Motherhood Requires Grit and Grace
New devotional book offers moms
of
young children encouragement
and spiritual nourishment
From
firsthand experience, Gosselin and Kennedy share about the rigors and joys of
being a mom. Elbow deep in the grind of diapers, laundry and peanut butter
sandwiches, moms may find themselves struggling in the day-to-day challenges of
parenting. “Having grit is pushing through the hard stuff of motherhood with
determination and laser-focus on the end goal of raising children who love and
serve Jesus,” Kennedy explains. “Having grace means realizing that God offers
you peace, rest and help in this season. Also, as you give yourself grace, you
will find you have even more grace to give yourself and your kids from the One
who is present in your life right now.”
Grit and Grace is a
refreshing collection of 90 daily devotions written by two moms who have found
themselves desperately in need of encouragement. They hope to offer reassurance
and hope to other moms. “When I was in the throes of raising three young
children, one day it occurred to me that I was depleted in every way, but
especially spiritually,” Gosselin says. “As a pastor’s wife, I had many spiritual
resources easily accessible to me, and yet I was still struggling. That was a
big problem, because in this season of raising young children I really needed Jesus, arguably more than
ever.”
It
was around this time that Gosselin and Kennedy, former college roommates, started
comparing notes over the phone. Gosselin was beginning to realize that God uses
the years of early motherhood to teach moms so many wonderful truths through
their children. She wanted to share these lessons with other moms. While Kennedy’s
children were past the pre-school stage, she felt God was laying it on her
heart to minister to younger moms as well. God gave them the same vision to
provide digestible devotions to encourage moms of young children, which led to
the concept of Grit & Grace.
Through
humor and vulnerability, the authors deliver short messages of truth to help
moms embrace God’s calling on their lives to raise children who love and serve
him. The authors understand the challenges of finding quiet time to spend in
the Word, and have written the devotionals with that in mind. Reading the
Scripture and prayer that accompany each day’s message will help the reader discover
more fully who she is in Christ and how important she is to her children and
family. The authors cover topics such as perfectionism, comparison, joy, gratefulness, fear,
rejection, weariness, calling, tenacity and hope.
“We wrote Grit & Grace for moms of young
children,” Gosselin says. “We’re looking at the season that encompasses babies,
toddlers and early elementary school. If they have multiple children, a lot of mamas
are navigating all of these stages at once. While the stories focus on the
young children years, the truths from God’s Word apply to mamas at all stages.
We have had Grandmas comment that they feel encouraged to show greater
intentionality toward their grandchildren.”
The authors hope readers will feel encouraged and
empowered that God has chosen them for their specific children because they are
called to this. Fellow Grit & Grace Warrior Moms can connect with the authors and
fellow readers to share about all aspects of motherhood on Facebook (gritandgracemoms), Twitter
(Gritandgracemom) and Instagram (gritandgracemoms).
What
Moms Are Saying
“LOVING it so far! I feel
like I’m linking arms with you both and you’re helping me lift my eyes beyond
the trenches of motherhood and onto Jesus.”
~ Jennifer Hess, Mom
“This book is awesome! I have had the privilege
to read a copy ahead of its release. It speaks to my soul. It is about identity
and heart, not about how to do it all right. A breath of fresh air and a
lifeline.”
~ Kelly Larson, Mom
“This is wonderful! So very right where young moms
struggle—and rich with wisdom. I love the immediate launch into identity as
well as your story of “not rockin’ this role of mom.” I pray
that thousands of moms discover this treasure—and, even more—discover the
riches available in Jesus.”
~ Diane Comer, author
of Raising Passionate Jesus Followers:
The Power of Intentional Parenting
“You know
spending time in the Word will help you be a better mom, but you seriously
cannot imagine adding one more task to your day. Reading Grit and Grace won’t feel like one more thing to do. Rather you’ll
look forward to each encounter with Suzanne and Gretta as they help you
keep your eyes on Christ amidst the highs and lows of motherhood.”
~ Rhonda
Stoppe, Author of Moms Raising Sons to Be
Men
About
the Authors
Suzanne Hadley Gosselin and Gretta Kennedy first
met as roommates at Multnomah University. They are quick
to admit they did not like each other when they first met due to opposite
personalities. However, they worked out their differences and became best
friends who roomed together for all four years of college. Two decades later, during
a phone conversation, they realized God was laying on their hearts the desire to
write a devotional for moms of young children to encourage and strengthen them
in their role as mothers. It was then the idea for Grit &
Grace: Devotions for Warrior Moms was born.
Gosselin
lives in Bakersfield, CA with her husband, Kevin, and four children. The family enjoys escaping to the ocean.
Learn more about Gosselin at www.suzannegosselin.com. She can also be found on Facebook
(suzannegosselinauthor), Twitter (@gosselinsh) and Instagram (@suzannegosselin).
Gretta Kennedy is a speaker, mentor and
writer with a degree in women’s ministry from Multnomah University and over 20
years of ministry experience. She passionately supports her husband, Jay, and
his fulltime camp ministry. They are raising their three children on Vancouver
Island and report their adventures on the travel blog Traveling
Islanders.
Grit & Grace is
her first book.
Keep up with the Kennedy family’s adventures at www.travelingislanders.com and on Facebook
(travelingislanders), Twitter (@traveislanders) and Instagram
(@travelingislanders).
Fellow Grit
& Grace Warrior Moms can connect on Facebook (gritandgracemoms), Twitter (@Gritandgracemom) and Instagram
(@gritandgracemoms).
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