The Confident Mom: Guiding Your Family with God's Strength and Wisdom - Hardcover

Meyer, Joyce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 145558018X ISBN 13: 9781455580187

Publisher: FaithWords, 2014

Synopsis

Coach, cheerleader, confidant, chef and chauffeur -- the job description of a mom is as broad as the horizon. Perhaps this is why so many mothers deal with insecurity and uncertainty as they do their best to raise their children in a challenging and ever-changing world. If you've ever gone to bed disappointed with yourself, if you've ever felt like you weren't measuring up, or if you've ever wished there was a manual for motherhood, #1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer has just the book for you.

In The Confident Mom you will be encouraged that you are not alone -- God is with you and He wants to help you with the challenges you face each day. Through inspiring stories, Biblical principles and Joyce's own valuable life lessons, there is no doubt you will discover the path to a new confidence and joy in motherhood. No matter your age, the size of your family, or the circumstances you find yourself in, The Confident Mom will help you become the joyful, confident mother God created you to be!

About this title

About the Author

Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. Her daily broadcast, Enjoying Everyday Life, airs on hundreds of television networks and radio stations worldwide.

Joyce has written nearly 100 inspirational books. Her bestsellers include Power Thoughts; The Confident Woman; Look Great, Feel Great; Starting Your Day Right; Ending Your Day Right; Approval Addiction; How to Hear from God; Beauty for Ashes; and Battlefield of the Mind.

Joyce travels extensively, holding conferences throughout the year, speaking to thousands around the world. Joyce resides in St. Louis, MO.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Confident Mom

Guiding Your Family with God's Strength and Wisdom

By Joyce Meyer, Jodi Carlisle

Hachette Audio

Copyright © 2014 Joyce Meyer Jodi Carlisle
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4555-8018-7

CHAPTER 1

Are We Having Fun Yet?

The very idea that the words Confident Mom and Joyce Meyer couldappear together in print anywhere at any time proves two things about God.First: He is, without question, an absolute miracle worker. Second: He has agreat sense of humor.

When I first started this journey called motherhood, I didn't have a singleshred of confidence. Actually, I was petrified. I felt unprepared, insecure, andinadequate—and I felt that way for good reason!

When I gave birth to my first child, I didn't even know enough to realize whatwas happening when I went into labor. My husband had left me for another womanearly in my pregnancy and, without the money to pay a private physician, I'dbeen going to a hospital clinic for maternity care. I'd never seen the samedoctor twice (actually they were interns) so I'd somehow missed out on the basicinformation new mothers need.

As a result, for about the first six months after David was born, I wasliterally afraid of hurting him. It took all the nerve I had just to bathe him.I had no idea how hot his bath water should be, or how hard I could scrub himwithout hurting him.

If you've heard my story, you already know I had a host of other problems backthen too. I was still suffering from the effects of the years of sexual abuseI'd experienced growing up. I was unhappy and totally lacking peace. I feltdiscouraged and hopeless. Unable to sleep, I'd been taking over-the-countersleeping pills. Unable to eat, I'd gained only about a half pound the entiretime I was pregnant. The strain on my body (coupled with the emotional pressureI was under) left me very sick.

On top of it all, I was broke. I'd held down a job through much of my pregnancy,but when I finally had to quit, I had no way to pay the rent on my small, third-story, garage apartment, which with no air conditioning and no fan was like anoven in the 100-plus degree summer heat. I didn't want to move back in with myparents because of the abusive behavior of my father. So when my hairdresser hadcompassion on me and offered to let me live with her, I accepted.

Worse yet, when my unfaithful husband showed up at the hospital after thedelivery to claim the baby and ask me to take him back, I said yes to that too.Never mind that he was in trouble with the law. Never mind that he had no placeto live himself. I agreed anyway to move with him into his sister's house untilI could go back to work.

At times it felt like I had nothing going for me, but that wasn't true. I hadthis one very important thing going for me: At nine years old I had asked Jesusto be my Savior. He came into my heart and—even though I went throughtimes when I felt rejected and abandoned by people—He never left me.

What He's done in my life and in the lives of my children in the many years thathave passed since my first terrifying days of motherhood is nothing short ofmiraculous. Of course, those familiar with my story know that the Lord broughtDave into my life, and he has been a wonderful and loving husband. And today,all four of our children are grown and helping in our ministry in one way oranother. They're all talented and amazing. They love the Lord. They're ablessing not only to me but to many others as well. Every one of them is farwiser than I was at their ages. All of them have children of their own now, andthey're proving to be great parents.

These days I can truly say I'm thrilled with how my children (andgrandchildren!) are turning out. So, by God's grace, I do have a testimony totell. But even so, it makes me chuckle to think the Lord would lead me to sharethis book with you. After all, the road to confident motherhood has been a longone for me. I've been anything but a "traditional" mom and I've made plenty ofmistakes along the way. So I can tell you with confidence that if God can helpme be a good parent, He can do the same for you. I am convinced that He cantransform this puzzling, intimidating journey of motherhood into your greatestvictory. Better yet, He can teach you to rejoice every step of the way.

Instructions Not Included

Personally, I put a lot of emphasis on rejoicing. I spent so many years beingmiserable that these days I am determined to enjoy my life. I make no apologiesfor it either, because I believe it's as important to God as it is to me.

Why else would God include so many verses like these in the Bible?

John 10:10

... I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (tothe full, till it overflows).

Romans 14:17 NKJV

The kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the HolySpirit.

1 John 1:4 NKJV

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

Clearly, God wants us as believers to enjoy the life Jesus died to give us. AndI believe that He wants every Christian mom to fit the description in Psalm113:9 of ... a joyful mother of children (NKJV).

If we're completely honest about it, however, we must admit that many times wedon't experience that joy. Although we love our kids and agree in theory thatbeing a mother is one of life's greatest pleasures, the joy of motherhood getsburied under a heavy load of work, worry, and frustration. If someone asks, "Arewe having fun yet?" all too often the answer is no.

It's not just the day-to-day demands of motherhood that steal our joy (althoughthey can sometimes seem endless and exhausting), but the sense of responsibilitywe feel for our families. We're aware of how much our children depend on us, andwe're often afraid that we're somehow going to fail them—that we don'treally know what we're doing. That we don't have what it takes to be everythingthey need us to be.

As moms, we may not talk about it much but the concerns are there nonetheless.According to one poll taken a few years ago, most parents are their own worstcritics. Frequently plagued by feelings of failure:

• They worry that they make too many mistakes.

• They're afraid they won't know how to cope with the problems their kids face.

• They feel like they're not the examples for their children they should be.

• They regret some of the choices they've made as parents and think it's toolate to go back and make things right.

• They doubt their ability to relate to their kids and the issues they confrontin the world today.

I can sympathize. I've worried about such things myself over the years. Everyone of my children is so different from the others and every stage of theirdevelopment brought such unexpected challenges, I often felt like I'd neverfigure them out. Oh, how I wished each one had arrived (like householdappliances do) with a complete set of operating instructions! God could makethings so much easier for all of us moms if He'd just attach to each baby's bigtoe a booklet that reads: For optimum results in infancy, do this ... at twoyears old, do this ... during teenage years, do this ...

But obviously, He chose not to do it that way—for me, for you, or foranyone else.

Why?

I believe it's because God has a better plan. He wants us to navigate the deep,mysterious, and sometimes stormy waters of motherhood the same way the disciplesnavigated the tempestuous waters of the Sea of Galilee. (See Mark 4:35-41.) Hewants us to stop being afraid and put our faith in Him and His Word, to believethat because we have the God of the universe in our boat, no matter how hard thewind blows or how high the waves rise, we can make it in victory to the otherside!

You might say, "But, Joyce, right now I don't feel like I have what it takes tomake it through in victory! My toddlers are throwing fits, my older kids arehaving trouble in school, and my teenagers are rebelling in ways I neverexpected. By the looks of things, my parenting ship is taking on water andsinking fast."

I understand. I've been there; and I found out there's only one way to stayafloat in those kinds of storms: Take your eyes off your feelings and look toJesus. Dare to believe that because you're in Him, what Romans 8:37 says is truefor you:

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassingvictory through Him Who loved us.

What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? I believe it means youknow in advance you've been divinely equipped to overcome any kind of trouble.It means you can face life with boldness and say, "Nothing in life can defeat mebecause the Greater One lives in me. He's provided me with everything I need tohandle what He has called me to do. I can win every battle because everything Ineed to overcome them is mine in Christ Jesus. Because I'm in Him, I have whatit takes!"

You Have What It Takes

It's impossible to enjoy anything when you're afraid of failing at it.

It's impossible to enjoy anything when you're afraid of failing at it. But onceyou know with all your heart that you really do have what it takes, being a momcan be a lot more fun. You can do it with joyful confidence and with your ownunique style. You can also experience the freedom and joy of helping each ofyour children be their own unique person.

Picture it for a moment. Think about how fun it would be to approach everyday—not with head drooping and shoulders slumped, focusing on the waysyou've fallen short—but letting God be the glory and the lifter of yourhead (see Psalm 3:3). Imagine having so much confidence in what He's put on theinside of you that when it comes to being a mom, you embrace your role withoverwhelming joy and excitement. Well, it all begins when you believe that Godhas already equipped you with everything you need to be a confident, successfulmom.

"I know you're right, Joyce," you might say, "but I don't feel very talented orgifted in my role as a mother. In fact, sometimes I feel like I don't have muchto offer at all." If that's you, I want to share some inspiration with you abouta mom in the Old Testament who felt a lot like you do—just before sheexperienced one of the greatest miracles of all time.

The Bible first mentions her in 1 Kings 17:9. There God names her as the personHe had chosen to supply food to the prophet Elijah during a drought-inducedfamine. Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, God told Elijah.I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.

From a human perspective, God's plan seemed pretty unreasonable. This widowcouldn't even afford to feed her own son—how was she going to feed theprophet? When Elijah shows up at her door, she has nothing and is deeplydepressed. So you can imagine how she responded when Elijah asked for somebread.

And she said, As the Lord your God lives, I have not a loaf baked but only ahandful of meal in the jar and a little oil in the bottle. See, I am gatheringtwo sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eatit—and die (v. 12).

Talk about a mom who felt like she had nothing to offer! This woman tops us all!Yet God saw something in her that she couldn't see in herself. He saw her as afountain of blessing that, in His hands, would never run dry. Which is why Heinstructed Elijah to say this to her:

Fear not; go and do as you have said. But make me a little cake of [it]first and bring it to me, and afterward prepare some for yourself and your son.

For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: The jar of meal shall not waste awayor the bottle of oil fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.

She did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.

The jar of meal was not spent nor did the bottle of oil fail, according to theWord which the Lord spoke through Elijah (vv. 13-16).

Not only is that a wonderful Bible story, it's the story of every Christianmother. All of us realize at one point or another that we don't have enough onour own to meet all our children's needs. In a world filled with danger, wecan't guarantee their protection. In a world filled with spiritual darkness, wecan't always keep them surrounded with light. In a world filled with questions,we don't have all the answers.

In our own strength, all of us are like the widow in 1 Kings 17—our pantryis pitifully bare.

But even so, we don't have to worry! God has promised to do for us the samething He did all those years ago in Zarephath. If we'll take a step of faith andgive Him what we have, He'll make our lives an ongoing miracle. He'll pour outthrough us a never-ending supply of His love, His power, and His grace. He'llprovide enough, not only for us and our children, but for others too.

So go on and rejoice! Instead of focusing on your own weaknesses and personalshortcomings, celebrate the strength of the One who is in you. Every time thedevil threatens to starve your confidence or sink your family's ship, remind himthat ...

• God Himself has said ... [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless norforsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews13:5).

• In Christ, God ... always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ'svictory] ... (2 Corinthians 2:14).

• ... The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... has blessed us inChrist with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenlyrealm! (Ephesians 1:3).

When you put your faith in God and meditate on verses like those, you'll be ableto accept the unique challenges of motherhood with fresh boldness and joy.You'll live like you were born to do this and you're loving every minute of it.

Without hesitation, you'll be able to say, "Oh, yeah, we're definitely havingfun now!"

CHAPTER 2

Perfect Women Need Not Apply

I'd like to be the ideal mother ... but I'm too busy raising my kids.

—Unknown

In reality, she doesn't exist. But somewhere in the shadows of most everymother's mind, she is alive, well, and causing major problems.

Her house is always pristine. (No junk drawers for this woman. Everything isorganized and stored in attractive, clearly-labeled containers.) Her vegetablegarden is an agricultural wonder (organic, of course). She sews like a tailor,does business like a CEO, cooks meals for the poor, and pumps iron daily at thelocal gym. And she does it all with unfailing patience, sweetness, and smiles.

Some might consider her the Proverbs 31 woman. But the truth is, she's not. Thewoman in Proverbs 31 has been given to us in Scripture to inspire us. She givesus goals to reach toward by faith and by dependence upon God. But this woman whowe strive to be like is a counterfeit designed by our own insecurities thatmakes us feel inferior and condemned. She's the pie-in-the-sky image of theperfect mom who makes the rest of us feel like failures no matter how hard wetry.

She's the reason that in one survey of more than 500 mothers, perfectionism wasidentified as the number one issue that keeps moms from enjoying the everydaymoments of their lives.

And this chapter is all about getting rid of her, because this flawlessfictional woman has been undermining moms for far too long. She's caused us toomuch trouble and cost us too much joy. So there's no question about it: we haveto give her the boot and replace her with somebody more scriptural.

The only question is, whom should we choose?

As I've already mentioned, the Proverbs 31 woman is an obvious winner. But thereare others in the Bible we might also pick. Women like the ones who appear inthe first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the passage commonly referred toas the begats. (see Matthew 1:1-16 KJV.)

Generally speaking, the begats aren't famous for their inspirational content.But when it comes to providing us with first-rate maternal role models, they'rea divinely-inspired gold mine. They reveal exactly what kind of mothers our all-knowing, all-wise God chose to place in Jesus' family tree.

In the begats, we get a picture of the kind of mom through whom God can reallywork wonders—and it's a picture that doesn't look anywhere close to"ideal."

Take Sarah, for instance. As Abraham's wife, she's mentioned (not by name but byinference) in Matthew 1:2, and she was far from perfect. In fact, she made quitea number of shocking mistakes. If you've read her story, you probably remembersome of them.

• She got impatient with God's plan and came up with her own scheme to producethe son He'd promised—she arranged for her husband to have an affair withher maid.

• She got jealous of the maid's son and demanded they both be driven into thewilderness, despite her husband's protests.

• When God showed up again—in Person!—to reconfirm His promise, sheliterally laughed in disbelief.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Confident Mom by Joyce Meyer, Jodi Carlisle. Copyright © 2014 Joyce Meyer Jodi Carlisle. Excerpted by permission of Hachette Audio.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: FaithWords
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 145558018X
• ISBN 13: 9781455580187
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224