Motherhood Is Not Your Highest Calling: The Grace of Being a Good-Enough Mom

by Vicki Courtney

Sometimes it can be hard to remember that you are more than a mom.

Do this. Don’t do that. Try this parenting strategy. Read this book. Many mothers desire to be the best mom possible, but the pressure can feel overwhelming. Even at church, many of us are being taught that “motherhood is a woman’s highest calling.”

While valuing mothers is important, idolizing or idealizing the role places unsustainable pressures and stress on moms and causes us to miss living out of our primary identity in Christ.

In Motherhood Is (Not) Your Highest Calling, Vicki Courtney invites moms to reconsider the widely held belief that motherhood defines your identity. With heartfelt honesty drawn from her experiences as a mother and grandmother, Vicki encourages you to embrace an emotionally healthy, “good enough” mentality and let go of the unrealistic expectations that weigh heavily on mothers.

Motherhood Is (Not) Your Highest Calling will encourage you Challenge the Myth of Perfection: Discover how to release yourself from the unrealistic standards of perfectionism that are held up for Christian mothers;Understand Church Influences: Gain insight into how traditional narratives have shaped women’s expectations in faith communities;Learn from Personal Benefit from Courtney’s own experiences and reflections on motherhood;Embrace Being “More than a Mom”: Recognize the value of your worth and purpose beyond motherhood; andExplore Biblical Insights: Find guidance for understanding your identity in Christ.In a world dominated by social media portrayals of picture-perfect parenting, embrace your complete who you are in Christ.

Genres: Family, Adult

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Vicki Courtney is the best-selling author of numerous books for women, tweens, and teen girls including, Motherhood Is Not Your Highest Calling, Rest Assured, Move On, 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter, 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Son, and Between Us. She is the recipient of a Mom's Choice award and two ECPA Christian Book Awards. She and her husband, Keith reside in the Texas hill country and are the proud parents of three grown children and grandparents to ten grandchildren.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed! Empty-nester Vicki Courtney, offers wise and encouraging guidance to mothers on their journey. Filled with humor, personal anecdotes, and a Christian worldview, she helps readers navigates and encourages us to root our identity not in our roles as mothers but in our foundational identity as children of God. Rich with Scripture, this book delivers insights that will uplift and ground your spirit. I will wholeheartedly recommend it to every mom I know, as its wisdom is applicable for mothers at every stage.

A huge thanks to Tyndale, NavPress, and NetGalley, for this advanced, complimentary copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Kimberly Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! There is more to being a women than our very important and even sacred role of mother! Pouring ourself into our children is nurturing and helps them grow and develop, and what mother doesn’t want that. Yet there is more in this world for women to accomplish!
Grace, I am continually grateful for this gift!

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one immediately drew my attention among the "new" books at the library. (then I subsequently left it in a bag with a wet spot and damaged it, so now I own the water-damaged one, and I donated a replacement to my library). I so appreciated how relatable and honest the author was, especially in how her perspective has changed over the years. As a homeschooling mom of 5, I feel all the pressure riding on my shoulders. This book was a breath of fresh air. Ahh...the freedom of "good enough". The part that I shared with a fellow mom friend were the lies listed towards the beginning of the book:
-There is one perfect way to parent
-You owe it to your child to give them the best of everything
-You should never be tied, have an off day, or feel like giving up
-You should always know if your child is struggling developmentally, emotionally, physically, academically, or spiritually
-A good mother does it all

Whew! Wears me out just typing all of those! I do feel freer and lighter after having read this book.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed to read this book right now. As a mom of one soon to be two daughters, I am always comparing myself to others. Also I grew up in a background where motherhood was the highest calling or so I was told. But what about the friends of mine who didn't have kids? What about the people who were still single? Did they matter? I've wrestled with these questions as well as my own considering I am a working mom.....and one who wrestles with that. After all shouldn't being a stay at home mom be enough?

I am thankful the author acknowledged her past thoughts and how the Lord has grown and changed her. I appreciate the reminder that my first priority is who I am in Christ. BUT I really appreciated a motherhood book that didn't center on just staying at home.

And I'm okay with being "good enough." I can't do it all and frankly, I don't want to burn out myself or my children on a quest to become perfect.

[Melissa Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this book on the “New” shelf at the library and was intrigued by the title. As someone who wanted to be a mom when she grew up this idea of “highest calling” is something I have heard, probably said myself, and have wrestled with as my life has shifted and changed over the years. While I have never been one to make my entire life to be about my children, I do regularly feel like I’m not enough or not doing enough. So this book was a great reminder to me that those are lies and not to get sucked into the trap of be more and do more. I need to continually find my identity in Christ & then love and serve my family from a place of rest and fullness rather than duty and obligation. I have read similar books, but this may have been the first with this type of content specifically targeted to moms, and I appreciated that!

[Christina Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommending to everyone I know!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are put off by the title of this book, I encourage you to give it a look anyway. It is scripturally-based, and never once does the author disparage children or motherhood. The goal is for moms to remember that they are first and foremost a beloved child of God, and that their worth is not based on how well they’re doing at anything, even being a mom. Obviously, it’s important to do your best to keep your children safe and loved; this book does not refute that. But it’s full of encouragement for parents who feel anxious and overwhelmed about trying to get everything right. (No one talks about the fact that the Proverbs 31 woman had servants to help her, but that’s in the Bible!) It was honestly a breath of fresh air for me to read. There were a few small things that puzzled me (e.g., saying that refugee moms have “less stress” and “more joy” than the average American because they have less stuff… pretty sure being a refugee is quite stressful). Overall, however, this is a fantastic book full of good reminders and maybe fresh insights for some moms. If you’re struggling with mom guilt or burnout and you just want to cast your burdens on Jesus, this book will help you do it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tyndale, and NavPress for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.