Being a mom gets harder all the time. At least that’s how it seems to me. Every time I turn on the news, leaf through a women’s magazine, or overhear mom-talk at the supermarket, I am amazed at how much our culture expects of us—more importantly, how much we expect of ourselves. No wonder we’re so tired! No wonder we constantly struggle with the question “Am I a good enough mom?” Our “To Do” lists are killing us. It doesn’t have to be that way. That’s what Inside Out Parenting is about. Parenting is much more about who we are than what we do. Good parenting happens from the inside out. Inside Out Parenting has a two-tiered meaning. I am convinced that parenting first shapes us at the heart and soul level; then it shapes our kids. More accurately, God transforms our hearts and shapes our souls as moms. As we are changed from the inside out, we are equipped to escort our children into God’s changing room, where He can begin to penetrate their hearts and nurture their souls. It’s an inside-out job. It’s also a job in which what happens on the inside of our homes profoundly affects what happens on the outside. The values we hold, the relationships we build, the character we model—all of these influence how our children relate to the world outside our doors, who they become, what direction they head. Ultimately, of course, this is God’s work. But He has chosen us to be a part of His mission. That’s why knowing our mission as moms—what it is and what it isn’t—is so important. In Inside Out Parenting, we will take a look at what God’s Word has to say about our mission as moms—and what that looks like for 21st-century moms. As we explore God’s Word together, we will gain godly mom-confidence in a confused world, learn to create contagious Christian community amidst a chaotic culture, and grow in our ability to build Christlike character in our kids.
