Encouragement for the Hard Days: Favorite Books + Devotionals

Okay, I sort of take back some of what I said about summer.

The past couple of weeks have been HARD. The days have been LONG. The house has been MESSY. I've had a teething baby, a sick toddler, and an injured leg which makes chasing everyone not the easiest.

Have you ever heard of a Highly Sensitive Person? I have recently been made aware of the term, and I am one, all the way. (One of my children is also one.) Mess and chaos make my head spin, and so does having everyone in the house, all day, every day.

Usually when the going gets rough, the stack of books on my bedside table increases tenfold. I’m not typically one to reread books, but I do have a couple of favorites that speak to me when mothering has me down for the count, and I have pulled all of them out this week.

Here they are, in case you’re in the trenches too, or if you know someone who is.

Loving the Little Years: I love this book. I just started re-reading it this morning. It’s written by a mom of five who has no illusions about life with little kids because her kids are all still young. The tagline is “Motherhood in the Trenches.” It’s short and sweet and never preachy.

Out of the Spin Cycle: I love Jen Hatmaker. She’s not what you’d typically think of in a Christian author, and her writing is funny, sometimes sarcastic, and irreverent. She gets it! This book helps me feel like I can breathe again.

Savor: I’m currently working my way through this year-long devotional. It’s the first Shauna Niequist book/devotional I’ve ever read and I really love her. I feel like I know her! Her writing reminds me of Jen Hatmaker. I could see this devotional being perfect for women of all different ages and in many different stages of life.

Another one I haven’t read, but have heard good things about, is Mitten Strings for God. Maybe it will be next on my list!

Do you have any favorite books that lift you up?