Have you ever read a parenting book and closed it with a sigh and a heavy sense of inadequacy? Did you feel you couldn't live up to the author's ideals?

This book is different. Author Mary DeMuth takes us on a vulnerable passage into parenthood, the place where we most want to succeed, and fear we fail the most. Instead of overwhelming the reader with a list of "dos" and "don'ts," she talks candidly about the parenting journey and offers encouragement, practical suggestions, and lots of grace.

Some of the major themes include: receiving the grace Jesus offers; finding mentors; understanding that parenting is from the inside-out; forgiving our parents; letting go of the comparison game; and finding support.

The concept that most encouraged me is the idea that we should parent out of our weakness, for when we are weak, then Christ is strong (concept found in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 of the Bible). She writes, "What keeps me going is not my capability; it's my weakness. God's promise to me is that he will be my strength . . . Only when we are in that utterly humble place can we know God's amazing strength. Only then can we love God deeply and offer our children holy glimpses of his love. Guilt over our weakness dissolves in the loving embrace of the God who loves to strengthen the weak."

And I loved DeMuth's further thoughts: "The one constant in our lives does not come from understanding life's perplexities; it comes from knowing the One who is the Answer to all questions. We cannot, in our own strength, hope to make our children love God and follow him. But we can rest our heads upon the chest of the God who loves our children infinitely more than we do. We can rely on his profound wisdom, his insight, his direction."

While the book is written specifically for parents who didn't come from a Christian home, it has much worth for any parent who seeks to build a godly family.