oh yes ma'am. RIGHT ON. I would almost finish what she was about to say because it is exactly what we momma's are going through or have gone through. I would say ANY woman should read this book. Ladies without kiddos, Momma's, Grandmomma's. Read it. You won't be dissapointed. I have read many of them to my mom while saying "It's awesome, right?!" It validates everything you are thinking and going through while at the same time encouraging and uplifting you to want to be an even better momma who serves and reflects our precious Jesus to our children and husband.
Here is a question and answer from Jen with an excerpt from the book. I had such a hard time choosing my favorite because literally every single chapter I underlined at least 5 things and earmarked probably every other page!! But here is one....
What is the link between a mother's spiritual health and her parenting?
It's probably more acurate to ask "what is the link between a mother's spiritual health and everything else in the whole world?" Good grief! The more of a mess I am as a carrier of the Holy Spirit, the more of a mess I am as a mom, wife, friend, and - let me just say it - driver. (I have road rage issue. Thank you for understanding.) I put it like this in Out of the Spin Cycle:
Scanning my bookshelves, I see about a billion books on parenting. I read eight books on babies before I ever gave birth to one. I've taken Lamaze classes, Babywise classes (don't start), parenting classes. I've joined discussion groups on raising tweens and facilitated book studies on balanced motherhood. I've downloaded helpful sermons and read countless websites. I've made lists and plans on how to balance summer/chores/homework/discipline/sleepovers/houserules.
And then there is real motherhood, which wrecks out half this stuff.
Because sometimes despite your careful strategizing and planning and reading and organizing, your two-year-old takes his diaper off in the middle of Target and and runs up the ceral aisle while you scream after him like a mental patient. And sometimes after you have planned the perfect playdate, your daughter bites your new friend's baby and flushes her phone down the toilet.
And sometimes, when your precious first-born son-the one you read all the baby books for and raised lovingly for ten years- opens a fresh, sassy mouth to you when you are already idling high, you accidentally tell him to get a shovel, go in the backyard, and dig his own grave. This, I don't have to tell you, is behavior Ted Tripp would frown upon in "Shepherding a Child's Heart."
Not suprisingly, when I made that shockingly horrible statement to my son, I was exhausted, stretched out thin, out of the Word, and in a prayer slump. I was running on spiritual fumes. My only intake was whiny children, mountains of laundry, a Suite Life of Zac and Cody marathon, and four hundred thousand pieces of correspondence from Elm Grove Elementary to attend to.
There is a simple explantation according to Jesus:
"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man bring good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."
(Matthew 12:34-35)
Motherhood is like a pitcher with a whole in the bottom; a constant drain on our energy, patience, and tolerance. Every mother that is telling the truth would attest to that. Add another layer like a child with Autism, single motherhood, a financial crisis, or a crumbling marriage and it's a wonder we have anything left to give.
Our only hope to speak with kindness, to lead with patience, to not threaten our children with homicide is to ensure our spiritual reserves are not bone dry. Moms are the middle of the flow chart; the arrows of exertion flow constantly out from us, but when no arrows of strength, grace, and peace and flowing in, the whole mechanism is in danger.
Goodness in = goodness out.
No goodness in = no goodness out.
This is the simplest truth, recognized by Jesus and every other parenting expert, but one most moms don't take seriously. We're too busy for the Word. We're too tired to pray. We have too much going on for small group. Under the banner of selflessness, we neglect our own spiritual health and sabotage the very service we wanted to render.
When God's Word is flowing through my life, my baby can spill his fourth drink of the day, and I can say, "It's just a drink." When I'm dry, I could literally lie on the soggy floor and bawl over it. When Jesus has spoken peace into my life, I'm able to discipline consistently when my toddler pitches her third tantrum of the morning. If my pitcher is empty, I might lock myself in the bathroom and scream at the top of my lungs.
Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
I mean, obviously, none of us struggle with empty spiritual reserves or Mommy Meltdowns or anemic relationship with the Word. But our friends do. Let's pray for them.
It's good right?!! And that's just ONE of 40 short devotions! Be prepared, you might not want to put the book down and will read straight through it like I did. And I'm just going to start it over again and again because my mommy brain needs all the reminding and help it can get!
Go on over to Amazon. They are $8.63. The best $8.63 you will spend this summer!
And guess what? I have one to give away! I loved it so much I thought, man let's give one away!!!
So leave a comment in the comment section and I will draw a name on Friday to give one away to one of you special peeps! And if you don't win, I would highly suggest spending $8.63.
I'm just sayin'.
