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Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline
Rich, soul-inspiring practices for moms who have neither quiet nor time.
Dirty laundry, crayon-smeared bills, and smashed crackers . . . And there’s your Bible―buried under a pile of diapers. Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, without a moment of peace and quiet, you wonder if the spiritual life you crave is even possible. But God sees you. He designed this parenting journey, after all. He understands the chaos of motherhood. And he joins you in everything―whether you’re scrubbing the floor, nursing a fussy newborn, or driving to soccer practice. Catherine McNiel invites you to connect with God right here, in the sacred mundane of every mothering moment.
Dirty laundry, crayon-smeared bills, and smashed crackers . . . And there’s your Bible―buried under a pile of diapers. Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, without a moment of peace and quiet, you wonder if the spiritual life you crave is even possible. But God sees you. He designed this parenting journey, after all. He understands the chaos of motherhood. And he joins you in everything―whether you’re scrubbing the floor, nursing a fussy newborn, or driving to soccer practice. Catherine McNiel invites you to connect with God right here, in the sacred mundane of every mothering moment.
208 pages, Paperback
Published March 7, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
October 1, 2017
I have read this book literally hundreds of times! But then again, I wrote it. :)
December 4, 2017
Catherine McNeil's book, Long Days of Small Things is as refreshing as it is brilliant. I've not read many books that are willing to explore mothering as a spiritual discipline. Catherine's book has the distinction of being grounded in the reality of mothering young children yet deeply spiritual. Here's a sample quote: "There are many forces that form our spirits, and two of the most potent are sacrifice and surrender. How we respond to them will determine if we emerge from life strong and beautiful or brittle and bitter. And in motherhood, we meet these twin crucibles every single day." If you are a follower of Jesus, a mother, and need some encouragement and perspective, this book is for you.
March 27, 2017
Since I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I’ve been extra wary of even small threads of mysticism that find their way into the fabric of a book dedicated to teaching others how to live the Christian life. One might suspect, then, that I wouldn’t readily choose to review a book endorsed by her . . . but I did. By the end of this review, I think you’ll understand why I’m glad I read Long Days of Small Things by Catherine McNiel.
Perhaps my main reason for selecting this book to review is the subtitle, “Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline.” For better or for worse, as I stand on the precipice (hopefully) of my own foray into parenting, I wanted to know what she meant by this. The spiritual disciplines of Scripture reading and meditation, prayer, worship, service, fasting . . . these are familiar to me. I wondered how the author would nestle motherhood into this list of soul-sanctifiers. I found my answer on p. 4: “Pursuing a deep spiritual life is simply not possible in this season [of motherhood], at least not in the ways we were taught. It seems the spiritual quest is one place where mothers, at least, cannot go.”
Turns out, she didn’t intend for motherhood to fit in that list of traditional disciplines of the Christian life. ” . . . my responsibilities [as a mother] rarely allow me to take a shower, much less sharpen spiritual practice. Silence and solitude? Never, ever, day or night. Prayer? Harder than you’d think after years of sleep deprivation” (p. 4). McNiel makes a few references to things she heard from the pulpit, things like to “have a genuine commitment to knowing God, we must spend at least an hour each day in silence and solitude” (p. 4). Were these pages typed in response to legalism, or to a standard she felt she couldn’t meet? In the first chapter alone, I took away three things:
The author seems to view herself as a victim.
She is willingly replacing the traditional disciplines with something else (to be determined at that point in my reading).
I didn’t suspect that I would finish this book.
I made it to p. 25 before giving up the ship. Here is why.
On p. 11, the author recommends emptying the mind as a good way to practice redemption. First of all, I don’t even have a category for how these two things are connected. Second of all, Scripture never tells us to empty our minds; it tells us to fill it with the Word and meditations on it.
Many times in the first chapter, the author suggests that you do physical things to connect with God. An example: Be aware of your steps, the way your feet connect with the ground, the movement of your muscles in each step. Scripture says that God speaks to us, connects with us, through His Word, not the muscles contracting in our legs.
This quote: “If, in becoming human, God somehow blessed the very act of being human, isn’t it possible that in all these daily acts of living he left a sacred residue as well?” (p. 25). What?
I’ll be honest; at this point, I began skimming. Quickly, and mostly the “application” sections. The mystical qualities of each chapter’s introductory text made little sense to me, and seemed tenuous and threadbare. I chose to skip those paragraphs.
I think, ultimately, the author had small, but valuable, jewels of truth buried in the pages of this book. But you have to dig, and the two tools you need to unearth them are discernment and a solid grasp on what God requires of those who follow Him.
We should slow down and live intentionally. I agree, but I think McNiel and I believe that intentional living serves different purposes. Best I can tell, the author prescribes intentional living for the purpose of being present in every moment, and that being the end, in and of itself. I would take that a step further; we must be present in the moment, such that we can discern how best to glorify God in any given situation. On p. 32, she urges, “Keep your mind on the task.” But the task is empty, not life-giving. In these moments of folding laundry and sweeping floors, can the mind not settle on the Lord in prayer? turn over verses of Scripture that have been buried in one’s heart?
We should use challenging circumstances as opportunities to grow. Again, I agree. But it should be remembered that the author asserts substituting things like driving, cooking, working, and sleeping for the traditional spiritual disciplines, as motherhood (according to her) does not afford one the time to pursue them. I am uncomfortable with this. If circumstances do not cause us to lean harder on the Lord and call out to Him in prayer, then are we not walking in our own strength?
We should remember our position as image-bearers of the Creator God. Yes and amen. But each time I encountered this concept in the book, it felt like a sweater that doesn’t fit correctly. I could be misunderstanding the words on the page, but it seems that the author’s reason to do this is to look at oneself for the miracle that one is. Yes, each human being is a miraculous creation of God! But creation should point to the Creator, right? And in seeing the Creator, one should desire to know if she, as an image-bearer, is reflecting His character properly to the world (turning to Scripture, of course, to know the depth and breadth of His character, such as a human on the earth can do).
I could go on, but I think the point is made. I am glad I read this book, because now I know not to recommend it to other women. The small bits of truth are not plentiful or readily available enough for consumption.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Tyndale House.
Perhaps my main reason for selecting this book to review is the subtitle, “Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline.” For better or for worse, as I stand on the precipice (hopefully) of my own foray into parenting, I wanted to know what she meant by this. The spiritual disciplines of Scripture reading and meditation, prayer, worship, service, fasting . . . these are familiar to me. I wondered how the author would nestle motherhood into this list of soul-sanctifiers. I found my answer on p. 4: “Pursuing a deep spiritual life is simply not possible in this season [of motherhood], at least not in the ways we were taught. It seems the spiritual quest is one place where mothers, at least, cannot go.”
Turns out, she didn’t intend for motherhood to fit in that list of traditional disciplines of the Christian life. ” . . . my responsibilities [as a mother] rarely allow me to take a shower, much less sharpen spiritual practice. Silence and solitude? Never, ever, day or night. Prayer? Harder than you’d think after years of sleep deprivation” (p. 4). McNiel makes a few references to things she heard from the pulpit, things like to “have a genuine commitment to knowing God, we must spend at least an hour each day in silence and solitude” (p. 4). Were these pages typed in response to legalism, or to a standard she felt she couldn’t meet? In the first chapter alone, I took away three things:
The author seems to view herself as a victim.
She is willingly replacing the traditional disciplines with something else (to be determined at that point in my reading).
I didn’t suspect that I would finish this book.
I made it to p. 25 before giving up the ship. Here is why.
On p. 11, the author recommends emptying the mind as a good way to practice redemption. First of all, I don’t even have a category for how these two things are connected. Second of all, Scripture never tells us to empty our minds; it tells us to fill it with the Word and meditations on it.
Many times in the first chapter, the author suggests that you do physical things to connect with God. An example: Be aware of your steps, the way your feet connect with the ground, the movement of your muscles in each step. Scripture says that God speaks to us, connects with us, through His Word, not the muscles contracting in our legs.
This quote: “If, in becoming human, God somehow blessed the very act of being human, isn’t it possible that in all these daily acts of living he left a sacred residue as well?” (p. 25). What?
I’ll be honest; at this point, I began skimming. Quickly, and mostly the “application” sections. The mystical qualities of each chapter’s introductory text made little sense to me, and seemed tenuous and threadbare. I chose to skip those paragraphs.
I think, ultimately, the author had small, but valuable, jewels of truth buried in the pages of this book. But you have to dig, and the two tools you need to unearth them are discernment and a solid grasp on what God requires of those who follow Him.
We should slow down and live intentionally. I agree, but I think McNiel and I believe that intentional living serves different purposes. Best I can tell, the author prescribes intentional living for the purpose of being present in every moment, and that being the end, in and of itself. I would take that a step further; we must be present in the moment, such that we can discern how best to glorify God in any given situation. On p. 32, she urges, “Keep your mind on the task.” But the task is empty, not life-giving. In these moments of folding laundry and sweeping floors, can the mind not settle on the Lord in prayer? turn over verses of Scripture that have been buried in one’s heart?
We should use challenging circumstances as opportunities to grow. Again, I agree. But it should be remembered that the author asserts substituting things like driving, cooking, working, and sleeping for the traditional spiritual disciplines, as motherhood (according to her) does not afford one the time to pursue them. I am uncomfortable with this. If circumstances do not cause us to lean harder on the Lord and call out to Him in prayer, then are we not walking in our own strength?
We should remember our position as image-bearers of the Creator God. Yes and amen. But each time I encountered this concept in the book, it felt like a sweater that doesn’t fit correctly. I could be misunderstanding the words on the page, but it seems that the author’s reason to do this is to look at oneself for the miracle that one is. Yes, each human being is a miraculous creation of God! But creation should point to the Creator, right? And in seeing the Creator, one should desire to know if she, as an image-bearer, is reflecting His character properly to the world (turning to Scripture, of course, to know the depth and breadth of His character, such as a human on the earth can do).
I could go on, but I think the point is made. I am glad I read this book, because now I know not to recommend it to other women. The small bits of truth are not plentiful or readily available enough for consumption.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Tyndale House.
May 8, 2018
In 1914, when Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as a national holiday to celebrate mothers, there’s no way he could have predicted the century of retail hoopla and family angst that would ride on the coattails of his intention to simply honor mothers and their role in the family. Maybe you, the mother in your home, are already feeling the crush of your generational sandwich: the desire to make time for your own mother on that special day while entering into the plans your husband and kids have made for you. And while you’re pondering that, maybe there’s the question of how to best show love to the mother of your precious grandchildren! Then, there’s your mother-in-law . . .
The recipe for this Mother’s Day brew doesn’t even begin to account for ingredients like the heartache of infertility or the disappointment of generational dysfunction. Maybe the path to a grace-filled Mother’s Day lies in the way we approach mothering as a way of life. What if we made a practice of celebrating year-round the women who have poured themselves into our lives? What if you began to value your own role in the body-and-soul nourishment of fussy newborns and fractious toddlers? How would your life be different if you embraced the high value of those hours spent in a mini-van and your prowess at getting the grass stains out of white baseball pants?
Rejoicing in the Spiritual Practice of Mothering
Catherine McNiel wrote Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline out of the experience of her own turbulence in the line of mothering duty. Well aware of the creaturely weakness that plagues her own journey, she offers life-giving practices and perspective-altering insights. She invites busy mums to attend to the work God wants to do in their souls and to join C.S. Lewis in realizing that “the world is crowded with Him. . . The real labour is to remember, to attend.” (xiii)
Sometimes we need the reminder that motherhood is a window to a deeper understanding of theological truth about the incarnation; that pregnancy is a miracle in which “the unbelievable becomes tangible” in our own flesh and bone, and that we make it through the years of mothering “one hour, one day at a time.” (149)
In a life that seems to yield not one minute for observing spiritual disciplines, McNiel urges mums to sink deeply into the practice of motherhood with its slow minutes and fast years and the multitude of mindlessly repetitive and yet very necessary tasks. Offered up to God with a heart of worship, the daily duties become a very spiritual practice, crashing through the artificial wall between the secular and the sacred.
When my four sons were all very young, I knew that my role consisted of the intensely physical routines of helping: trimming 40 finger and toe nails, pulling shirts on over tousled heads, tying shoe laces, and making sandwiches. Now that all my boys are taller than I am (and in many ways more competent!), my role is different, but my offering to them is still the same. Mothering is the pouring out of a life, one drop at a time, in an often unseen sacrifice and surrender that captivates soul, spirit, and body. The relationships that were forged in those early mothering days are the gift that helps me to pray with knowledge as I fold towels for the son who is going to carry them off to college in a laundry basket. The heart connection is what makes family gatherings and frequent phone calls so precious as I hear firsthand fresh stories about the lives they are building in other places.
The life-giving practice of motherhood is carried out over a lifetime as we present ourselves to God and to our children, over and over again, in a multitude of offerings that bind us to our families and strengthen our connection with God.
This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of my review which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.
The recipe for this Mother’s Day brew doesn’t even begin to account for ingredients like the heartache of infertility or the disappointment of generational dysfunction. Maybe the path to a grace-filled Mother’s Day lies in the way we approach mothering as a way of life. What if we made a practice of celebrating year-round the women who have poured themselves into our lives? What if you began to value your own role in the body-and-soul nourishment of fussy newborns and fractious toddlers? How would your life be different if you embraced the high value of those hours spent in a mini-van and your prowess at getting the grass stains out of white baseball pants?
Rejoicing in the Spiritual Practice of Mothering
Catherine McNiel wrote Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline out of the experience of her own turbulence in the line of mothering duty. Well aware of the creaturely weakness that plagues her own journey, she offers life-giving practices and perspective-altering insights. She invites busy mums to attend to the work God wants to do in their souls and to join C.S. Lewis in realizing that “the world is crowded with Him. . . The real labour is to remember, to attend.” (xiii)
Sometimes we need the reminder that motherhood is a window to a deeper understanding of theological truth about the incarnation; that pregnancy is a miracle in which “the unbelievable becomes tangible” in our own flesh and bone, and that we make it through the years of mothering “one hour, one day at a time.” (149)
In a life that seems to yield not one minute for observing spiritual disciplines, McNiel urges mums to sink deeply into the practice of motherhood with its slow minutes and fast years and the multitude of mindlessly repetitive and yet very necessary tasks. Offered up to God with a heart of worship, the daily duties become a very spiritual practice, crashing through the artificial wall between the secular and the sacred.
When my four sons were all very young, I knew that my role consisted of the intensely physical routines of helping: trimming 40 finger and toe nails, pulling shirts on over tousled heads, tying shoe laces, and making sandwiches. Now that all my boys are taller than I am (and in many ways more competent!), my role is different, but my offering to them is still the same. Mothering is the pouring out of a life, one drop at a time, in an often unseen sacrifice and surrender that captivates soul, spirit, and body. The relationships that were forged in those early mothering days are the gift that helps me to pray with knowledge as I fold towels for the son who is going to carry them off to college in a laundry basket. The heart connection is what makes family gatherings and frequent phone calls so precious as I hear firsthand fresh stories about the lives they are building in other places.
The life-giving practice of motherhood is carried out over a lifetime as we present ourselves to God and to our children, over and over again, in a multitude of offerings that bind us to our families and strengthen our connection with God.
This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of my review which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.
April 27, 2017
Tonight I read the new book Long Days of Small Things-Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline by Catherine McNiel. Every page.
I have a thousand thoughts about the redemption, reclamation, and renaming these thoughtful words bring to my history and dreams as a mother and a woman.
I have read dozens of books on parenting and and dozens of books on spiritual disciplines, but none that explain, simplify, and expand both topics with this clarity, grace and liberty. I feel empowered and ennobled. I feel respected and valuable to my family and the world. I'm thankful for my body, my story, and my role.
If you are in a small group with mothers, read this book together.
If you go to a group like MOPS have them bring Catherine to speak.
If you are going to a baby shower, include this book in your gift. And read it beforehand, so you can pick one of the passages to read to the women gathered.
A full review is available at familycompassionfocus.com
I have a thousand thoughts about the redemption, reclamation, and renaming these thoughtful words bring to my history and dreams as a mother and a woman.
I have read dozens of books on parenting and and dozens of books on spiritual disciplines, but none that explain, simplify, and expand both topics with this clarity, grace and liberty. I feel empowered and ennobled. I feel respected and valuable to my family and the world. I'm thankful for my body, my story, and my role.
If you are in a small group with mothers, read this book together.
If you go to a group like MOPS have them bring Catherine to speak.
If you are going to a baby shower, include this book in your gift. And read it beforehand, so you can pick one of the passages to read to the women gathered.
A full review is available at familycompassionfocus.com
February 12, 2017
This book was just what I needed in my life. Addressing the weary Mother who has no extra time for herself much less to have solitude and quiet to focus on the Lord, this book is an excellent reminder that being a Mother is oh,so important and that you are cultivating some amazing characteristics in the process. There is nothing quite like being a Mother that teaches one to be selfless and put others first as sometimes it feels like that is all you do!
Filled with sage insight and advice from someone who is still in the throngs of Motherhood this book is an excellent read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion
Filled with sage insight and advice from someone who is still in the throngs of Motherhood this book is an excellent read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion
April 25, 2018
This is an essential read for Christian moms, methinks--not because we need yet another manual to tell us what to do, but because we need precisely the opposite: a rich resource to remind us of the holiness of what we're already doing.
June 24, 2018
This will be a personal review because I’m going to tell you, right from the start, that Catherine McNiel is a treasured friend.
If you saw this book on the shelf with it’s bright photograph of a mother carrying a child who has muddied her back, and read the title, “Long Days of Small Things,” I love that you would know immediately what this book is about. The challenge to grow in love for Christ, husband and children through the long, hard, days is a relevant topic. Catherine’s rejection of the conventional, guilt producing, evangelical exhortation to sit in your beautiful, comfortable chair with ideal lighting and drink your coffee while reading your Bible every morning for an hour before your kids awake opens the door to good discussion about how to grow our souls through motherhood. Because it IS hard work, and we SHOULD be able to grow closer to the LORD through these long days without being saddled by the demands of the current cultural trend.
There are a lot of things I love about “Long Days of Small Things.” The concept that motherhood can be a unique pathway to knowing God better, and the challenge to seek closeness with God through our steepest paths and weakest moments is encouraging. I enjoyed the discussion of God’s revelation to Moses in Exodus and the working out of 1 Corinthians 13 as well as the often overlooked story of Hagar. The exhortation to intentionally harness music to soothe our troubled souls and walk us back the throne of God is welcome. Catherine’s style is reminiscent of Ann Voskamp (who wrote a recommendation for Long Days of Small Things) and her lyrical look at life is inspirational and cultivates a reverent orientation. This is not a book to be read cover to cover, but one to be savored one chapter at a time.
As I read, though, I became very aware that I am not the target market for this book. Mostly, because I’m weird. I have biologic, foster and adopted kids, all over the age of 8. We have connections to China, special needs, trauma, complex medical needs, home school and private school. I struggle daily with chronic pain, and I got a rather late start. I was only able to accomplish a single pregnancy and walked it as hallowed ground, knowing it might be my last. The long, sleepless, struggles of addled mind and crushed body have not subsided with the launch of one to college. Mine has been a non-normative path filled with different types of battles. While there is attempt to recognize the incredible breadth of mothering experience, I think a young mother with small children would be more nurtured by Catherine’s work than I. Additionally, mothers with biologic children will be able to appreciate Catherine’s thoughts more readily without the additional complications of pondering birth mothers and dark or unknown years of their children prior to adoption.
As with all precious friendships, there are also many things in which Catherine and I are not in complete agreement, which makes our discussions rich. While I’m sure you will find our disagreement over grapes intriguing (my love and her disdain), the most significant source of disconnect in regard to her book is the practice of mindfulness. There is no clear Biblical directive for or against this practice and Christians generally fall on a spectrum from complete rejection (it’s not our practice, but Buddhism) to mystical embrace (all religious experience brings us closer to whichever God you worship and the religious experience reigns supreme). What I am saying is that Catherine and I probably fall at different points in that spectrum. I will include links to articles so you can explore yourself.
For Mindfulness
http://www.christiantoday.com/article...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereol...
Against Mindfulness
http://biblicalcounselingcoalition.or...
http://www.albertmohler.com/2008/11/2...
I think my position most closely ties with Mohler. I am not against meditation on the Word, but I think we need to consciously seek out Biblical anchor in all we do, otherwise, we drift away, especially in the storms of life. Perhaps it is my own weakness that causes me to fear how easily I can get off track. I would have liked to see more emphasis on the Word of God as anchor of our soul during the wearying challenges of motherhood, and I found the emphasis on the Breath of God incomplete without an examination of the Image of God that separates us from the animals (and the teaching of other religious Scriptures).
And yet, Catherine and I agree on the need to seek God through every stage of life, love for husband and children, stretching ourselves in ministry and embodying the law in loving God and others. It’s a journey we are both stumbling our way through. I believe we also share the desire for “Long Days of Small Things” to help you grow closer to the LORD on your way.
For further reading on the pursuit of God, these books expand on Catherine’s work, but lack the focus of a mother with small children that makes her work unique.
Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, 1691
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
We Would See Jesus, Hesson & Hesson, 1958
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sacred Parenting, Thomas, 2004
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ten Thousand Gifts, Voskamp, 2011
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you saw this book on the shelf with it’s bright photograph of a mother carrying a child who has muddied her back, and read the title, “Long Days of Small Things,” I love that you would know immediately what this book is about. The challenge to grow in love for Christ, husband and children through the long, hard, days is a relevant topic. Catherine’s rejection of the conventional, guilt producing, evangelical exhortation to sit in your beautiful, comfortable chair with ideal lighting and drink your coffee while reading your Bible every morning for an hour before your kids awake opens the door to good discussion about how to grow our souls through motherhood. Because it IS hard work, and we SHOULD be able to grow closer to the LORD through these long days without being saddled by the demands of the current cultural trend.
There are a lot of things I love about “Long Days of Small Things.” The concept that motherhood can be a unique pathway to knowing God better, and the challenge to seek closeness with God through our steepest paths and weakest moments is encouraging. I enjoyed the discussion of God’s revelation to Moses in Exodus and the working out of 1 Corinthians 13 as well as the often overlooked story of Hagar. The exhortation to intentionally harness music to soothe our troubled souls and walk us back the throne of God is welcome. Catherine’s style is reminiscent of Ann Voskamp (who wrote a recommendation for Long Days of Small Things) and her lyrical look at life is inspirational and cultivates a reverent orientation. This is not a book to be read cover to cover, but one to be savored one chapter at a time.
As I read, though, I became very aware that I am not the target market for this book. Mostly, because I’m weird. I have biologic, foster and adopted kids, all over the age of 8. We have connections to China, special needs, trauma, complex medical needs, home school and private school. I struggle daily with chronic pain, and I got a rather late start. I was only able to accomplish a single pregnancy and walked it as hallowed ground, knowing it might be my last. The long, sleepless, struggles of addled mind and crushed body have not subsided with the launch of one to college. Mine has been a non-normative path filled with different types of battles. While there is attempt to recognize the incredible breadth of mothering experience, I think a young mother with small children would be more nurtured by Catherine’s work than I. Additionally, mothers with biologic children will be able to appreciate Catherine’s thoughts more readily without the additional complications of pondering birth mothers and dark or unknown years of their children prior to adoption.
As with all precious friendships, there are also many things in which Catherine and I are not in complete agreement, which makes our discussions rich. While I’m sure you will find our disagreement over grapes intriguing (my love and her disdain), the most significant source of disconnect in regard to her book is the practice of mindfulness. There is no clear Biblical directive for or against this practice and Christians generally fall on a spectrum from complete rejection (it’s not our practice, but Buddhism) to mystical embrace (all religious experience brings us closer to whichever God you worship and the religious experience reigns supreme). What I am saying is that Catherine and I probably fall at different points in that spectrum. I will include links to articles so you can explore yourself.
For Mindfulness
http://www.christiantoday.com/article...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereol...
Against Mindfulness
http://biblicalcounselingcoalition.or...
http://www.albertmohler.com/2008/11/2...
I think my position most closely ties with Mohler. I am not against meditation on the Word, but I think we need to consciously seek out Biblical anchor in all we do, otherwise, we drift away, especially in the storms of life. Perhaps it is my own weakness that causes me to fear how easily I can get off track. I would have liked to see more emphasis on the Word of God as anchor of our soul during the wearying challenges of motherhood, and I found the emphasis on the Breath of God incomplete without an examination of the Image of God that separates us from the animals (and the teaching of other religious Scriptures).
And yet, Catherine and I agree on the need to seek God through every stage of life, love for husband and children, stretching ourselves in ministry and embodying the law in loving God and others. It’s a journey we are both stumbling our way through. I believe we also share the desire for “Long Days of Small Things” to help you grow closer to the LORD on your way.
For further reading on the pursuit of God, these books expand on Catherine’s work, but lack the focus of a mother with small children that makes her work unique.
Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, 1691
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
We Would See Jesus, Hesson & Hesson, 1958
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sacred Parenting, Thomas, 2004
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ten Thousand Gifts, Voskamp, 2011
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 10, 2018
It is so tempting to accept the traditional paradigms of practicing faith: quiet contemplation, hours spent in prayer and scripture study, serving the poor and sick. Yet, as parents, especially when our kids are small, these devotions seem like luxuries far out of reach. This book and its author offer the parched souls of parents a different perspective, helping us to see that the endless work of parenting places the things of God at our fingertips, if we can only learn to see them.
In each chapter, McNeil tells her own story, weaving in the stories of other mothers, and bears witness to the holiness God has wrought in and through her parenting. After the stories, and some pieces of beautifully encouraging theology, she offers spiritual practices to try. And here is the genius of her book: none of these practices are extra work, things to add to your never-ending to-do list. Every spiritual disciplines is simply an invitation to pay attention to the work you are already doing in a new way. “Motherhood may keep us from the traditional disciplines but only by offering a banquet table spread with spiritually formative adventures…We don’t need to put aside our creaturely existence to find [God] on some holy plane. [God] is waiting for us here.”
This book has given me hope for my spiritual life at a moment where I desperately needed someone to tell me I’m not doing it all wrong. So, thank God for Catherine McNeil, and for this book she wrote, which you might just need as badly as I did. A great gift for Mother's Day!
In each chapter, McNeil tells her own story, weaving in the stories of other mothers, and bears witness to the holiness God has wrought in and through her parenting. After the stories, and some pieces of beautifully encouraging theology, she offers spiritual practices to try. And here is the genius of her book: none of these practices are extra work, things to add to your never-ending to-do list. Every spiritual disciplines is simply an invitation to pay attention to the work you are already doing in a new way. “Motherhood may keep us from the traditional disciplines but only by offering a banquet table spread with spiritually formative adventures…We don’t need to put aside our creaturely existence to find [God] on some holy plane. [God] is waiting for us here.”
This book has given me hope for my spiritual life at a moment where I desperately needed someone to tell me I’m not doing it all wrong. So, thank God for Catherine McNeil, and for this book she wrote, which you might just need as badly as I did. A great gift for Mother's Day!
November 27, 2017
On page sixty-six of Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline, Catherine McNeil asks this profound question: “Is it possible that, in the wonder of creation and Incarnation and the life-giving routines we are always acting out, we pass through sacraments—are covered in, coated in, up to our elbows in sacraments—every day?” And this is the question she explores throughout the book. Can the mundane moments of motherhood be made sacred? Here she shows us that, yes, even in the long days, God is there with us and what feels like our small offering is pleasing and acceptable in His sight.
October 3, 2018
Honestly, at first, I approached this book with the thought - oh, more spiritual practices I don’t have time for as a busy mom. Another book to tell me what I should be doing and I’ll try for a little bit but then just end up feeling guilty I am not doing better at it. In just the first few pages I knew this wasn’t the “do more” mom book I had been expecting. It was the how-to practice God’s presence in the midst of the noise of motherhood book I never thought anyone would write. It was the Practice of the Presence of God for 21st-century women. It was more than soul-inspiring to me. It was life-giving. I highly recommend this book to any mom, especially the one who wants to find God in everyday life. This book will be like a friend guiding you there.
April 28, 2024
This book is amazing, I wish someone had dropped it in my lap when I was in the thick of it with my then newborn and trying to figure out motherhood as a Christian woman. Even though I got to read it much later, I still got a lot out of this. It surprised me how some of the things she describes were so intuitive and matching my own experience with raising little ones.
This is the story of motherhood I wish I heard more often - real struggles and real joy going foot by foot.
I was drawn to it because of the name: “Motherhood as a spiritual discipline” but lingered quite a while before diving in. I think I was anxious that it would not deliver what it promised - the real experience of mothers along side living a spiritual life but I was worried for no reason as it turns out. I loved it and it was exactly I was looking for since I had my first babe.
I highly recommend it to all young mamas looking for a voice of women who have gone the journey.
This is the story of motherhood I wish I heard more often - real struggles and real joy going foot by foot.
I was drawn to it because of the name: “Motherhood as a spiritual discipline” but lingered quite a while before diving in. I think I was anxious that it would not deliver what it promised - the real experience of mothers along side living a spiritual life but I was worried for no reason as it turns out. I loved it and it was exactly I was looking for since I had my first babe.
I highly recommend it to all young mamas looking for a voice of women who have gone the journey.
March 6, 2017
Catherine McNiel has a gift for pushing through the mundane to discover the spiritual. In the pages of Long Days of Small Things she writes, “Walk with me in these pages through daily life, with all its beauty and pain. We’ll look honestly at the journey of motherhood and the spiritual fruit that hides there.” She calls mothers to pause in the midst of changing diapers, washing piles of grass-stained clothes, and preparing endless meals to see, hear, touch, and taste the goodness of God. She beautifully and thoughtfully elevates the role of motherhood by reminding us that God chose to show up in our world in the womb of a woman.
June 24, 2019
With refreshing wisdom and lyrical prose, Catherine invites us to savor the sacred inside of long days full of seemingly insignificant tasks. No job is too small or insignificant in the eyes of God, and it is so easy, as a mom, to feel unimportant and overlooked. This book was encouraging, and nourishing for my mother soul.
February 16, 2017
Long Days of Small Things
Motherhood as a spiritual discipline
By Catherine McNiel
This books is offering rich, soul-inspiring practices specially for mom who have neither quite nor time and also invites us to connect with God better than never before. Catherine has written so beautifully of a woman spiritual pathway to God the author also had passing her experience from the word to word that had been found from her journey of the spaghetti days of family, The wonder of pregnancy and birthing, and above all the sacredness into motherhood. This book also help a weary parent weak up a bit more to the eternal life living explains simple ways to practice God's presence in daily routines. These practical suggestions put worship within reach of everyday busy mom, gently explaining how to live in the present of find God in the chaos chasing kids. This will change how to view with life and motherhood. with more detail inside like Finding the householder's path 1, She carried God under her heart, With the help of God created a man !, Flowing with milk and honey, Made in the image of God's love, All nighter with God and much more spirit inside this book. Catherine McNiel survived her children's preschool years by learning to find beauty in the mayhem. Now, she write to open the eyes of weary moms to God's creative, redemptive work in each day. She serves alongside her husband in a community-based ministry while she cares if thee kids, works two jobs, and grows one enormous garden. I highly recommend to everyone must to read this book.
" I received a complimentary copy of the book for review from Tyndale House "
Motherhood as a spiritual discipline
By Catherine McNiel
This books is offering rich, soul-inspiring practices specially for mom who have neither quite nor time and also invites us to connect with God better than never before. Catherine has written so beautifully of a woman spiritual pathway to God the author also had passing her experience from the word to word that had been found from her journey of the spaghetti days of family, The wonder of pregnancy and birthing, and above all the sacredness into motherhood. This book also help a weary parent weak up a bit more to the eternal life living explains simple ways to practice God's presence in daily routines. These practical suggestions put worship within reach of everyday busy mom, gently explaining how to live in the present of find God in the chaos chasing kids. This will change how to view with life and motherhood. with more detail inside like Finding the householder's path 1, She carried God under her heart, With the help of God created a man !, Flowing with milk and honey, Made in the image of God's love, All nighter with God and much more spirit inside this book. Catherine McNiel survived her children's preschool years by learning to find beauty in the mayhem. Now, she write to open the eyes of weary moms to God's creative, redemptive work in each day. She serves alongside her husband in a community-based ministry while she cares if thee kids, works two jobs, and grows one enormous garden. I highly recommend to everyone must to read this book.
" I received a complimentary copy of the book for review from Tyndale House "
May 23, 2018
In some ways, it didn't feel like this book was written for me. It uses a language for God that makes me squirm and expresses a faith that is a tad bit foreign from my own. There were things that didn't echo with my own heart but there was so much that did.
I'm a first-time mom with a six month old baby. I've struggled to find time to read this book simply because she's become the active feeder and it's hard to hold an actual book (rather than my Kindle) during feedings and so it took me a whole lot longer than I thought it should to savor these words.
Catherine McNiel invites moms just like me to slow down and pay attention. At times, this seems repetitive. It feels like the practices she's offering are exactly the same and sometimes like it's just too much to hold in your head while changing another dirty diaper, nursing, driving to the grocery store, tackling the clutter on the counters (I loved this one), nursing and so many other moments where we could pause and pay attention to what God is doing in this moment. I loved this reminder just to notice the many ways that God is incarnate. God is tending the holy with us. It is truly something to celebrate.
I'm so grateful for this nudge to my spirit to practice motherhood in the same way I've tried to practice my faith and my ministry.
I'm a first-time mom with a six month old baby. I've struggled to find time to read this book simply because she's become the active feeder and it's hard to hold an actual book (rather than my Kindle) during feedings and so it took me a whole lot longer than I thought it should to savor these words.
Catherine McNiel invites moms just like me to slow down and pay attention. At times, this seems repetitive. It feels like the practices she's offering are exactly the same and sometimes like it's just too much to hold in your head while changing another dirty diaper, nursing, driving to the grocery store, tackling the clutter on the counters (I loved this one), nursing and so many other moments where we could pause and pay attention to what God is doing in this moment. I loved this reminder just to notice the many ways that God is incarnate. God is tending the holy with us. It is truly something to celebrate.
I'm so grateful for this nudge to my spirit to practice motherhood in the same way I've tried to practice my faith and my ministry.
September 16, 2018
This book is a MUST-READ for mothers everywhere. Whether you carried a child in your womb or in the depths of your soul through adoption, Catherine helps you see the spiritual value and the spiritual disciplines you have at your fingetips every single day. We don't have to wait for the kids to grow up to find time to grow in our relationship with God. So good. I'm going to begin reading it again. It is a read that you can find new insights each time.
May 7, 2018
An encouraging blend of theology and motherhood. In considering the everyday, often mundane tasks of being a mom, the author reveals all the ways we are already practicing the spiritual disciplines of our faith; things like perseverance, sacrifice and nurture. Full of practical tips for stepping into these spiritual spaces throughout the day as well. What a treasure.
May 14, 2023
I might re read this book a hundred times before the year is over. It was a nice book to read after getting the kids to bed. I'm not super religious but this was just... Helpful? Insightful? I don't know, it just made me feel better about mom life.
August 3, 2019
I loved this book! This is all about how exhausting and trying motherhood is and how you may feel like you're failing as a Christian but just the act of mothering gives you so many opportunities to practice faith and selflessness. It may look different than before, but motherhood is a spiritual journey and we just need to notice and embrace God in the midst. So good!
December 26, 2017
I read this book accidentally at the same time I was reading "Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters" by Erica Komisar. (see https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... )
They fit together beautifully.
Motherhood is hard. VERY hard sometimes. But with the hardship comes the great peace and contentment and joy which comes from training and running for a marathon. None of us downplay the difficulty of being a mother, but this book brings a much needed perspective, that motherhood is a spiritual discipline.
Each chapter highlights a discipline with a timeline in motherhood --
Incarnation in practice -- body / breastfeeding / water
Nurture in practice -- cherish / discipline / sleep
Service and Solitude in practice -- silence / diapers / work
Sacrifice and Surrender in practice -- pain / driving / clutter
Perseverance in practice -- routine / gratitude / music
I love the way that the author has elevated the hidden and behind-the-scenes work of a mother. We need to revere mothers who sacrifice and nurture and not look down on them. The work of nurturing is CRITICALLY important and literally cannot be done by another person as well as by a mother. See my review of "Being There", and you'll see that mothers are not inter-changable with other caregivers. And the work they do is the foundation for a child who grows up to be a well adjusted and healthy and contributing member of society.
Highly recommended!
They fit together beautifully.
Motherhood is hard. VERY hard sometimes. But with the hardship comes the great peace and contentment and joy which comes from training and running for a marathon. None of us downplay the difficulty of being a mother, but this book brings a much needed perspective, that motherhood is a spiritual discipline.
Each chapter highlights a discipline with a timeline in motherhood --
Incarnation in practice -- body / breastfeeding / water
Nurture in practice -- cherish / discipline / sleep
Service and Solitude in practice -- silence / diapers / work
Sacrifice and Surrender in practice -- pain / driving / clutter
Perseverance in practice -- routine / gratitude / music
I love the way that the author has elevated the hidden and behind-the-scenes work of a mother. We need to revere mothers who sacrifice and nurture and not look down on them. The work of nurturing is CRITICALLY important and literally cannot be done by another person as well as by a mother. See my review of "Being There", and you'll see that mothers are not inter-changable with other caregivers. And the work they do is the foundation for a child who grows up to be a well adjusted and healthy and contributing member of society.
Highly recommended!
April 23, 2018
Christians rarely handle the tension of physical and spiritual well, and as mothers, it’s so easily to feel lost in the physical demands of caring for needy children and, as a result, feel like spiritual failures. Many parenting books I’ve read aim to call mothers to fight for time in the Word (of which I’m a complete advocate as well), but leave them feeling defeated for lack of time, energy, and/or focus. This book was such a compassionate invitation to tired moms to experience the nearness of God right where we are. It gave permission to stop trying to escape the mundane but rather to accept it, to lean into it, and to trust that God is faithful to meet us there as well. Being more theologically conservative, I might share concerns about a more mystical approach to “meeting with God,” and yet the author demonstrates a commitment to Scripture that provides the anchor for these types of grounding practices. As Christian women, we need to stop being afraid to live our lives in actual bodies – feet on the ground, hands in the dirt – and Catherine extends an invitation that is nourishing and refreshing. And her writing is beautiful – light and readable while being beautifully crafted and theologically rich. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to other moms in the trenches.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author; this review is my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author; this review is my own.
February 19, 2017
Written with authenticity and humility (and beautiful language), Catherine McNiel shares her struggles as a mom trying to balance a desire for a rich spiritual life with the demands and physical needs of small children who allow little time for solitude and prayer. She acknowledges that moms pass through seasons when time for spiritual practices and disciplines are barely existent. Bringing hope to young and weary mothers, McNiel offers ways to practice spiritual disciplines right in the hectic messiness of raising small children. “The beckoning my heart heard is not to run off into seclusion, shrouding myself in prayers and candles until I find Him….no, for mothers and house-holders everywhere, the beckoning is to go back into the flesh and blood world of crumbs in the car seat and missed-nap tantrums—and find Him there.”
She offers practical advice at the end of the each chapter, encouraging busy moms to be present, to stop and worship, experience gratitude, and listen right where they are, remembering God with each breath, staying present in the daily tasks rather than rushing through the to-do list (my own guilty practice). As she examines the daily routines of young families, she imbues each moment with spiritual practices, offering motherhood back to readers in a redeemed, honorable and hopeful state. A wonderful gift choice for any busy young mom.
She offers practical advice at the end of the each chapter, encouraging busy moms to be present, to stop and worship, experience gratitude, and listen right where they are, remembering God with each breath, staying present in the daily tasks rather than rushing through the to-do list (my own guilty practice). As she examines the daily routines of young families, she imbues each moment with spiritual practices, offering motherhood back to readers in a redeemed, honorable and hopeful state. A wonderful gift choice for any busy young mom.
March 10, 2018
I have read many books on motherhood and parenting, so I did not expect to find anything really new in this reading. I was pleasantly surprised though with the immense spiritual value presented. In the modern (and not so modern) sacred/spiritual split, mothers are often left feeling too harried to grow spiritually the way we feel we ought to. McNiel beautifully articulates that God is bigger than the craziness of our schedules and that He works through, not just around, these distractions to bring us into the image of Christ. Her book focuses on the female experience, and she states, “If our daily experiences are so entirely singular, why shouldn’t our spiritual disciplines be uniquely suited to us as well?”
I have known for years that being a mother has changed me and has revealed my need for a savior in ways I could not have imagined. As I read this book, I nodded and smiled as she explained what we all knew but needed to hear affirmed: motherhood is not a side note to our spiritual journey. She unpacks these great theological truths but adds practical application that is accessible to all.
I have since recommended this book to my mothering friends and bought it for others. You will be blessed!
I have known for years that being a mother has changed me and has revealed my need for a savior in ways I could not have imagined. As I read this book, I nodded and smiled as she explained what we all knew but needed to hear affirmed: motherhood is not a side note to our spiritual journey. She unpacks these great theological truths but adds practical application that is accessible to all.
I have since recommended this book to my mothering friends and bought it for others. You will be blessed!
September 7, 2017
Does anyone become a mother fully prepared for the chaos of motherhood or for the incredible responsibility in brings? I think I knew that there is not much in the early years of motherhood (or ever?) that sound like “quiet” or “time” or “uninterrupted”. But after nights of little to no sleep, work deadlines that don’t care if you are tired or how much laundry you need to fold, and days of never ending busy, it’s hard to figure out how to practically refill your own heart and soul so you can adequately mother and train your children. I read the pages of this book with tears in my eyes because it really did hit so close to home. It was so practical, and simple, and filled with hope that even though “quiet time” might not look the same as it did before children, it is possible to find a way to reconnect, be refreshed, and refocus on the important things.
It was a refreshing perspective on the little years when you know they go quickly, but they don’t really feel like it when you’re in the middle of sleepless days and sickness and perpetual messes. Definitely a book I will share with other mamas!
It was a refreshing perspective on the little years when you know they go quickly, but they don’t really feel like it when you’re in the middle of sleepless days and sickness and perpetual messes. Definitely a book I will share with other mamas!
May 31, 2017
Loved this take on motherhood as a gift, grace and spiritual discipline - stretching, growing, expanding us as women (and men) through simple, daily acts of service and love. Very affirming that although the traditional spiritual disciplines of quiet, solitude, meditation, prayer, fasting etc may be elusive at this stage of life, God is with us in all of the wonderful mess of raising children.
A note on format: if I was being picky, I think the beginning chapters of the book really struck me particularly. I wonder if perhaps it didn't need to be quite so long (it wasn't laborious, a light read, but I felt all of the essential points were made and then repeated...) but it is certainly a point worth drumming home; God is incarnational in nature and it was women (not men!) who were chosen to be involved in Jesus' birth and also the first to witness and proclaim his resurrection to new life- only the two most significant chapters of his life! What we do day-in and day-out is not insignificant, rather it is very close to God's own heart.
A note on format: if I was being picky, I think the beginning chapters of the book really struck me particularly. I wonder if perhaps it didn't need to be quite so long (it wasn't laborious, a light read, but I felt all of the essential points were made and then repeated...) but it is certainly a point worth drumming home; God is incarnational in nature and it was women (not men!) who were chosen to be involved in Jesus' birth and also the first to witness and proclaim his resurrection to new life- only the two most significant chapters of his life! What we do day-in and day-out is not insignificant, rather it is very close to God's own heart.
August 21, 2024
This book meets a mother where she is, caught in everyday mundane existence with no way to the picture-perfect living room or clean and cozy baby room, no time for a candle and a cup of tea, not an hour to pray and journal and read her Bible and consider Christ. Not the quiet of an uninterrupted church service. Consider God and His good gifts in the midst of the struggle of motherhood. Make the messy tasks of motherhood, this place where God has you right now, the place where you meet Him and the ground that cultivates the fruit of the Spirit. She offers tangible ways to practice seeking God and experiencing Hid presence and seeing His good gifts now -- in the midst of everyday motherhood. And for this I'm very grateful.
February 10, 2018
Before reading this book, when I thought about spiritual discipline, I imagined sitting down in solitude, quietly studying the Bible or books and writing about my findings. Catherine McNiel shows how we can pursue a spirit filled life as a mother, amidst the dirty dishes, the screaming babies, the deadlines, the car pools and everything else that motherhood entails. Spiritual growth comes from practicing discipline over time. We find God through this pursuit.
Favorite quote: "Our babies have done nothing to earn our love, but no matter how tired or exasperated they make us, we cannot simply stop loving and caring for them. This love has become our reality. It is our identity."
The author starts off with this and then explains the Hebrews are the "babies" of God. They did nothing to earn God's love but His identity is wrapped up in that love.
Favorite quote: "Our babies have done nothing to earn our love, but no matter how tired or exasperated they make us, we cannot simply stop loving and caring for them. This love has become our reality. It is our identity."
The author starts off with this and then explains the Hebrews are the "babies" of God. They did nothing to earn God's love but His identity is wrapped up in that love.
August 18, 2018
I loved this book, mostly because of the practical application in every single chapter allowing me to truly put into practice the different aspects of abiding with God through my day. Highly recommend!
January 2, 2018
Excellent book written for mothers of young children -- or any of us dealing with people, big or small.
"Attitudes are a magic wand: They can take something wonderful and make it miserable or take something miserable and make it okay."
"Gratitude never ignores the trials; rather, gratitude highlights the gifts and gently moves them over to center stage, allowing us to generate the strength we need to combat real problems."
"The disciplines are to compel ourselves; to train our anxious, busy minds to quiet in His presence; to rest like a well-fed infant in His arms."
"We wouldn't need so many reminders to rejoice unless we so often didn't feel like rejoicing."
"Attitudes are a magic wand: They can take something wonderful and make it miserable or take something miserable and make it okay."
"Gratitude never ignores the trials; rather, gratitude highlights the gifts and gently moves them over to center stage, allowing us to generate the strength we need to combat real problems."
"The disciplines are to compel ourselves; to train our anxious, busy minds to quiet in His presence; to rest like a well-fed infant in His arms."
"We wouldn't need so many reminders to rejoice unless we so often didn't feel like rejoicing."
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