April Cassidy - The Peaceful Mom: Building a Healthy Foundation with Christ as Lord

Just what the doctor ordered! Filled with stories from Aprils life as well as her readers lives, The Peaceful Mom brings wisdom and peace to the table during times of potential stress for any mom with kids in the house. Be prepared for many hard questions that will facilitate growth for you. This book is especially powerful for moms who struggle with living vicariously through their childrens lives.

N INA R OESNER, executive director of Greater Impact Ministries, and coauthor of With All Due Respect

As moms, we often feel like its all up to us to take control and make everything turn out right for our children. But this only creates stress, anxiety, perfectionism, anger, and turmoil. With calming wisdom, April invites us to find what she has foundthe peace that only comes from knowing Jesus and laying control before His throne. This book is rooted in Gods Word and filled with practical help for finding balance as a responsible and peaceful mom.

S HANNON P OPKIN, author of Control Girl

P RAISE FOR T HE P EACEFUL W IFE

April knows what its like to struggle in her marriage with frustration and anger toward her spouse. Her journey to becoming a peaceful wife will resonate with any reader who wants new peace in her own marriage. I love that this book walks each of us through the reality checks we need in order to have the marriage we want!

S HAUNTI F ELDHAHN, social researcher, and best-selling author of For Women Only

April Cassidy has written an excellent book! I endorse her heart and message. In fact, I asked my daughter-in-law to read it and she reported to me, April does an excellent job of placing a mirror in front of readers so that they may see the ways they have been disrespectful, but she also provides a comforting hug as she explains how the disrespect can end and a life of respecting ones husband can move into place. She provides great insight into her own struggles and a wonderful chapter where her own husband gives his thoughts on her transformation. April challenges, encourages, and breathes hope for all wives.

E MERSON E GGERICHS, author of Love and Respect

The Peaceful Mom: Building a Healthy Foundation with Christ as Lord

2018 by April Cassidy

Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel Inc., 2450 Oak Industrial Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in reviews.

Distribution of digital editions of this book in any format via the Internet or any other means without the publishers written permission or by license agreement is a violation of copyright law and is subject to substantial fines and penalties. Thank you for supporting the authors rights by purchasing only authorized editions.

The author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical or psychological services, and this book is not intended as a guide to diagnose or treat medical or psychological problems. If medical, psychological, or other expert assistance is required, the reader should seek the services of a health-care provider or certified counselor.

Personal stories have been used by permission. In some cases, names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are 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 quotations marked HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers.

ISBN 978-0-8254-4463-0

Printed in the United States of America

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I dedicate this book to my husband, Greg, and our two children for their love and patience as I continue to learn to become a more peaceful mom and wife. I pray that God will make me a blessing to them.

Im very thankful for the support of The Peaceful Wife blog readers, for their feedback, support, love, prayers, and stories. I also dedicate this book to them. What an honor to be on this journey together as sisters in Christ!

E very mother I know wants to be a great mom. We want to model healthy ways of relating and living for our children in every area of our lives. We want to live in tranquility, harmony, and joy in our families. But sometimes our dreams for our families and ourselves dont match our everyday lives very well. Many of us beat ourselves up over our failures and struggle to find direction for the next step.

God has provided for those who belong to Christ to live in spiritual abundance, but many of us are missing out on His treasures. Thankfully, we dont have to live our lives in turmoil. God has provided a path for us, and if we follow it and receive all that the Lord has for us, we will be peaceful moms.

A peaceful mom knows God intimately and follows Him wholeheartedly. Her heart is increasingly filled to overflowing with the spiritual treasures of Christ.

A peaceful mom has peace with all the following:

Doesnt that sound lovely? God makes His peace available to anyone who wants to wholeheartedly love and know Him. My prayer is that we might each see how good God is and choose to respect His gracious terms. There are countless spiritual riches to be had when we truly grasp that Jesus is the greatest treasure there is.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. (Matt. 13:44)

If only you had paid attention to my commands,

your peace would have been like a river,

your well-being like the waves of the sea. (Isa. 48:18)

In Gods great wisdom, He created everything that exists. He had good purposes for every planet, star, plant, and animalwith the primary purpose being to bring glory to Himself.

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge. (Ps. 19:1-2)

So regardless of life circumstances, the journey to becoming peaceful moms starts with our relationship with God, with His purpose for us. He tells us that we were created as individuals and as families to bring glory to our Creator. God gave people a unique position in creation. The other creatures and things He made have no choice. They cannot choose to rebel against Him or love Him. But God has given this powerful choice to each of us.

This is what the L ORD says:

Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls. (Jer. 6:16)

What will we do with this incredible gift of choice? Will we seek Gods will and exalt Him in our lives, or will we seek glory for ourselves and go our own way?