This review is long overdue.

Being a mom is a thankless job, and requires everything. As mother's, we must sacrifice our time, desires, friendships, and we have a general feeling like our abilities are never enough and not done well. I personally get overwhelmed easily and lash out by yelling.

In her book, Kristen Wetherell reminds us that we have a Savior who also came not to be served but to serve. He knows what we are going through because he also went through it. He didn't Lord it over humanity that He was God, but lowered himself to become a servant and meet all of our needs.

Jesus is there as an example, he is there a resource for help, he changes our hearts, and he meets our needs even now when we reach out to Him for his help.

I know I've read other books with similar messages, but it's always helpful to be reminded over and over of these truths.

Thank you to B&H Publishing book for sending an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I generally steer clear of parenting/motherhood books because I often feel more overwhelmed and discouraged when I'm done then when I started. But Kristen's book is not your typical "be better, do better" motherhood tome. Humble Moms focuses a mom's attention off of the daily tasks of mothering and on to Jesus, the creator and sustainer of all things - including motherhood! I read pages and was encouraged to keep going and find hope in Jesus not my own abilities.

Humble Moms by Kristen Wetherell is a humble and easy read about what motherhood should look like. Wetherell bases her writing on scripture and does a great job articulating her thoughts. A great read for moms.

What a gentle leading based on text from John, to what motherhood can (and should) look like. What it looks like to do motherhood through the lens of the gospel. This book was a pleasure to read.

Engaging, touching (so many 'thats me' moments and speaks to heart. As of mom to a now 19 year old, I admit I am not perfect - no mom is. We have those moments. And this book gave me peace that its okay. Thank you for reminding me to look up as often. And thank you NetGalley for this copy!

A book to truly resonate with all moms of every age. Wetherell takes scripture and short meditations throughout the book and shows us how we can be more like Jesus in serving him and revealing His love as we mother children. Such a breath of fresh air and one to add to your reading list.

As a mom with a toddler, I need all the humility I can get. I did enjoy this devotional, and I appreciated the broad spectrum of motherhood represented within. I found that it was broken up into manageable chunks, which, as a mom, is very helpful in giving me time to take in the reflections and digest the content.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, and all opinions are my own.

Humble Moms by Kristen Wetherell is a such a wonderful, encouraging book for all mothers. It is centered around the Word of God and what Christ has done for us -- which is what all books should be centered on, really. In her book, Kristen leads the reader through the Gospel of John and applies what is learned there to motherhood and the everyday life. All in all, this was such an encouraging book and I loved it.

This new one, by Kristen Wetherell is titled, Humble Moms: How the Work of Christ Sustains the Work of Motherhood. It's a book written to draw you to Jesus; to lead your heart to a greater understanding of his own humility and how he serves his people.

She walks us through the highlights of the gospel of John to teach us about Jesus' humility in his incarnation, through the service of his ministry, through his surrender to death and his active involvement as he's seated at his throne in heaven.

This model of Christ's humility really challenged me - likely because I know how pride besets me. She writes "each day presents us with opportunities to lower ourselves as Christ lowered himself" and, "he has not asked us to do something he has not already done. Jesus has gone before us in humility and service."

It really gets you thinking, doesn't it?

Whether it's the stage of littles, teenagers or adults, mothering our children will always require humility on our part, because it's the call of Christ on our lives, whether we are parents or not. For, "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of me. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:6-8).

So why is it important to consider Jesus' humble heart?

She answers in this way, because "our hearts motivate our hands, and it is a heart-posture of humility before Jesus that makes a mom truly great."

As we go through out day today considering the service of the Lord Jesus for us in the gospel, may our hearts be humbled before him and those around us, that he would be glorified in all we say and do.

You'll also find discussion questions at the end of the book for deeper study and conversation to enjoy with a moms group or friends! No extra work required.

Quick Stats
# of pages: 183
Level of difficulty: Easy
My Rating: 4 stars!

*A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This is the most comforting and encouraging parenting book I have ever read. It challenged me in all the best ways, and it left me feeling full of hope. Kristen takes the reader through the book of John, and she gently shows how to look to Christ for strength and help in motherhood. We can be humble, patient, loving moms because we have a humble, patient, and loving Shepherd.

Humble Moms has been comforting to me in my current season of motherhood. I'm a chronically ill mom, and this book was just what I needed. It did not make me feel like I was failing as a mom for not doing what that I can't physically do. Instead of giving a long to-do list for moms to accomplish, Kristen simply and consistently points moms to Christ. And in gazing upon Him, we find strength and courage and hope. This book will encourage and equip Christian moms everywhere to live for Jesus in their calling as mothers.

Kristen Wetherell really surprised me with Humble Moms, It isn't what I was expecting but I totally love it. It's a delightful and inspiring book for all Moms. With wisdom and a healthy biblical view Kristen leads you through the Gospel of John showing us the heart of Christ. She reminds us that our calling of motherhood is not just as servants but as a servants with a humble heart. Our motherhood is an act of worship to our Heavenly Father. Highly recommend it.

Thanks to B&H for the free book.
What a balm to the soul this book was. I wanted to spend unlimited time with it and also finish in one sitting. Y'all Wetherell speaks with so much grace, honesty, and transparency on what it means to be a humble mom and how we all mess it up. She writes about how easy it is to get off course, but then gently nudges her reader back to the Gospel truth. She reflects on Jesus' nature and how we can use that to inspire our motherhood. I also loved her references to Gentle and Lowly because that book is one of my absolute favorites, and I am going to reread it next while this motherhood message is fresh and I am able to go back and forth. This book is for all moms, and you won't find any condemnation or shame here - only relatability and directions back to Jesus.

“We are moms who love our children and know the privilege of our high calling, but see its demands, along with our struggles and shortcomings, and know, without a doubt, how much we need encouragement and help along the way.”

“Greatness is not about puffing ourselves up, but laying ourselves down. It is not only about what we’re doing, but why and how we’re doing it. It is the humble posture of the heart.”  

Kristen Wetherell gets me.

She understands how motherhood makes you weary. She understands all the struggles and the needs.

Motherhood is hard. So how do we do it?

How do we endure? How do we love our kids when we don’t like them?Where do we get the strength and joy to not just survive each day, but do it with less sinful behavior? (my words, not hers)

Kristen has written this relatable and convicting book to remind us in all seasons and contexts of motherhood that at the core, we have a heart and hand disconnect. We may display servants’ hands but not with servants’ hearts.

“My goal, then, is not to give you more things you must do or be, adding to your already-long-enough list of shoulds, nor will we grow in humility simply by focusing on our shortcomings and sins as we walk with Christ. The pages that follow are not about parenting; neither is this book a pep talk to bolster your self-confidence. It is not even directly about motherhood, although I’m praying your pursuit of motherhood is affected by it. Instead, this book is about a person whose heart we most need. It is about the truest definition and demonstration of humility. This book is a meditation on Christ—because what weary moms need is a long, lingering look at humility in the flesh, the beautiful and blessed Jesus, who reveals to us what servant-heartedness looks like.”

Kristen takes us through the book of John, from creation to Christ’s promised returning, to show us how Jesus created, sustains, satisfies, provides, leads, and loves us. How he has sacrificed for us, prays for us, and dwells with us.

Why is motherhood so hard?

Because of sin.

We are sinners. Our kids are sinners.

Behavior modification won’t fix all of our problems. We all need our hearts changed.

A major theme in this book is that we need to stop trying to be our own Savior or our kids’ Savior. We could never be. We will never be good enough moms on our own. We will never be good enough moms to rescue our children from their sinful hearts.

Only Christ can do that.

“Motherhood means sacrifice—your last bites of ice cream, your pre-baby body, those eight-straight hours of glorious nighttime sleep, your financial freedom, the clean car, the clean house, the clean shirt. All sacrificed on the altar of motherhood. In many symbolic ways, we are laying down our lives for our kids, and if it came to it, we know we would die for them. But we can’t save them from sin… we will never be able to sacrifice enough to remedy their biggest problem. And we will never be able to sacrifice enough to solve ours; no depth of guilt over our sins and failings and no amount of striving to be good enough will do.”  

That is the first thing we need to get right. To stop striving on our own. [ahem, read When Strivings Cease]

Everything we need we have in Christ and his Spirit who lives in us.

We are strengthened in motherhood because he gives us strength, endurance, patience, gentleness, love, joy, self-control, peace, kindness, and faithfulness.

I’m not sure if you can be a mom and NOT recognize your limitations.

“Jesus knows your limitations because he created them. Far from what we think and want to believe, our limitations are God-given. They are not mistakes, but are tailor-made by our Creator. True, some of our weaknesses are linked to sin and suffering… But many of our limitations are God-designed and intentionally given to us… So we will know, without a doubt, how much we need him, which is the best place we can be.”  

To be a humble mom we must know that the source of all we need is not within ourselves but in Him who Sustains us.

And when we are in Christ, he is making us new. He is transforming our hearts. We are given new desires.

Here are some quotes that depict some of the things that make us feel like failures:

“… our culture tells us that worth must be proven, that self-actualization is our goal, and that an idealistic home and children are what make us valuable.”  

“it’s hardest to serve our children when no one, or nothing, seems to be serving us in return, when our rights or authority (or even our very presence in the room!) seem disregarded, or when we are not getting what we want or think we deserve.” 

“the problem doesn’t lie in the good things we’d like to enjoy or the rest we need; it is when we grasp at those gifts like they are more important than other human beings.”  

“Even after an ideal day with our kids, we know how our heads hit the pillow wondering, Is this really all there is for me? This should have filled me up—why do I still feel so empty?”  

“Give me social media so I will not be lonely. Give me praise so I will not be undervalued. Give me opportunities so I will not feel useless. Give me obedient children so I will not be inconvenienced. Give me another purchase online so I will not be without… Within our hearts, thirst and worship are connected. Whatever we thirst for, we will worship. And whatever we worship, that we will thirst for.”

But when we look at the person of Christ in the book of John we see his gentle and lowly heart for his children. [ahem… read Gentle and Lowly]

We see his heart in his incarnation that he would take on flesh and live among sinners. We see his heart in his ministry as he heals and restores the outcasts and broken-hearted, how he serves the poor, the afflicted, the women, the children. We see his heart in his sacrifice on the cross, bearing the weight of the world’s sin to give us life. We see his heart in his intercession for us at the right hand of God— he didn’t just do his ‘work’ and go back to heaven hoping that we don’t screw everything up; he is praying for us and carrying us to the end. We see his heart in his promised return when he will come back and make all things right and bring ultimate restoration.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

He has given us the example of service out of compassion. And as mothers we can look at the place God has put us, the eternal souls we care for, and know that what we do is a privilege and we exemplify Christ when we do it.

Jesus understands our toils, our sacrifices, our needs. He lived them.

And he has come to give us help in the form of His Spirit, as already talked about, but also His Word.

“In your doubts, do you need to remember the truth of who God is today? In your discouragements—in all the trials that make motherhood hard, that make you forget how loved you are, that bring you to suspect God of holding out on you—do you need to remember all the ways Jesus has served you?”  

“We need Scripture so our faith does not wither, so we do not remake God in our own image, and so we become mothers who can discern truth from error.” 

We can’t expect to be humble moms if we aren’t filling ourselves up with Scripture. The Bible tells us who God is, what he has done, and what he is doing. It reminds us of his promises. It is his living Word that strengthens our faith, is the source of our joy and our hope, and makes us more like Him.

This book is one that I’ll probably come back to whenever I’ve lost sight of my Shepherd. Whenever the struggles and sacrifices of motherhood become too much and I need to be reminded of who I am in Christ and what I have because of it. When I need to set my eyes on the hope that is to come and be faithful in what he has given me now.

I would recommend this book to all moms or moms-to-be. (Sidenote: she does a good job of including adoptive, foster, and waiting moms)

I can’t think of a better quote to end this review with. Be encouraged, moms, God is bigger than any struggle we have in motherhood, no matter how daily, and His heart is for YOU.

“A piece of dark chocolate may help for a brief moment, but what we’re desperate for—what our souls truly long for and need most—is life-giving, lasting, unshakable joy in a risen Savior who walked out of his grave. We need eternal, living hope, a reality check that lifts our eyes and hearts off our circumstances to the unseen kingdom of Christ, our good and gracious Shepherd-King, who is alive, and is with us by his Spirit, and is working out all his purposes—even the hard ones in our homes—for his own honor and for our Christlikeness, our joy, our humility.” 

Extra Resources

Wetherell recommends the ‘Dwell’ app for an audio Bible

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund (I love this book! She quoted it a lot in Humble Moms)

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic

Parenting by Paul Tripp (this puts our parenting struggles in the framework of sin and the Spirit’s work)

Gospel-Centered Motherhood by Stefanie Boyles

Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle (emphasizes the importance of motherhood)

Becoming a Woman Whose God is Enough by Cynthia Heald

When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons

More Quotes

“Each day presents us with opportunities to lower ourselves as Christ lowered himself. And this is our privilege because it was his.”  

“As we wipe soiled bottoms for the millionth time—As we play the same imaginary game on repeat—As we try to understand the sadness behind our child’s tears—As we empty our supposed “rights” as mothers, laying aside our glory—We are not only serving our kids, we are serving the One who has first given up everything he deserved to serve us.”  

“Instead of being high and-mighty moms who wag our fingers at our kids, confused and frustrated that they keep getting it wrong, we will be moms on our knees, humble and prayerful, as we plead for Jesus to do what only he can do.” 

“No bad day of motherhood, no angry meltdown toward your kids, no attempts to escape from your circumstances, no wayward worship or mishandled thirst will shut off the fountain of rich mercy and grace that is in Jesus.” 

“You could anxiously fret. You could fear the future. You could over-analyze your every decision. You could numb out with entertainment, food and drink, work, or social media. You could strive with all your might to be a “great mom.” Or you could rest in the refuge of your Good Shepherd.” 

“When you’re tired of serving your kids; when you feel like giving up; when you’re discouraged and weary; when everything feels out of your control; when you’re sleep-deprived and can’t take another step; when your heart feels flat and cold; when you’re not sure how to face another mess, another conflict, or another day of motherhood, remember: You will see Jesus. You will be honored by the Father. And it will have been worth it all. We may not know what the outcome of our mothering work will be, but we know the outcome Jesus has worked for us. We know where we are headed. For the joy set before us—the joy of endlessly loving and serving him—we follow the One who has first served us (Heb. 12:1–2), who lost his life so we will keep ours for eternity. With eyes fixed on our humble Jesus, we will endure with faithfulness.”  

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

As a mama to three young kiddos, I need this message daily. What a must needed book for Mamas. I often feel overwhelmed in motherhood and need this Gospel reminder daily! This a must read for Mamas and would make a great gift to a new mom.

Humble Moms is a great book for moms that are in need of a little biblical encouragement. I like that the chapters are brief and manageable, and don't feel like another thing to add to a to do list. More so, I also appreciate the wrap up and prayers at the end of each chapter. Humble Moms is a welcome addition to my bookshelf and a book that I would recommend to moms.

Thanks to Netgalley and B&H Publishing Group for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.

There is a lot of potential in this book. It wasn’t what I was expecting and I’m not sure it’s the book for me. It’s not super ebook friendly which makes it difficult to read so unfortunately it’s a DNF from me. I wish the best of luck to the author. I know her audience is out there.