Fresh Perspective

{As always, post about books contain my affiliate links. All opinions are my own.}

The first book I completed in 2013 was Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breatheby Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. It was a perfect start to the new year and put my thoughts and perspective in the right place for a fresh start.  (It's still only $2.99 for Kindle if you want to grab your copy.) 

The book I'm carrying into 2014 is Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic. When I first heard of this book, my children were 8, 6, 4, 2, and newborn.  Back then, I was fully immersed in the little years.  I was nursing, changing two sets of diapers, nurturing a needy pre-schooler who cried just as much and often as the baby, plus I was struggling to homeschool two other children while in the midst of house hunting. 

I never got my hands on the book when I thought I needed it most.

Now my kids are 11, 9, 7, 5, and 3 and most days I feel only marginally looney.  Everyone can dress themselves.  No one wears diapers and I have help with the meals, so when I finally received a copy of the book in the fall, I figured I'd passed the "statute of limitations." I assumed the book was written for moms of tiny ones and that it wouldn't apply to my life with slightly older children. 



What surprised me about Loving the Little Years was how much it addresses attitude and issues of the heart...and those are things that every mother, not just a mother of babies, needs to ponder!  Instead of a how-to book with ideas of how to get through a typical day, it digs deeper into matters of pride, obedience (mine, not my children's), and grace. 

I have spent many moments contemplating what Rachel says about laying a foundation for our children to build on.  She points out that as mothers, we are equipping our children to know what the Bible says and be able to serve the Lord on their own. We have the responsibility to guide them and teach them, but our ultimate goal is for them to know and follow His Way because they themselves know it is The Right Way.  If we say, "Tell your brother sorry because I said so," we are demanding obedience (arguably a good thing in itself), yet failing to show them that we love and forgive because of Jesus' example. 

This little book is barely over 100 pages and is short enough to be read in an afternoon, but it is meaty and meant to be savored over days and weeks.  It is worth reading and re-reading and worth contemplating. 

Be looking for details of the social media party that I'm holding at the end of the month on my Facebook page where you can win your own copy of this book!