Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls

As a Christian mother of toddler triplets, I have read lots of books on parenting...but never one that has effected my persective as positively as this one. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to positively impact the attitude of their heart for parenting. This is not a How To...it is much richer!

For years my wife and I had debated whether or not we should have a child. My wife just didn't have that strong emotional drive some women have to procreate. My desire to have a child would come and go. Finally, when my desire to have a child came again, we prayerfully decided to go for it. The pregnancy was filled with painful and expensive complications, which was followed by severe postpartum depression. I felt terrible guilt for asking my wife to do this. My daughter is a year old now. She's perfect. God couldn't have made a more beautiful child. But parenting is a lot tougher than I'd imagined and I was fighting the notion that I'd made a mistake. After the first frustrating, sleep deprived year, I felt that I was clearly not cut out to be a parent. However, Sacred Parenting changed my mind. It showed me there every single parenting experience, whether good or bad, was a gift from God that would shape my soul for eternity. He also pointed out all the simple pleasures that awaited me in the future. Thanks for showing me the light, Gary. You are wise beyond your years.

If you are looking for a how to book this is not it. If you are looking at what God does in our lives in shaping us spiritually through parenting then this is the book for you.

As I was reading this book, I felt like my mission as a parent became more clear. As a mother of four children ages five and under sometimes I can lose focus on what my role as a parent is. Sacred Parenting served to remind me once again that being a parent shapes my soul as well as the souls of my children. God uses my experiences as a mother and the experiences my children have through my parenting as ways to make us more like Him. It was comforting to read from an author who was writing from his heart and learning right along with the rest of us.

You know what's cool about this book? Most parenting books focus the how-tos of caring for and developing children. Gary Thomas is able to take his knowledge of practical child-rearing,which he gained from real-life experiences and relate it to the deeper, spiritual levels of the parent's soul. "Sacred Parenting" underscores the fact that both children and parents are locked in a soul-shaping experience, with God clearly at the helm. No parent is perfect. In fact, effective parenting will challenge a father's deep-seated, petty selfishness. There will be times in which a parent must humble himself and ask His daughter to forgive him. There will be times when a wife desires a moment of intimacy with her husband, but must put her personal needs on hold so as to tend to a little boy's sudden nausea. Gary helps his readers understand that such scenarios are normal and part of the process of conforming to the image of Christ...which, of course will always benefit other people, including one's family. What I appreciate most from this book is that its author doesn't write as an expert, but as a fellow sojourner. Thomas' points are helpful and relevant and his anecdotes are humorous and...very human. If you have been parenting for a day...a week...a month...a year...or longer, "Sacred Parenting" will inspire you to appreciate what God can do in your life through the grimy and glorious art of parenting.