The Better Mom: Growing in Grace between Perfection and the Mess (#affiliate)
By Ruth Schwenk, 2018
This book is a collection of encouragement for moms, appropriate for pretty much any stage of the journey. Mrs. Schwenk maintains a casual "I'm in this too" approach, and does a good job hitting on a wide variety of areas that many moms struggle in. I appreciated her Biblically-sound way of addressing each issue, and the emphasis placed on God's grace.
For some reason, though, this book did not resonate with me nearly as much as other motherhood books I have read. This could be at least in part because Mrs. Schwenk's personaility is clearly very different from mine. I also had to fight back irritation at her constant use of the word "momming": I much prefer the more dignified "motherhood."
But those small things aside, I am sure this book will be a huge encouragement to many. One of my favorite quotes is from chapter 15, dealing with the need to keep a long-term vision during the difficult seasons of motherhood. She writes:
"The real reason momming is hard is because motherhood is meaningful. There is a real purpose and mission for it. That mission, like every mission, comes with opposition. Ultimately, the source of the opposition we face in the world is from our spiritual adversary -- the devil. [...] We are engaged in a fight. We are waging war not only for our own spiritual maturity, but for the hearts and minds of our children. Momming is hard because it is a spiritual battle."
Thanks to the folks at Handlebar for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
