Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad Quotes

“We each have our own loads of primary responsibility to bear, and in the breakdown of household duties, I believe our primary roles should reflect our God-given talents, preferences, and circumstances first. In more cases than not, the result will mirror a traditional male-female dynamic because God has gifted men and women with unique temperaments and strengths that naturally lend themselves to particular tasks. It is far from a universal rule though. Regardless of who “runs point” for any given job, God’s Word calls us to share in the work and support our spouses rather than focus on our burdens alone.”
― Abbie Halberstadt, Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad: The Perspective Shift That Could Completely Change the Way You Mother

“Our children are not “something bad or unpleasant we are being subjected to,” to borrow from the above definition of suffering. And yet when we view dealing with their more challenging traits as suffering rather than as a hard-but-good opportunity to grow in Christlikeness, we gravitate toward a Motherhood of Martyrdom—an attitude sure to bleed into the way we treat our families.”
― Abbie Halberstadt, Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad: The Perspective Shift That Could Completely Change the Way You Mother

“What if my twin girls’ seemingly meaningless melodramas were not a punishment but rather a mercy from the Lord? A daily opportunity to die to myself? To root out impatience and self-indulgence. To grow my capacity for both empathy and tenacity. To make me a more creative mama. And ultimately, to drive me to my knees at the foot of the hard, painful, bloody cross my Savior endured, not randomly or without purpose but for my ultimate benefit. What if good could come from being dragged through the emotional wringer on the daily? What if, instead of despising the hard and kicking at it in contempt and disgust, I embraced it with open, if faltering, arms and leaned into its potential to transform my view of God and of His goodness in allowing me to walk a difficult path? What if I truly let myself believe that hard is not the same thing as bad?”
― Abbie Halberstadt, Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad: The Perspective Shift That Could Completely Change the Way You Mother

“What if my twin girls’ seemingly meaningless melodramas were not a punishment but rather a mercy from the Lord? A daily opportunity to die to myself To root out impatience and self-indulgence. To grow my capacity for both
empathy and tenacity. To make me a more creative mama. And ultimately, to
drive me to my knees at the foot of the hard, painful, bloody cross my Savior endured, not randomly or without purpose but for my ultimate benefit. What if good could come from being dragged through the emotional
wringer on the daily? What if, instead of despising the hard and kicking at it in contempt and disgust, I embraced it with open, if faltering, arms and leaned into its potential to transform my view of God and of His goodness in allowing me to walk a difficult path? What if I truly let myself believe that hard is not the same thing as bad?”
― Abbie Halberstadt, Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad: The Perspective Shift That Could Completely Change the Way You Mother