Young Women Need to Hear They are Beloved

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Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women from Zondervan is a great way to help them know it. I have daughters that are in the transitional stage of their faith walk; they are no longer little children, they are ready to dig in and learn for themselves. They are already in the habit of Bible time from our homeschool routine, so adding a personal devotion book was a natural way to help them create a quiet time of their very own.

I did read quite a bit of this devotional before handing it over to my girls. As a parent I try to have an idea of what they are reading so I know where we can help create opportunity to have important conversations. I like that the devotional context is taken straight from scripture and is more of an expository of the verses covered. It is light on personal tone, which I prefer in a devotional. The core focus is on Women in the Word of God, and the devotional text focus on drawing our attention to the main idea or a central focus in each persons story. 

In the selections I previewed, I read about Jacob, Leah and Rachel; and my attention was directed to how Leah longed for approval from her husband, even after producing five sons and not gaining his affections. The tone was cautionary and never disparaging. The author redirected the reader to the truth that our value lies in our relationship with our creator and nothing less will satisfy.

In later pages, I read about the relationship of David and Bathsheba. The text is very honest about the state of their sexual sin and the sad consequences that befell them. The narrative covers several days and emphasizes how, though Bathsheba came to power, be it through complicit sin or through a gross abuse of power, she did not stay a victim of her circumstances. God elevated and honored her as a true queen over his chosen people.

There are ten pages dedicated to the story of Tamar. The introduction to her story was done with sensitivity and honesty. The author shares the fact that one in seven young women have been victims of sexual abuse. If they have not experienced it firsthand, then it is very likely that someone they know has. The whole section is well written and full of important validations for young women. I highly recommend covering this material while your daughters are still young. In an attempt to protect our children’s innocence, we sometimes give an open door to perpetrators who prey on ignorance. Our daughters need to hear warnings and examples from the word of God and the experiences of other women.

In each reading; there is a scripture reference with the verse, followed by the commentary. The bottom of each page has a few lines for you reader to offer their reflections or comments of their own. This book would be great for breaking into some deeper thought about what the Bible means in your daughter’s life personally and also help bring up important topics that should not be neglected because they are difficult.

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As always you can read more reviews and find out how other Review Crew members are using this devotional in their lives as well by clicking the link below…