THE CONFIDENT MOM
Guiding your family with God’s strength and
wisdom
By Joyce Meyer
Hodder and Stoughton. 206 pages. £14.99
ISBN 978 1 444 785 333
I must confess I found it hard not to judge The Confident Mom by the title, the pink cover and the flowery chapter pages.
Joyce Meyer makes her intentions clear from the outset: I’m here to encourage and inspire you with truths from God’s word that will help you be the confident mom you were created to be.
It is a well-constructed book with first and last chapters encouraging mothers to enjoy their role and reminding them in the middle of mundane chores that they’re not just serving they’re family, they’re pleasing Jesus. There are chapters about the importance of feeding on God’s word and asking for help from the Holy Spirit. There are warnings against perfectionism, fear, guilt and making comparisons. It is very important that we learn to accept our children for who they are and help them be all that God intends them to be.
Help and reservations
I found the chapters on accentuating the positive and on shaping a child’s life the most helpful. The latter gives four principles for discipline: 1. Discipline is love. 2. Discipline with action not emotion. 3. Focus on what pleases God, not your own preferences. 4. Keep your children under control – without being controlling.
I do have reservations about this book. At times it gives the impression that if you get it right your children will always be healthy and thrive. It also talks about giving your angels something to do – not a concept I am familiar with from my understanding of the Bible.
So, while I found aspects of this book helpful, I would recommend it only for a discerning reader and not for new or vulnerable Christians.
