Walking through the Christian book store looking for a devotional can be overwhelming, can't it? Which are Biblical? What if I can't tell if it's accurate? What if it's too shallow? What if it's too deep and I don't understand what I'm reading? It's especially challenging when trying to find one for children.
I highly recommend these two devotionals written specifically for tween girls.
The first is The One Year Devos for Girls 2. I didn't read the first one but I certainly like the second. Each page is dated with the month and day so it's easy to find which one to read. They don't build on each other so it's fine if you miss a day. And they are one page in length which keep the girls' attention. First you are instructed to read a Bible passage. It's not long - around 5 verses each day. The scripture reading is followed by a story that involves the characters in real life situations that our tween girls can relate to including friendships, physical pain and shortcomings, money, character, friends moving, and being afraid. The story is followed by a section called How About You? which asks the reader questions that enable her to apply the situation to her own life. At the end of each day is a memory verse and the overall challenge such as claim God's promises, live by faith, and maintain a cheerful attitude.
The second devotional is Vicki Courtney's Between: A Journey through Proverbs. I have to say I LOVE Vicki Courtney. If you have girls and you haven't read her book 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter, run, don't walk, to the nearest book store and buy one. It's eye opening and has helped me prepare for what lies ahead. And now she has the version for raising sons by similar title so I'll be reading that before long as well.
Back to the devotional.... This workbook is exactly what the title suggests: a walk through the book of Proverbs. The book breaks down Proverbs into 6 sections. Each lesson is centered around a theme or topic based on the verse or passage of the day. Topics covered include above all else, guard your heart, Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Pride leads to arguments; those who take advice are wise, and We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. There are lots of stories to which our girls can relate and I like that it forces them to read a verse and answer questions about it. Courtney makes sure they understand the Scriptures and applies it beautifully to their lives. Some lessons are longer than others and this devotional requires more time than the afore mentioned one, but none are very long. It's more of a Bible study style than a daily devotional.
It truly is a blessing to raise my two girls. It's hard but it's exciting at the same time. My prayer is that I will guide them and teach them and raise them as the Lord would have me to do.
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