For the past few months I have been reading the mommy devotionals from Mommy Pick-Me-Ups by Edna Ellison and Linda Gilden. The subtitle of the book is “Refreshing Stories to Lighten Your Load” and it aptly describes the format of the book.

Also known as the guru of Christian mentoring, trainer, international speaker and author Edna Ellison has written many other books that you may find interesting – look for them wherever Christian books are sold. Linda Gilden is a prolific writer, speaker, editor, writing coach, and Certified Personality Trainer. She has penned the popular Love Notes series.

Unlike a traditional devotional, Mommy Pick-Me-Ups offers 77 stories organized as follows: 

• The story itself, which introduces you to day-to-day situations any mom would encounter
• A Bible verse that correlates with the story
• A Pick-Me-Up, which further explains the Bible verse you just read and it shows how the Bible principle in that text is relevant to the story
• Creative Parenting, which proposes tips or activities for handling yourself and your children should you go through something similar

I find it very easy to read and I have already experienced God through these devotionals. You know how parenting in general and mothering in particular can demand much energy. How can anyone keep it all together – unless they have a Source of renewable energy? How can you even remember how to act according to biblical principles – unless you  take the time to remember when the house is quiet?

It is only through God’s presence in your life that you can be guided to do the right thing as a mom. And that presence does not just happen. One must cultivate it. Quiet time with God is how that happens. And this little devotional book can be your tool for several months to accomplish just that.

I would like to share just two of the devotionals that God used recently to help me.

The other day I was deciding whether to stay home with the kids and catch up on different projects (phone calls, blogging, homeschooling, helping a family member move countries – you know, the usual stuff…) or go to the Heritage Center in Townsend for an archaeological program designed for kids. I had the energy, but I knew the kids were tired because we had spent six hours in Knoxville’s Safety City the day before.

As I read the devotional, I came across this passage which encouraged us to find ways for cousins to spend time together as they grow up, so that they understand they are family. I took it as God whispering to me to stay home and take care of my projects, including helping relatives move closer (i.e., to the United States). My children have only this one cousin and his parents are trying to move countries.

Later that day, I made my phone calls and, wonder of wonders, I got a hold of an immigration attorney who has been very hard to catch before. I also talked with a possible employer for my brother-in-law and he said, “I just got back into the office. I have been out of town until yesterday…” Perfect timing.

Another devotional that spoke to my heart was “Duck!” We all face the temptation to pride – especially when success comes our way. I like this fresh take on the old, old story of inflated self-esteem which meets with the thorn of humiliating circumstances.

But the most important passage for me was this sentence: “When you help others rather than challenging them, you are more likely to be in God’s will for your life.”

I do have a tendency to challenge my kids to obey instead of helping them get there. So this really spoke to me, calling me higher in my mothering skills.

I have been blessed by reading this devotional and I think that you will, too.

I received a free copy of the product above in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. The Amazon links above are affiliate links. All opinions I have expressed here are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.

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