Surratt - Brave mom: facing and overcoming your real mom fears

Endorsements for BRAVE MOM

Parenthood is the most amazing, rewarding, and terrifying job any of us will ever undertake. In Brave Mom, Sherry Surratt has created a safe place for moms to retreat a place where they can admit that theyre afraid, be refreshed and revitalized by Sherrys words of encouragement, and dive confidently back into the trenches of parenthood with the knowledge that they are not alone.

MARK BATTERSON, New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker

Is there anything quite like being a mom that surfaces the deep, unconscious fears that lurk in our souls? The answer is no. And Sherry Surratt plumbs those depths with us. From nasal syringes to expectations to cancer and beyond, this book intersects those fears with Jesus, and as a result, the reader comes out different on the other side.

NANCY ORTBERG, author of Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey through Tattoos, Tofu, and Pronouns

Moms make the world go round! But too many of them are burdened by the fear that theyre not measuring up. We hear stories like this every day at Focus on the Family. Sherry Surratts book offers time-tested, biblically sound advice for moms in the challenges they face. I highly recommend it.

JIM DALY, President, Focus on the Family

It takes a truly brave mom to admit shell never be the perfect mother, but she can be just what God planned for her children. Sherry Surratt talks about fears many moms secretly face, and provides clear, straightforward guidance on how to courageously confront those fears. Like she says, While you wont be a perfect mom, you already are the perfect mom for your kids. Read this book and youll see why.

REGGIE JOINER, CEO and founder of Orange Family Ministry

The overwhelming love we feel for our children is often accompanied by equally overwhelming fear. Sherry Surratt takes us to the heart of those fears, attacking and subduing them with truth and practical new ways to think. Every mom will relate!

POLLY LOTT, mother of two, Director of Ministries, Southeast Christian Church in Parker, Colorado

ZONDERVAN

Brave Mom

Copyright 2014 by MOPS International, Inc.

ePub Edition August 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-33993-9

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Surratt, Sherry, 1962

Brave mom : facing and overcoming your real mom fears / Sherry Surratt. 1st [edition].

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-310-34037-9 (softcover)

1. Motherhood Religious aspects Christianity. 2. Christian women Religious life. 3. Fear Religious aspects Christianity. I. Title.

BV4529.18.S87 2014

248.8'431 dc23

2014016661

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst

Cover photo: Ibushuev / Getty Images

Interior illustration: Jan Treger / 123RF

Interior design: Katherine Lloyd/The DESK

First Printing August 2014

To my husband Geoff. You are my best friend, inspirer, and forever love of my life. Thank you for pushing me to be brave. To my incredible children, Mike and Brittainy. You bring joy to my life every day. Im so incredibly proud of you both. To my beautiful daughter-in-law Hilary, who brought us Maggie Claire and Mollie Rose. You are all three pure joy! To Harold and Doris, my wonderful mom and dad. Thanks for showing me what courage looks like.

To the incredible MOPS family and wonderful moms who shared your stories here, without whom this book couldnt have been written. You inspire me.

CONTENTS

I t was like a train wreck in slow motion. I felt myself pitch forward but couldnt do a thing to stop it. I threw my hands out in an effort to counter the freefall, but before I knew it I was sprawled on my hands and knees on the concrete sidewalk. Believe me, it wasnt a graceful fall, but a herky-jerky lunge that made Mandy and Carolyn, two friends walking beside me, gasp, Are you okay?

Okay? I wanted to pull the sidewalk up over my head and hide. I had slammed forward on my knees, with my rear end sticking up. To add insult to injury, I had dropped my purse and all manner of nonsense had rolled out. Sunglasses, cell phone, three ballpoint pens, and endless odds and ends of receipts and paper scraps all spilled out, announcing loudly, Not only can this poor lady not walk, but she keeps a terribly messy purse.

I looked accusingly at the sidewalk where I had been walking, no holes, no bumps, just smooth concrete. I had simply tripped over my own two clumsy feet, in heels that were too high. And now I had a broken toenail, a scuff on my pants, and a bruise on my ego. Carolyn and Mandy helped me pick myself up. I jammed the chaos back into my purse and we continued to the car.

We had just finished dinner at a beautiful lakeside restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and one of my companions, Carolyn, was a brand new friend. In fact we had just met that day, and the evening had been full of laughter and great conversation. As we continued to walk to the car, Carolyn shared a story. As a publisher and editor, she often meets with authors and wellknown leaders. Once, while standing and talking in a crowd of people, she took a step backward big mistake. Before she knew it she was flat on her back, enveloped in an awkward silence as everyone around her averted their eyes and fidgeted, not quite sure what to do. What had caused her to fall? She wasnt quite sure, but what she did know was that her ankle hurt badly and she wanted out of there, fast.

Carolyns story had no point other than to let me know she knew how I felt. As she shared the story and how embarrassing it was, we all laughed together and I felt our hearts bond over a common line of human frailty. She was saying, Me too. I know what it feels like to fall in front of people you barely know.

Later that evening Mandy shared a similar story. She had gone to the gym with a friend and was trying out a new piece of workout equipment. Showing off a little, she got moving a little too fast, slipped off, and took all the skin off both of her shins. Not only was it painful, but it took a long time to heal. A bit of the skin had been taken off of her pride as well.

Mandys and Carolyns stories made me thankful. They both knew I was embarrassed about falling, especially when there was no good reason for it. I was just being careless. Without a hint of ridicule or smugness they were both saying through their stories, It happens to all of us. Youre not alone.

What an incredible feeling to know you are in good company, to know that other people share your experience and know how you feel. This is the first thing we hope to accomplish with this book. Its not a fat finger pointing in your face to say you shouldnt have fear. Nor is it a flippant how not to worry manual. Instead, its a resounding statement: