Since my new devotional book and gratitude journal for moms will be released on Amazon April 15, I wanted to share a chapter of the book with you in advance to whet your reading appetites and to give you a glimpse of what this book is all about. Sometimes it’s difficult to make purchasing decisions if we don’t really know what we’re getting, right?
Do me a favor–if you feel this excerpt from Mama Meditations, Volume II, resonates with you, buy the book or share this post with a mom you love.
From Mama Meditations, Volume II
Remembering what my life was like before recovery is actually difficult sometimes. I’ve made some good choices day after day for a long time now. Don’t get me wrong—I am far from perfect. I think mean thoughts about people I dislike sometimes. I curse under my breath occasionally when another driver nearly causes me to wreck. I am human! I’m on a faith journey, growing toward becoming who the Lord made me to be. But that doesn’t mean I have poofed into a perfect mom, perfect wife, or perfect Christian.
Yet I am very grateful God has used recovery to help me grow closer to Him. The good habits I have worked hard to establish have become part of me. They’re ingrained in my soul. They are who I am now.
Occasionally I see photos pop up in my feed on social media, reminding me of who I was two years before I joined my recovery community. Wow, I think to myself. That’s really who I was. I really lived with him. I really made those choices daily. I felt that way every day!
Thankfully, the Twelve Steps instilled in me the ability to choose differently. One of the greatest things that happened unintentionally is that I started working the Steps five years before my daughter was born. I learned how to replace my attitudes and perceptions of cynicism, pessimism, and discontent with gratitude. My sponsors taught me how to work the Steps, which helped me grow in honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness. I developed patterns of healthy behavior and appropriate boundaries. I began waking up early every day to spend time with God; this changed my life permanently. I came to believe time is my most precious commodity, and I started spending it more wisely, choosing only to invest in what matters most to me. The Lord set me free from many spiritual ties which bound me to past regret and sin.
And all this happened before my daughter was conceived. If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.
Thank You, God, for changing me before giving me the opportunity to grow through loving my daughter. May I never stop growing closer to You.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” –Hebrews 11:6, NKJV
Gratitude Cup 
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