“Short & Sweet 30-Day Devotional for Women”
Book Review
By Caitlin Orwoll
For better or worse, each generation seems to be busier than the last. While new inventions and technologies make our lives easier in countless ways, our focus shifts to externalities, causing us to become disconnected from others – and, more importantly, from God, the Creator that lives in and around us. I think people feel the need to fill this gap with more objects, activities, and general mental stimulation. Myself included.
Given the realities of my modern life, I was pleasantly surprised when Katia Parella handed me a copy of her recently published “Short and Sweet 30-Day Devotional for Women”. Most devotionals I own are chapter books. But this one is written for this generation: less intimidating, and an easier way to start (or keep) the habit of spending more time with God in mind. As you open to the first page, you will read: “This book is dedicated to all the busy modern-day women, who are seeking daily encouragement; who need a sweet reminder that God loves them and a quick way to reconnect with her Creator.” Perfect. At the end of the foreword, she writes: “I’ve decided that instead of me avoiding prayer all together, I need to start small”. It was a relief to know I’m not the only one!
This devotional fits in nicely into modern life. And I love the idea of putting a challenge at the end of each day. This helped me transition the message from an intellectual understanding to a real-world application. The challenges also helped me to reevaluate my relationships with my family and make my thoughts and actions more intentional.
This devotional fits in nicely into modern life. And I love the idea of putting a challenge at the end of each day. This helped me transition the message from an intellectual understanding to a real-world application. The challenges also helped me to reevaluate my relationships with my family and make my thoughts and actions more intentional.
My favorite topics were Obedience (in marriage and with God) and Depth (in relationships), but you will also encounter topics such as vanity, “letting go and letting God”, and being a good friend. There were only one or two pages I didn’t personally need - but who knows; in a month, that might be my main focus for self-improvement.
It was not hard to motivate myself to read to the end of Day 30 and I can easily see myself reusing this devotional in the future. I recommend this book to all the moms out there - whether you think you need encouragement or not. Katia is great at gently pushing the reader to use her talents and focus on God in the little and big events of life. Thank you, Katia.
To contact Katia Parella with questions about her book, Click here.
To purchase “Short & Sweet 30-Day Devotional for Women", Click here.
