Book Review: Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas

A friend of mine lent me their copy of Gary Thomas’s book Sacred Parenting several months ago and I finally finished it!  It didn’t take me this long to read because it was unenjoyable - on the contrary, it was so full of depth and rich words that I needed the extra time to chew on what he wrote.  In fact, now that I’m done, I think I’m going to read it again and perhaps write some further posts on how this book spoke to me personally on the subject of “How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls”.  Seriously, if you have ever thought that you might want to have children, if you are married and considering having kids, if you are currently pregnant, or if you already have children, I would absolutely and totally recommend this book!  In fact, go out and buy it right now – for real!  This book has really encouraged and challenged me as a mother and many of the author’s points struck home for me.  I’m now asking myself a lot of questions…

How is God making me holy through parenting?

Am I allowing my kids to experience challenges and pain for their own spiritual good?

How do I deal with mommy guilt and my failures as a parent?

Am I listening to the Holy Spirit for His guidance as I mother my kids?  How can I take advantage of the benefits of prayer as well as enter into my responsibility and calling to pray for my kids? 

Do I find great joy in parenting my kids?  How can I enter into greater levels of joy as a mom?

God, how do I deal with anger when my kids are driving me to the point of boiling, burning rage?

How can I look past the mundane, the puke and poop, the temper tantrums, and see the eternal glory and rewards on the other side?

How can I learn to embrace the challenges and trials of parenting, knowing that it is producing in me great perseverance? 

What truly matters in the things I give myself to daily?  What kind of spiritual inheritance am I leaving for my kids?

What characteristics, good and bad, am I reproducing in my kids?  What areas do I want to change so that my kids don’t have to suffer from the same character flaws that I do?

What am I willing to sacrifice for my children’s benefit?  And can I sacrifice these things joyfully, without holding it against them? 

Can I trust God with my children’s lives?  Can I trust God with their next breath, with their future, their destiny, and even the possibilty of my own death?

Wow.  I know that’s a lot.  There’s a lot to think about and pray about.  I can get a little overwhelmed at times, feeling like I am so inadequate as a mom and like there are SO many areas that God needs to work on in me, but in the end, I am left feeling encouraged that God knows exactly what He is doing and that He has designed my parenting journey perfectly, just for me!  My kids have been handpicked by God and lovingly placed into our family so that we can be made holy.  As the author says to close his book, “Being a parent is a sacred calling”.