Tabitha Goodling works in the world of pregnancy help, serving at a pro-life center in Pennsylvania. She is also a writer and a mother, and recently she published her first book, a Bible study that serves as an encouraging resource for mothers.
Praying for Your Child as You “Grow Up” in Him: A Bible Study features 12 lessons with guidance for praying over various aspects of children’s lives. Topics include faith, health, friendships, purity, protection from the devil, and others.
Although she has children of her own, there was another reason she wrote and published the book.
“I wrote it because of the clients,” Goodling said. “I had a few who were interested in spiritual things, and we offer prayer here. We would talk about the Bible, and I would talk with them about how important it is to pray for your child. I thought, I can put something together, a curriculum.”
[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]
Crafting the book
She began working on the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she used the material with her clients.
“Everything was virtual back then and so I would work on it while things were slow,” Goodling said.
Goodling also shared the materials with other centers associated with her office, and she used them for a women’s Sunday school study at her church. She worked with about a dozen moms, she said.
She published Praying for Your Child as You “Grow Up” in Him: A Bible Study from the work she started four years ago. The book is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback edition. She worked with Paraclete Press to publish her manuscript.
“I’m a mom of four daughters, a 19-year-old and triplets that just turned 17,” she told Pregnancy Help News. “Prayer has been a big part of my time as a mother since the very first pregnancy … praying these things that are in this book.”
Goodling, who writes for Pregnancy Help News, views the book as “encouraging other mothers, whether it’s the clients or the ladies in my Sunday school.” She also envisions the book as a way to inspire mothers outside her local sphere.
“The biggest thing we do as moms is that we worry, or we try to control things ourselves or fix our kids’ problem,” she said. “The most important aspect of this study is realizing we are not in control and that God does not expect us to fix our kids’ problems – it’s not our job. It’s a foundation of trust there that’s so incredibly important for us as mothers.”
It’s also important to Goodling that parents have a strong faith in and relationship with God.
“Since I was writing with the clients in mind, I wanted them to have a knowledge of who Jesus was and have a relationship with him, so there’s an opportunity at the beginning of the book to check yourself … where you are spiritually,” she said. “It’s a good tool to study Scripture while you’re praying for your child and to examine yourself as you’re praying for your child.”
She said she also wanted to remind mothers that God “isn’t Santa Claus,” available to give parents what they want for their children, but instead, mothers and fathers should pray “His will” over their kids’ lives.
Tweet This: A new Bible study for moms from author Tabitha Goodling features the topics faith, health, friendships, purity, protection from the devil.
Sharing stories
The chapters are not lengthy, Goodling said, therefore, people can take one chapter a week or however they desire to approach the study. The book makes for a good small group study.
“There’s lots of opportunity for discussion,” she said. “When moms get together, they all have stories, and they can all relate. Experiences spark conversations.”
“You can do it on your own, but one-on-one or in a group is more effective, I think, to help you know you’re not alone dealing with your kids and what to pray about,” said Goodling.
The book’s cover also relates to the content and purposes – it was created by one of Goodling’s daughters when the child was younger. Goodling said she has been praying for her children since they were young. Now in their teens, they often request prayer from her.
“It’s just something that’s natural [for us],” Goodling said.
Praying for Your Child as You “Grow Up” in Him: A Bible Study is intended for new moms, but women who have teenagers as she does can also benefit from the book, Goodling said. The content not only features Scripture, thoughts, and discussion questions, but the book provides journaling opportunities as well.
A resource for new moms
Goodling said she’s received positive feedback on the material, including from those who are new to faith or feel like “they don’t know how to pray,” she said.
“The women have been so appreciative – this seems to be something a lot of moms are longing for,” Goodling said.
“They mean well, they want what’s best for their children, but we are overcome with worry and anxiety,” she said. “And I think more and more these last few generations, we as moms … are very anxious women. We want to protect our kids, and especially we as Christians, we see the world around us on so many levels, their health, the influences – it’s just a lot. So, it’s nice to have a guide to know what to pray for and to keep us in check so we’re not giving in to that anxiety and fear.”
Goodling is hopeful other pregnancy resource centers will consider using the book with their clients as she and her colleagues have done.
“I think it’s one of the most important things we can teach our moms,” she said.
