Sometimes the title says it all, and sometimes it falls a little short. Here’s a book that’s much more than you might suspect from its title.
Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Moms, by Tim Challies, is a mere 124 pages long but is packed with encouragement, wisdom, exhortation, and downright fascinating stories about eleven famous Christian men and their mothers. I’ve read books similar to this before (such as Lamplighter’s Mothers of Famous Men), and they’ve been about what I’ve expected: fairly interesting stories about strong and virtuous women who’ve raised children on to greatness, in a wise and godly manner. This one is so much more.
What makes Devoted different?
- First and foremost, Challies is an excellent writer, theologian, and storyteller. The book is concise, easy to read, and tells an enthralling story on every page. (And for all the years that this book has been on my TBR list, this is pretty much what I thought the book was—which is enough, but it’s actually so much more…)
- Two women (I assume mothers) had a significant role in the making of this book. Rebecca Stark and Melissa Edgington wrote questions for reflection at the end of each chapter. Now, I don’t know about you, but sometimes “questions for reflection” disappoint me—especially in books written to women readers—with their vagueness, their simplicity, or their heavy reliance on feelings. Not these questions. I’m happy to report that these questions (usually five for each chapter) will challenge you as a mom and as a Christian, with specific, practical suggestions and things to think about, while also acknowledging the role that our emotions play in motherhood.
- “A Mother’s Reflection” follows each chapter, as well. In his Introduction, Challies says that Melissa “prepared a brief response to each of the biographies.” From the point of view of a reading mother, I’m going to state it a little more strongly. These reflections are pure gold, zeroing in on the relevance of the story to all kinds of moms: single moms, new moms, moms of prodigals, moms of grown children, “ordinary” moms, moms with a theological or intellectual bent, moms who spent only a few years with their child, busy moms, hard-working moms—all of us. I believe this would apply not only to biological moms, but to adoptive and spiritual moms, as well.
- One last critical point: just as the stories apply to all moms, this isn’t a book only for moms of sons. Every word of it is helpful, inspiring, and edifying to moms of daughters, as well.
- Also, isn’t the cover gorgeous?
This isn’t just one of my favorite books I’ve read this year; it’s one of my favorite books for moms ever. I want to give a copy to every mom I know, but since I can’t do that, the next best thing I can do is recommend that you buy this short, inexpensive book for yourself or for a mom who could use encouraging stories and wise reflections as she raises babies, shepherds the young, or prays for adult children in her life.
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Great and Noble Tasks 