Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad - by Abbie Halberstadt (Hardcover)

We live in a world that walks away or numbs out when the going gets tough. We believe the lie that everything hard is bad, especially when it comes to motherhood or parenting. Leaving children to be viewed as “burdensome” or an “inconvenience”. In Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad, author Abbie H challenges readers to shift their perspective by breaking down this lie while empathizing with readers the reality that life will be hard, even more so when you add in children, but that doesn’t mean one’s life is lacking, unenjoyable or restricting nor is the hardness the fault of our children or to be taken out on them. Instead what if we viewed hard things as something that draws us closer to God, that allows us to grow in him and to lean on him for strength? No matter what your hard may be, this book will point you to Jesus, our beacon of hope who gives us His strength to not only endure seasons of hardness but the ability to see His good and glory throughout it. Filled with practical action steps, prayer prompts, notes for dads written by a dad (Abbie’s husband, Shaun) and scripture memorization at the end of each chapter, readers will be equipped to face another day of toddler tantrums, inescapable hardness (ex: diagnosis’) and everyday life.

This book is highly recommended for all moms! Abbie has the unique ability to come alongside her readers, share her story, encourage, and challenge her readers while constantly pointing them to the Scriptures. After reading her book, I have found myself repeating the phrase Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad to myself when encountering challenging situations. This book offers the perspective shift that will transform the way you parent! I am so glad I bought the hard copy of the book so that I can take notes and refer to it often. At the end of each chapter, there is a comparison between the world’s response to hard and a Christian response to hard that I found very helpful for summarizing the chapters and will be a great way to review what I learned. If you are a parent, and especially if you are a Christian mom, you should read this book!

Abbie is a gifted writer and this book is an incredible encouragement for moms! Abbie uses scripture and personal experience to help readers change how they view hard circumstances in motherhood and fix their eyes on Christ. As a brand new mom, this book is such a blessing and I would recommend it to any believing mother! ❤️

Excellent book! For the busy mom in the trenches of motherhood…don’t allow the thickness of the book to ware you off. It is an easy read and Abbie delves right into the hard topics that we may be thinking we don’t have time to work through. This book is filled with so much wisdom that is easy to relate and understand. She also brings in the wisdom of her husband and mother in some chapters which is refreshing to hear from. The best part of this book is that all advice the author is sharing is always backed up with scripture. How important is that! One last hurrah about this book is that each chapter can be read as a stand alone. You can read it in order or pick it up on a hard day and head to the chapter that best fits what you are needing in that moment. I’m telling you… you can almost read it as a devotion daily if need be. The chapters are short, sweet and simple but filled with deep truths that speak to the heart and soul. If you’re on the fences about it, don’t be. You won’t regret this purchase I guarantee it.

First of all this book is gorgeous! I am excited to add it to my shelves. The artwork and color scheme are so beautiful. More importantly the message is needed by all Christian moms. In a world of fluffy motivational messages, Abbie swims upstream by sharing hard, Biblically solid truth. I have been both encouraged and challenged by reading her wise words. I encourage every mom to read this. I think it will bless your life and help you as you face hardships and tough things in motherhood and life in general.

This book, along with Abbie’s first book, have been used by the Lord to change my motherhood journey. The phrase “Hard is not the same thing as bad” goes through my head many times a day as a momma of four. So thankful to Abbie for following the Lord’s direction to write this book! If you’re a momma, get this book! You need it!

Reading this book feels like sitting with a discerning and caring friend with a cup of coffee on a comfy couch. Abbie shares her lived experience and scripture on almost every page to address many of the hard moments of being a mama, wife, and daughter. Every chapter points to the overarching truth that we can 'consider it all joy' because this hard is helping us grow. Even if we don't see the good on this side of heaven, we can find the ultimate joy when we fix our eyes on Jesus, who for the forgiveness of our sins endured the cross.

This is a resource I will come back to again and again. Abbie has done an excellent job in pointing readers to biblical truth as they face hard things in motherhood (and, really, life in general). Far from minimizing hardship, she describes many difficult, challenging, and hurtful types of situations yet meets each with truth, hope, and practical advice. The book contains helps for approaching different seasons and struggles of motherhood, for facing unavoidable hardships and suffering, and for addressing unnecessary hardships we bring on ourselves (including our own bad attitudes and wrong perspectives). Hard Is not the Same Thing as Bad has something for every mom and is a book I will be gifting many times to friends and new mamas.

This book is a gift of God's grace to mamas. I'm in a new-to-me hard season of motherhood as my husband is now on a rotating shift schedule at work; we're in our first month of night shifts ever, and my three kiddos have been taking turns with sickness almost that whole time. But God is faithful and He sustains. This book has been a true gift from the Lord in this season, and I am incredibly grateful to Abbie for writing it. Praise the Lord for the wisdom He has given her, along with the gift to communicate it. Abbie encourages her readers, with grace and humor, to trust the Lord and find joy and hope in Him during the hard seasons of life and motherhood. She doesn't sugarcoat anything. She made me feel like she's a big sister in motherhood (her kids are mostly older than mine) saying, "I know it's hard. God knows it's hard, and he loves you. He will sustain you and give you Christ's strength to complete the tasks He has given you." I needed these reminders to lean on the Lord, and to remember that caring for the children God has blessed me with is GOOD work, even when it's hard. These are the good works God has given me to do in this season. Abbie's practical advice is so helpful as well, and I'm so thankful for the practical and biblical wisdom she shared.

When the world has failed you as a mother, the one place you can turn to is the Bible. Sometimes it’s hard to find how certain things apply to motherhood in the Bible and this is where Hard Is Not The Same Thing As Bad comes in. Abbie has a way of writing Biblical truths that change your perspective on motherhood and yes, sometimes it hurts to be faced with where we are failing as moms. Abbie’s writing makes me feel like I have a good friend talking to me and guiding me on how to shed my secular worldview of motherhood and exchange it for a Biblical worldview of motherhood. I first came across Abbie when I had seen M is for Mama being highly recommend in a lot of my Christian mom Facebook pages and after I read it once, I couldn’t put it down. I now have two books by her that help me when I’m feeling the overwhelm of motherhood and need a perspective change. Both books have greatly changed how I view motherhood and how I mother. I cannot express enough in words how grateful I am that God gave Abbie the gift to write and convey Biblical truths that no one else is willing to say.

What an encouraging book for all mamas to read!! This book came into my life at the perfect time and has really caused me to take a step back and look at the type of mama I am and the type of mama I want/need to be. Thank you Abbie for such a wonderful blessing of a book!!

Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad is a Christian mother masterpiece and I pray will reach the hands of as many Christian moms as possible. Abbie is a gifted writer, encourages while speaking hard truths, and applies so much to Scripture (as it should be!). I felt blessed by M is For Mama, but even more blessed by HINTSTAB. She encourages and challenges in ways I never thought possible. I have found that the way she writes is to challenge us to be more Christ-like in our parenting and sometimes it feels harsh and I’m tempted to feel “offended.” Any time I have felt offended by what she has to say, I turn to Scripture and pray about it. I have never arrived at justification for my feelings. My “feelings” are conviction from the Lord through her words. Not only does she point things back to Scripture, but provides valuable and practical ways to implement her message. She shares much from her own experiences, pulls other moms experiences in, while tying it all to the Bible. She is quick to explain that she is not perfect, (none of us are!) and we are all in need of the Cross. As a mama of 7 month old twins, I can relate to a lot of her words about twins, but also just children. I cannot tell you how much I have learned or been convicted of with my relationship with my children. They are not burdens, they are gifts given to me by God and I should be stewarding that better. I am confident that this book will break chains for so many mothers. I encourage you to read and if feeling “offended” or judged, pray and seek God and His Word to determine whether this feeling is conviction. Ultimately, this book will go down to date as the most influential book on mothering, and there are many other books that I have enjoyed and never expected to take their place. I will be first in line for future books of Abbie’s as well. Praying for every mama that this book reaches.

Abbie gives us moms a great perspective shift on how to get through the days of raising our children. This book has stories and insights for all moms.

If you read M is for Mama, you will truly love this book. If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and just buy both! Abbie’s writing is a beacon of Biblical truth shining the light on the messed up mindsets that social media has created of motherhood. Full of first hand and second hand accounts of God’s goodness to lead us as mothers to not try to escape the hard of motherhood we’ve been duped to believe is “bad,” and set ourselves firm on the foundation of the Word of God and allow the sanctifying work of the Gospel meet us and take us higher by doing it HIS WAY. So grateful for this book in our particular season of “hard” for our family that I’m learning isn’t really bad.

So much Scripture and encouragement packed into those pages. Hard Is Not the Same Thing As Bad is exactly what it sounds like, an opportunity to see the good and blessings God has all around you! Suffering is real and there are hardships in all our lives but choosing to glorify and follow God even through trials and long nights is the big picture! God has equipped you and blessed you with these children to raise up to be Disciples of Him! Join the Rebellion Against Mundane Motherhood!

One of the best books I’ve read this year. Filled with practical truth for Christian moms!

Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad is the perfect follow up to Abbie’s first release M is for Mama! While M is for Mama gave a broad overview of how to shift our focus from hot mess/mediocre motherhood to biblical motherhood (not perfect!), Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad comes in with practical examples, stories and tools that the reader can take into their unique life experiences. I appreciate that Abbie isn’t on one side or the other of the perfection or hot mess motherhood schtick but instead acknowledges that there will be hard things, even sometimes bad/suffering times, but that we can still die to self daily and lean on the Lord in our motherhood and that will produce the fruit we are all after.