I first came across Sarah Mae’s writing when my friend Kara bought me a copy of her co-authored book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. Exhausted from over two years of interrupted sleep, trying to figure out the best move for our soon-to-be kindergartener, chapter-by-chapter Desperate challenged me, encouraged me, and gave me hope I could become more of the mom God created me to be. It was the exact word I needed from God during such a pivotal time in my mothering.

When the opportunity came to read an advance copy of Sarah’s new book Longing for Paris: One Woman’s Search for Joy, Beauty, and Adventure Right Where She Is I took it. In this new season of life I’ve been feeling the strong tension that comes with the dual longings of mothering well and pursuing the dreams I believe God has placed in my heart.

About the Book

In Longing for Paris, Sarah Mae invites the reader into her personal journey of finding contentment, beauty, and adventure in the life she’s called to live. As a wife, homeschool mom, and Christian influencer she is honest about her desires to do her private life well while also honoring the dreams God has given her for life beyond the four walls of her home. Touching on topics like food, art, romance, mothering, and dreams, Sarah encourages readers to join her on the adventure of finding their own life well lived.

What I Loved

There were several parts of the book that genuinely spoke to me, but Chapter 7 entitled Holy DNA, met me in a profound way. In it Sarah talks about God’s artistic expression of love in the way that He created each one of us, and how it’s our responsibility to discover who it is that He fashioned us to be. In that discovery process we begin to notice the longings of our heart. Longings that God placed there because of what He created us for. Longings that eventually materialize into dreams that we’re able to follow.

And this is where the tension for me lies – trying to balance who I know I have been called to be in my right-now-everyday-life, and still honor the passion that stems from the very heart of who I’ve been lovingly created to be. What I felt God whisper to me through Sarah’s words in this chapter was peace.

Being reminded that my dreams are important to God has been refreshing and freeing. He is the one who put these desires inside of me, and He is honored when I pursue them with the time I have, living well in the season of life I live.

This understanding has brought a level of contentment to my heart I’ve struggled to find on my own. I am beyond familiar with my own limitations, but the nagging guilt of comparison is unnecessary. It’s self-imposed. God knows more about me than I know myself and He is pleased most when I am me.

What beautiful release.

Thanks Sarah, for your obedience and honesty in sharing your journey with us through this new book. So excited to see how God continues to use your words to speak to other women’s hearts.  

About the Author

Sarah Mae, listed as one of Christian Broadcasting Networks “Six Women Leaders to Follow on Twitter”, is an influential Christian blogger, conference cohost, and coauthor of the bestselling book, Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe.

Because of her drive to inspire women to keep on and begin again, Sarah Mae has cultivated blogs and web sites that have encouraged thousands of women all over the world. She is the author of several bestselling eBooks, a contributing writer to the DaySpring blog, (in)courage, and the cofounder of Allume, the first national Christian women’s blogging conference.

Follow Sarah by Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Learn more about her new book at LongingForParis.com.

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