Twelve years ago, pregnant with my daughter and not a penny to our name, my husband and I moved from Connecticut down to North Carolina for me to “write a book for mothers of daughters.”
I mean, there were other reasons too, but mainly I was leaving full time ministry to stay home and start writing. In truth, I had no ever loving clue what I was doing. At mothering or writing!
But we press forward, right? We take one step at a time, doing the best we know how to, and we keep moving on towards where we sense God is beckoning us.
You see, for four years in youth ministry I mentored young women. I saw their insecurity and body image issues that so closely mirrored my own and it broke my heart. First I would think, “I have to be better for them.” And then I would think, “I wonder if their Mom knows to the extent that they struggle?”
With determination in my heart and a baby girl on my lap I set out to help all of us Moms slay insecurity dead once and for all! And shortly after that, a self-published book called “Your Daughter Needs a Hero” was born.
Years passed by.
My daughter grew, I grew, and dug deep into the ministry of loving on women. Over the years I had many conversations about the content of the book and I also began to see the fruit of it working in our own home. Then in one fell swoop it was over.
During around the same time that Breaking the Fear Cycle was about to release with Revell, I got an email: “Maria we are sorry, but this self-publishing company is closing its doors. Your Daughter Needs a Hero will no longer be in print.”
I was devastated! All those years later God was still working confidence miracles in me and my family and now it was seemingly being tossed out the window. But God had a plan, and He began a re-birth plan for Your Daughter Needs a Hero.
The cool thing is, that 10 years later, the message is still very needed. And my passion for Moms modeling confidence, is still very much applicable. Actually, now more than ever!
So the original content got a make over and a really AWESOME one.
Learn biblical principles that help us put aside our obsession with bodily perfection and refocus on becoming and raising godly women.
Here we sit today. The journey has never been easy, and while the insecure struggles will always come knocking, there is now a clear plan. For this I am so grateful to God and I pray He would continue His confidence work in you and in me!
Some of the ideas in Confident Moms, Confident Daughters might seem odd, many counter-cultural, and the people around you will undoubtedly think you are weird. But for real, who cares right?! If at the end of this we are more happy in our bodies and can stand up with confidence in who we are, then this a battle that is worth standing tall for.
What about you? Where were you 15 years ago? What were you like as a teen? If I asked your daughter if her mom is confident, what would she say?
There are no right or wrong answers here, but if you’d allow me, I’d like to lead you on this journey and see where it takes us.
I’m praying for us always!