Jen Hatmaker - Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load

2010 by Jen Hatmaker

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Repackaged edition published 2016

ISBN 978-0-8007-2813-7

Ebook edition created 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4412-1218-4

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture marked AMP is taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked Message is taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked NIrV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Readers Version. NIrV. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com

This book is dedicated to the remarkable company of mamas I have in my life. Ive never known women who work so hard, love so deeply, and care so genuinely. I cannot imagine one day of motherhood without you next to me.

Contents

Acknowledgments

So much love to my kids and my husband, Brandon. Without you, Id have nothing to say. Thanks for being hysterical and filling my notebook with stories. You are the family of my dreams. (But kids? Daddy and I are moving downtown when you go to college, so no one is moving home. K-thanks-bye.)

Endless gratitude to my mom, my grandmas, and my mother-in-law (who has known me almost half my life). You are my mothers. I learned everything important from you: sending a high school graduation gift to someone in her sophomore year of college can be passed off as quirky, more butter and salt are the cure for every recipe, and it is possible to raise a spirited son in such a way that someone will actually want to marry him someday (nice work, Jacki).

Much appreciation to Jean Blackmer with MOPS, who fetched me for this project for reasons that are still fuzzy, but thanks. And to Andrea Doering with Revell, who simply laughed when I joined a conference call an hour late (I have a college degree but cant master time zones). Thanks for letting me be me, but also adding your sensitivity and discernment to the mix (Dear Jen, we love this book! Its fantastic! There were just a few places we needed to tone it down....).

Finally, thank you, Jesus, for being amazing and astonishing and brilliant and perfect. All the Scriptures and stories in this book are from the Gospels; our story is weaved into yours. You are wise in every way. You are the standard to which we all aspire. As mothers, teach us to love, to lead, to trust, and to obey. (2010)

Prologue

A (Fairly Lame) Ode to Mothers

An ode to the marvelous woman called Mother

Though not one of us is exactly like another.

From the second were born to the minute we die

Our preferences are as limitless as stars in the sky.

We might have been perfectly gracious before

But childbirth entered us in the Mommy War.

Rather than letting everyone else be

We criticize parenting that isnt exactly like... me.

So once and for all let me put this to rest

None of us owns the title of best.

Natural childbirth does not make you a hippy

Epidurals are not just for women who want to feel trippy.

In a bathtub with a doula or in a hospital bed

We all got a baby with limbs and a head.

Nursing is great if nothing goes wrong

But some nipples turn inward and refuse to play along.

This is a choice for each momits her route

So its just A + B and everyone else can C their way out.

Schedules and timers do not make you cruel

Feeding on demand does not make you a fool.

In the nursery with a monitor or in the family bed

Every chick gets to pick where her baby lays his head.

If I see one more mom roll her eyes at organic...

Partially hydrogenated throws some of us into panic.

But neither judge Sonic burgers and fries

Some of us just want to enjoy food before we die.

Preschool, home school, public, or Montessori

Listen, my friends, and Ill tell you a story:

Two moms differed on favorite school trends

Their kids turned out pretty much the same. The end.

If a girl gets the title of mom accidentally

The worst thing we can do is treat her judgmentally.

How about some love, some help, some advice?

She needs our love and we shouldnt think twice.

Discipline through various methods will prevail

Look, were all just trying to keep our kids out of jail.

These things are just preferences, not right or wrong

What matters more is teaching our kids to get along

To love and to share, to speak gently and kind,

To obey so that mom wont go out of her mind.

Showing them Jesus is our common ground

Teaching them how he can always be found.

Hes present in public school and Waldorf (so trendy)

Hes over at Whole Foods but also at Wendys.

Jesus never cared about these sorts of things

Its our hearts that he wants and the worship we bring.

Its time for us moms to declare a truce

Regardless if we buy Capri Sun or 100 percent juice.

My way is not your way, and your way isnt mine

But both of our kids will turn out just fine.

Rather than judging and looking down our noses

Lets enjoy the common ground motherhood poses.

As believers, we all love the same good Lord

We all have children who tell us Im bored.

We all need more sleep than these tiny five hours

Most of us struggle to find time for a shower.

We havent been to the bathroom alone in an age

Our mothers have all told us, Relax, this is just a stage.

We all love our babies so much we could die

Wed take a bullet for each one without batting an eye.

Though we are different, were in the same tribe

Motherhood requires a similar vibe

Love and affection, sacrifice and grace

Laughter, which keeps the whole mechanism in place.

Though different, by the grace of God, I suspect:

ALL our children will rise up and call us... collect.

She looks well to how things go in her household.... Her children rise up and call her blessed.

Proverbs 31:2728 AMP

Im Perfect and My Kids Never Fight

Everything [the Pharisees] do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them Rabbi.