The Busy Mom's Devotional

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity for providing a free review copy of this book. No other compensation was received for this review. The opinions contained herein are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Do you, like me, get so busy that you forget or neglect to spend time each day with God? I know that I struggle with feelings of guilt over my inconsistent devotion time, yet sometimes everything gets going, and I can't seem to stop long enough for that much-needed spiritual refueling. To tell you the truth, today has been one of those days. And my attitude today has been vocal testament to my failure to spend time with God. If my poor family could talk to you ... !

The Busy Mom's Devotional is by Lisa T. Bergren, "the best-selling, award-winning author of twenty-eight titles, totaling more than a million copies in print." [quoted from her official website] As a wife, mother of three, freelance editor, business consultant, and writer, Mrs. Bergren surely knows what it means to be busy.

In The Busy Mom's Devotional, Lisa encourages women to start small. "Think it's impossible to have a spiritual life AND manage family life? There are many days that plainly feel like an exercise of survival. But living a life of devotion means seeing Christ in everything--from changing a diaper to a husband's tender kiss. Join Lisa for a year of "been there" devotions--readings from a mom who lives like you do, in the trenches, but strives to see Jesus beside her, through it all. Do just one devotional a day (or a week!), and you'll begin to see life with more depth and clarity than ever before."

Important: all verses are taken from either The Message or the NIV. I believe the King James Version is the Bible for the English-speaking people; therefore, I cannot recommend this book in that aspect.

Each devotional begins with a few verses and includes a place for you to jot down what is on your mind. Lisa's intent is that by writing down what is on your mind, you will be able to forget it while you focus on spending time with God. After the verses are presented, Lisa shares a relevant story, usually from her own life, and ends the chapter with a short prayer and a place for you to write your thoughts and prayers relating to the passage presented.

I really like that Mrs. Bergren encourages women to just begin. While certainly not the final goal, 10 minutes a week spent with God is much better than none at all, and developing that little habit can easily lead to developing a daily habit. I know that I often feel guilty for not having devotions everyday; that guilt in turn leads to discouragement and the feeling that I shouldn't even bother because if I can't do it "the right way," it's no use doing it at all. God, however, isn't like that and doesn't wash His hands of us when we fail Him. He longs for us to spend time with Him and welcomes us whenever we come to Him.

If you would like to win a copy of this book, "[j]ust sign up for her newsletter here and send her a quick email (lisa@bergrencreativegroup.com) with "I just enrolled" in the subject line. She'll be giving away three copies!"