Find Peace: A 40-Day Devotional Journey For Moms
Written by Shaunti Feldhahn
Reviewed by Ashley Davis
If you’ve followed us at FT2 for a while, you know we’re fans of Shaunti Feldhahn’s devotionals. We love them, and Find Peace is no exception! As with her other devotionals, this book has a beautiful floral design. It begins with a foreword by Ashley Willis and a personal note by the author. Next, we’re presented with Seven Elements of Finding Peace. These elements help to categorize the different devotions throughout the book; they are Know God, Choose Joy, Release Control, Demolish Anxiety-Causing Thoughts/Actions, Create Encouraging Friendships, Embrace Real Life, and Find Purpose in the Journey.
Each devotional entry begins with a key verse and is followed by a written devotion. These aren’t short, one-page devos, but they aren’t a full-fledged Bible study. The average reader could complete most of these devotion entries in five minutes or so (if they’re just reading the entry). At the conclusion of the devotion, there is a prayer provided, a section with reflection questions, and a notes section.
This is a great devotion if you’re looking for something a little more substantial than your average one-page-a-day devotion. If you made an effort to read the key verse in context, took your time reading the devotion, and wrote a response to the reflection questions in a notebook or journal, it would be a great daily practice.
As far as the specific content, I think this devotional is great for moms at nearly any stage of kids at home. There is a great balance of practicality and inspiration. Each day I read the devotion entry, I highlighted the main idea or something that stood out to me. This made it easier in my prayer time to refocus on the main point of the devotion and apply it to my own life and prayers.
Here are some quotes I liked from Find Peace:
“Peace is not the absence of conflict; it’s the ability to entrust that conflict to the One who knows our story from beginning to end and will walk with us every step of the way” (51).
“When our reality doesn’t match our expectations, we need to allow God to be God. To show us that His view is bigger than ours. To give us the peace we crave not because we are getting everything we want, but because we are trusting in the one who sees the big picture that we cannot – and who always knows best” (95).
“And the thought occurs to her: When did scrolling through pictures of other people’s lives become more important than living my own?” (130)
“She realized that in order to experience peace in the waves, we have to be willing to let go of what we think of as certain footing. We must give up the illusion that we can control thing sin the shallows and stop clinging to the shoreline. We must have the courage to go where the water is deeper and simply let ourselves be carried” (138).
“My prayer is that we would do for ourselves what we do for our children: enforce the courageous hard work to change unhealthy, anxiety-creating habits now in order to read joy and peace for the long-term” (143).
Audience:
Mothers
Usefulness Rating:
Incredibly useful with a good balance of practicality and inspiration.
Entertainment Value:
Many of the anecdotes and testimonies in this devotional are very entertaining!
Good For Groups:
This devotional is not designed for groups.
For more information about this book or other reading suggestions, feel free to contact me directly.
