Fill the Love Gaps in Her Heart

 

 

Girl's Faith Builder Pack

Our teens’ culture bases it’s value on how do I look, what do you think of me and do you have a boyfriend. Unfortunately, for a young woman, all of those things are mostly outside of her control. So her self-worth and confidence are a constant roller coaster, up when I am liked today, plunged when I am ignored tomorrow.

She is stuck on this ride she didn’t choose unless something, or someone, interrupts it.

You can help bring this coaster to a stop with an introduction; helping her discover Jesus’ revolutionary love!

You can help empower the young women in your life with higher self-worth and confidence 365 days a year so she runs to the right place each time she feels needy.

Many girls don’t know that there is such a thing as unconditional, perfect love. Many girls don’t know that the attention, affirmation and affection they are grasping for is not found in a man, but in The Man Jesus.

Here is a free tool that you can share with them to fill the love gap in their hearts! The 7 Day Faith Builder. With the 7 Day Faith Builder, she will receive a weeks worth of devotions that will speak to the issues she faces uniquely as a young woman and the hope her heart longs for each day. To sign up to receive these devotions, just click here: http://www.lynncowell.com/7-day-faith-builder/

I like to take these devotions and read them to my girls each day. Just yesterday, my youngest was worn out and tired. She came to me and said, “Do you have time that you could pour into me for a few minutes?” That was a first! There is NOTHING a mom would rather hear than that! We climbed in my bed, pulled out my Bible and read 1 Corinthians 13; learning about love together.

If your girl loves the 7 Day Faith Builder, she can get more 365 days a year! Taking the truths from His Revolutionary Lovedeeper, Devotions for a Revolutionary Year: 365 Days of Jesus’ Radical Love for You is the daily companion that uses real stories from real girls to enable young women with the power they need to make wise choices. Support to figure out how God’s truth fills her love gap every single day.

Inside she’ll find help in:

  • Beginning each day with truth from Jesus
  • Developing the habit of spending daily time with Jesus
  • Applying God’s wisdom to the choices she makes each day
  • Finding positive self-worth in Jesus’ perfect love
  • Making decisions that honor God & not follow her feelings
  • Empowering her heart to choose relationships that are beneficial; not painful

If you order your copy of Devotions for a Revolutionary Year between September 5th – 19th, you’ll receive over $75 in free resources! You’ll get three messages from my “His Revolutionary Love” conference –

* “His Revolutionary Year”

* Why Wait?

* Beyond Facebook Friends

Plus my “Building a Bridge to Your Child’s Heart” message, a “Revolutionary Love” Connection Calendar and Conversation Creator!

Simply purchase a copy of “Devotions for a Revolutionary Year” and email the receipt to [email protected]. I’ll send you back the link for these bonus resources!

Today, I’m giving away a Faith Builder Pack! This includes a copy of my new book, “Devotions for a Revolutionary Year”, it’s companion, “His Revolutionary Love”, a “sweatshirt” journal, an adorable purse and cute earrings too!

 

To enter, share one thing you wish you had known about Jesus and faith when you were 14 that you didn’t know. If you’re in a hurry, just say “I’m in!”. To comment, click on “comments” below or if you have received this by e-mail, just go to www.LynnCowell.com to enter!

Lynn

358 Comments

  1. Lynette Boothby says:

    I wish I could have heard today’s devotional when I was 14. I learned this the hard way and I want so much more for the girls of the next generation. I have two boys, but I teach 4th and 5th grade girls at church. I would love to have these resources!! Thank you for sharing!

    1. Lynette, what a perfect age to teach; when they are just discovering so much! Thank you for investing in these girls!

  2. Julie Curry says:

    I wish at the age of 14 that i knew God was for me wanting to help and take care of me not waiting for me to mess up so He could punish me.

  3. Thanks so much for your devotion on Proverbs 31 today. I have to boys but I also have a sister-in-law who is 14 and your revolutionary love book and devotion would be a great help! When I was 14 I wish I knew how personal Jesus is, that He really cared about my every situation and that my identity should be in Him, not in what others thought of me.

  4. Oh at 14 there are so many things I wish I knew about Christ! Most importantly, how He loves me just the way I am and for who I am.

  5. Kay Butler says:

    How true your devotion is. My teenage life was horrible. I lacked self-confidence, with long straight hair and pimples; I was extremely lonely. Being bullied and made fun of, caused me to be fearful. I just wanted to be accepted and fit-in. Love would have been incredible, but at that time inconceivable. My parents put high expectations on me because my siblings all dropped out of high school, causing me to be alienated even from my family. I wish I knew how much God loved me for me, and not for what I looked like or did. I still struggle with knowing God’s love. He is faithful and is continually and patiently showing how much He truly does love ME!

  6. I wish I would have known how valuable spending daily time building my relationship with Jesus was. That would have been my guide to making wise decisions for the right reasons. I made emotional decisions instead. Trying to teach this concept to my son and the group of freshman girls that I lead in youth.

  7. I wish I had been told there was only one that could fill in all the gaps (because there were a lot of them). I just hope I can teach my girls this truth

    1. You speak, Lori, and ask the Holy Spirit to allow it to sink in!

  8. I wish my relationship with Christ had been stronger. I made so many bad choices trying to fit in and feel love. So much hurt could have been avoided if I would have kept Jesus by my side…instead of praying to him after the pain came.

    1. We really desire acceptance don’t we? Doesn’t really matter if we are 14 or 44, we want to know that we are wanted. So glad we don’t have to depend on people to do that for us!

  9. I wish someone had shared the love that Jesus has for us and his desire to have a personal relationship with us. He always felt so distant, and the truth that you are sharing is one that I hope I can impress upon my two daughters hearts!

  10. Heather Apgar says:

    I wish I had been more intentional in seeking God’s ways! So thankful he surrounded me with family and christian girlfriends, who made it easier– what a blessing! But as I grew older, and out of that setting, it became very difficult to choose His ways on my own!
    Hoping to instill that confidence in Christ and His plan for their lives in my girls, and in a way that they can really own it.

    1. Keep sharing with them, Heather!

  11. I wish i would have believed that God is faithful and can be trusted with all areas of my life.

  12. I wish I had realized that a real life friendship with Jesus was possible. To know that He is more than Savior, He could also be friend and husband. He is so faithful when everyone else let’s you down!

    1. He is faithful and isn’t that what we crave as women…security?

  13. I wish I had known Jesus in a personal way…. As my Lord and Savior…. As the One who would guide me and love me through all those hard teenage years. Had I known, I know my life would have reflected His love back to others and blessed them and me.

  14. I wish I had know that I could not “earn” my way into heaven by my deeds. I wasted a lot of time trying so hard to be “good”, only to fail miserably. Thankfully, I fell right into the arms of God, who lifted me up, helped me change, and set my on the right path!!!!!!

  15. I wish I had known how precious I am to God… Worth the life of His perfect Son. Had I understood “how long, how high, how wide and how deep His love is” there would have been no need to look for that love in the wrong ways from the wrong people.

  16. Mary Ann Spriggs says:

    My father passed away in a car accident when I was 13. After that the only thing I heard as a teenager was “she’s just my dumb little sister” from both of my older siblings. Today, 3 divorces later,I no longer look for that love gap to be filled by men, but I do know the love of God and have finally stopped beating myself up for not being good enough.Looking forward to sharing your message with my daughter.

    1. Mary Ann, thank you for your vulnerability this morning. God can so use your story to help girls to look to The Man Jesus. Thank you!

  17. Thank you so much Lynn for making these topics available for teen girls and these resources available for parents! As an ostracized 14 year old with a mother who loved very conditionally I began to lose self esteem in the latter part of middle school and throughout high school. I felt so rejected and alone and my only hope was that college would be better ( that was the best my mother could give me). I wish I had known how Jesus desires us to let Him carry our burdens and how many times over He declares us fearfully and wonderfully made. I wish I had known the forgiveness and love our Jesus desires to lavish on us so that maybe in the midst of all those teenage trials I could have still felt acceptance.

  18. My husband and I are celebrating 31 years of marriage today.

    This was a second marriage for me and before we married I wrote him a letter saying that if Jesus Christ was the head of it it would work.

    We have been through a lot together and I can loudly affirm that had Christ not been the head we probably wouldn ‘t have made it this far.

    I ‘d love to share the devotional with my god daughter. Her parents have separated and the last year has been a tough one for her. I’ve been looking for an opening to talk to her and I’m sure this will help.

  19. Rachel Phillips says:

    I wish I had known to build my confidence on God and I wish i had realized that confidence comes from the Lord alone. Self-confidence is as fickle as “self”-anything else!!
    I constantly pray that the Lord will help me impart HIS wisdom to my children and others He places in my heart!! To lead them to His heart for them!

    Thank you for your encouragement and wise words!

  20. I wish I had known I really could trust Jesus, that he alone was the one who could fill my deepest longings.

  21. I wish I had truly understood that God created me perfectly for his purposes. I was too obsessed with my faults and what my peers thought of me. I didn’t realize they were all feeling the same way too! We were all trying to gain the approval of one another instead of seeking God.

  22. I wish I had understood that my worth was not dependent upon the value others placed upon me, but rather in who Christ says I am. I wish I knew that those boys would never ever be capable of the love that my heart needs, and that the only real relationship that would overflow my heart was with Jesus. I have two daughters, and even now as little girls I see that deep need for love and approval bubbling up. I long for them to know that Jesus is the only worthy Pursuer and Lover of their hearts!

  23. I wish I would have known that Jesus wad all I needed. That only He could fill the ache in my heart to be accepted and loved.

  24. Janet Axelson says:

    At 14 I wish I knew that just because my dad had abandoned me, I was not worthless…Jesus was more than enough…Unfortunitely, I chased my self worth (through men) for many decades until realizing the love of Christ.

  25. At 14, the year I was saved, I would have loved for someone to take me through a year of devotions. I wish I would have known then the importance of rooting yourself in God’s word. Relying on His strength and guidance is the only way to live your life! I would have lived a different life. But praise God, He never left me or turned His back on me. I am soo thankful for His love and devotion to me and would love to pass this message to my own daughter!

  26. Yes, if only I would have understood that all I needed was my loving Heavenly father…I would have had the confidence to say no to things that I didn’t really need,

  27. I wish I had known that I was special.

  28. I wish I knew that God’s love for me was enough. That I could never find a perfrct man to fill that void and just focus on my relationship with the Lord and let everything else fall into place

  29. I wish that at 14 I understood the depth and breadth of God’s love as I searched for validation from others in order to fill the gaps (hurt, disappointment, abandonment, rejection, low self-esteem) that only Jesus Christ could truly fill. The break-up of parents, their drug abuse, alcoholism and verbal abuse sent me to foster care at 8, teen pregnancy at 16, and validation from all the wrong places and people. We have a void in us that ONLY He can fill…if we let Him do His perfect will in us. At 34 and newly divorced from an abusive spouse, I am now understanding that there is “no greater love” than the love of God. We just have to let Him love on us…and trust that He has the Master Plan for our EVERYTHING because He is the Author and Finisher of our faith…a Rewarder to them who diligently seek Him! Our victory is in our obedience to Him through His Holy Spirit and Word. For those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, shall be filled. He is so very faithful (even when we’re not!) and I thank HIm richly! Be blessed all!!!

  30. I wish I had known that Jesus loves me UNCONDITIONALLY. It’s still a concept that is hard for me to grasp.

  31. I wish when I was 14 I had known the transforming love my Savior offers. At that age I had the head knowledge of Christ but not the heart change.

  32. Wow! Your question hit a nerve! 14!!! That was a life changer for me. I dated a much older boy. Thankfully I did learn that God is my source of strength and love and fulfillment! I now work with teenagers and try to guide them in that knowledge. Love and prayers, Lynn! I appreciate your ministry!

  33. At 14 I wish I had known that Jesus was everything I needed. My life would be so much different now had I known that then.

  34. I wish that I had known that it would always be cool to love Jesus. To serve Him publicly and love Him outwardly. I wish I had known that He would love no matter what. I have a 5 year old daughter, and work with the teens at my small church. I currently have a college freshman who just left our church to attend college and my prayer is for her to remember that Jesus is all the man she needs. Thank you so much for the reminder of this today. I’m going to print it off and mail it to her.

    1. Thank you Spring and thank you for investing in young women! Today’s girls need us desperately to share all of these things we are saying we wish someone had told us when we were 14! I was blessed that women did tell me when I was 19 and it has made ALL the difference in who I am today!

  35. teresa MEACHAM says:

    I wish I had known that Jesus would always love me even through the worst of life’s circumstances, and bad times were not a punishment.

  36. At 14 I wish I had learned that I was already good enough. I didn’t have to be someone else to be good enough. I wish I had grasped that Christ died for me just as I was. I also wish I had someone to tell me and help me believe that only one love truly truly fills the giant hole of not having a daddy growing up. I wish I could have understood that His love and acceptance were enough. 😉

  37. I wish I had known that Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Light! That only He could fill the empty spaces. That He knew every hair on my head and had a great plan for me. I did not have self-confidence as a teenager and did not feel “pretty” like my friends. I just wanted a boy to like me and made some bad choices along the way. The Lord protected me though through my teen years. Thank you for writing a book like this!

  38. I wish I had known at 14 that “praise” wasn’t love and performing to get praise from a distant and emotionally troubled father wasn’t the way to love. I made many wrong men-choices through the years searching for love. Thankfully God did bring me a strong and loving husband who has stood by me as the past issues of my family crashed in on our family, including my father hurting our daughters in ways that will haunt us for years.. It’s overwhelming to think that God loved me all this time and I just needed to “be” for him to love me. It’s still hard to believe some days. I pray that our girls will learn that truth. Thank you for your ministry and your P31 devotion today.

  39. What a beautiful truth. I can’t wait to start sharing it with my 10 year old. Teanage years are so challenging-I wish I had known this then, so I could have had more peace.

  40. I wish I had known that I don’t have to try to be good enough. That in fact, there’s no way I CAN be good enough, but that is good news, because Jesus has already taken care of that for me.I don’t have to earn His approval. He sees me as his beloved, just as I am, clothed in HIS righteousness. What a difference that would have made to my 14 year old heart.

  41. A month prior to turning 14, my mother was killed in a car accident. Thirteen months before that we had buried my father. I look at my 14 year old daughter now and cringe thinking of the things I was doing at her age. Do I shelter my daughter because of my childhood? You better believe it! But I also try to show her that I’m here for her. I didn’t know the Lord at 14…but I sure wish I did. Maybe then I wouldn’t have searched for love and acceptance from boys who couldn’t give it, or from alcohol to numb the mind.

    Today’s devotion (on Proverbs 31) was the encouragement I need to remind myself that I have to stop the tendency of searching for fulfillment and happiness from my husband. Instead I must remind myself, only in God will I ever find true love.

  42. I wish I had known that no one could show me the value of my life except God. I spent so much time trying to be what everyone was or what they said I should be. It took years before I was truly comfortable in my own skin. I strive to teach my daughter to be the best her she can be and that it is okay to be different.

  43. Would love to share this with my 13 year old daughter, to remind her of who she is in Christ. He is the only one we need! THANKS!

  44. I wish that when I was 14 I had a relationship with Jesus Christ. I wish that I did not feel the need to seek the approval and attention of my parents and/or boys because the One who really matters already approved of me. I wish I understood that He created me and my path in life and that it was all created just for me! I thank God and you for bringing this all to my attention now as I am entering a new phase in life…raising a teenage daughter. I feel so blessed that my life has changed so much and that I now know the truths and can help to share them with her.

  45. I wish I’d known how much God loved me and how He only wanted the best for me because He thought I deserved the best! I knew that God loved me in my head, but I wish I’d bought into it in my heart.

  46. I am in. To know that Chris it all I need!!!

  47. I wish I had known, had been taught, that I am loved by Him and I am VALUABLE because Jesus paid the price for me because He loves me. That He accepts me just as I am, and nobody else’s opinion matters.

  48. I wish that at 14 I had understood that the unconditional love of Jesus was all I needed to be “cool” instead of following the crowd and making choices that at the time I thought were OK, but that I’ve ended up regretting to this day.

  49. At fourteen I only knew Jesus as a person who died on the cross. It was thirteen more years till I realized He was my Savior and that He died for me! Looking for a Christian husband was not a priority but God knew and gave me my soul mate. We are enjoying our forty-third year of marriage

  50. I was blessed at 14 with a faith in Jesus and a loving family–still didnt stop the longing for the fairy tale of Mr. Wonderful out there somewhere–but was rooted and grounded enough in Him to realize that was not all that life was about–Have 2 tweens that I want to make sure they are rooted and grounded as the they mature in a world that seems much more set on pulling them away–
    Thank you for sharing your life and experiences to encourage others.

  51. Angela Park says:

    I wish I would have known that I was exactly how God made me to be and that is “good enough”. I didn’t need to be “perfect” for God to love me.

  52. I wish that I had been taught who the Lord truly is, and that He had a wonderful plan for me. Some of my choices would have been different if I gad known the God of love at 14.

  53. 14, 19, 35, 41… All (st)ages in my life where the knowledge and confidence of who I am in Christ could have, can, and does make a difference. There were pivotal moments where I sought to fill the gap in my heart with a man. I am recently single again and am finally at a point that I believe with all my heart that God is all I need. That I am a treasure to him and that He thinks I’m beautiful and lovely. I don’t have to feel lonely or ‘needy’ anymore. He can fill every need. And as I open myself to a possible future relationship it is such a relief to know that God has already met and far exceeded my expectations. So much less pressure to find the perfect man. I’m happy and complete without one. 🙂

    I also have a 10-year-old daughter who is already doubting her self-worth. 🙁 I look forward to sharing the daily devotions with her. It is critical that she be reminded of the Truth in this world of deceit and KNOW that she is a daughter of the Most High God!

    I’m so thankful I found your site and your resources!

    1. Me too Michelle! I hope you will sign up to get my Wednesday Wisdom Tips (white envelope on the website) so we can raise wiser girls together!

  54. I wish I had known that the love that my savior has for me was/is all I need and He made me perfectly the way he wanted me to be. I wish I had known that he wanted to meet with me EVERYDAY and that he had a PERFECT plan for my life. That if I would follow him and be obedient to him, then he would reveal that perfect plan. I wish I had known the depth of his faithfulness, grace and love for me!

  55. Margo Smith says:

    That only Jesus would never leave me. In this world people would fail me & I would fail them too but God’s grace & mercy will carry you through the journey of life!

  56. I was raised in a divorced family from second grade on. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see my dad but a few times a year and I sought ‘love’ from the wrong places. Today I know of Jesus’ love and have for many years now and I am delighted to be able to share that with my daughter. She has made a purity commitment at the young age of 12 that she is very passionate about. It is truly something I treasure to continue to find more resources to guide her and ‘fill her cup’. Thank you so much!!

  57. At 14 I wish I’d have known that all the friends whose opinions I was so concerned about wouldn’t be around or care about me in a few years, but Jesus will love me unconditionally forever. As I look back on parents who weren’t there for me because of drugs, affairs, and such, friends who didn’t really care about me, and a husband who has been unfaithful, I can truly say that Jesus loves me, carries me through the hard times, walks with me in the good times and loves me the way no one else can. We are all fallen and imperfect and we all hurt those we love at times, but Jesus loves us through it. No one else is always there, only He is the lover of my soul.

  58. I wish I would have known that Jesus was the only one that could feel all the gaps and longings in my heart. I was the girl who dreamed of meeting her “knight in shinging armor” who would never disappoint me, would never want for anything, and would love me so much that he wanted to spend every waking moment with me. Please don’t misunderstand, though. I did find my true love and we just celebrated 23 years of marriage this past weekend. But, he’s human, so I have to admit there have been disappointments, financial issues, and well, sometimes needed space. But, Jesus, my wonderful Savior…He has never failed me, answered so many prayers, and He loves me so much that He does spend every waking (and sleeping) moment with me. So, looking back now, that would have definitely taken the pressure off both of us. No wonder so many young couples divorce. I want to make sure that both my children know this truth. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Kim Thompson says:

      I’m in! I also wish I could get it across to my daughter that she can be the popular but shy girl that she is, and not have to think she’s weird because she doesn’t have a boyfriend. I wish I’d known that when I was her age. Instead I cut out everything and everybody because I thought I had to in order to follow my Saviour. I was called Goodie Two-Shoes and pretty much ex-communicated from everything having to do with school. I wish I’d had the guts to be me; everything else would have fallen into place.

  59. Michele Beim says:

    Thanks for sharing and I thank our LORD JESUS that I found this website. I grew up in a good loving family from both parents and we were “religious” in our faith without a personal relationship with JESUS. As I became a teen, I began looking for love in all the wrong places so to speak. I began to have a relationship with JESUS at 19 because I was looking for that “love”. I soooo want that for my daughter who is 12 years old. She has a relationship with JESUS and I want her rooted and grounded in the knowing that only HE can fill that part of her heart that no one else can. Again, thanks for sharing and we already started reading your devotional, Michele

    1. Michele, I hope you are enjoying the 7 Day Faith Builder! Please be sure to share it with other girls and moms you know! Thank you for investing in your girl…the Lord will bring the fruit. His word does not return void!

  60. Marsha Geist says:

    I wish at age 14 that I had known Jesus loves and accepts me just as I am, unconditionally, and that He is concerned with every detail of my life.

  61. Your devotional on Proverbs 31 made me think of my son’s girlfriend. She was rejected by her parents last year, and this week she and my son separated. I can only imagine how rejected she must feel. This would such a gift to her, and to me, to know how to reach out to her and comfort her.

    1. Olivia, you might be the only person in her life who could or would love on her. May Jesus use you to be His arms.

  62. As a 32 year old high school teacher, I have the privilege of working with teenage girls everyday. It often times hurts my heart to see how some of them yearn for attention and try to gain affection in such unhealthy ways. I wish I would have known as a 14 year old that nothing I could wear, no physical appearance or change, would have given me the love and affection that I desired. God created me in His image, beautiful and precious, adorned by His grace and everlasting love. That is beyond what I could ever ask for from any human! I pray that I may continue to share this message with all my teenage girl students each and everyday of my ministry. Thank you, Lynn, for your messages of encouragement and joy.

    1. Jessie, I know you know, but teachers have such an impact on our kids! My daughter’s 8th grade teacher knew she was a believer and almost every day encouraged her to live out her faith. It made such an impact on her and was a factor in the direction she chose to go. Thank you for all you do to invest in our kids. They need all the hope and encouragement they can get!

      1. It’s truly a blessing to serve in a way that brings me joy and more importantly, brings Light to those who need it!! What a blessing for your daughter to have a wonderful and encouraging teacher. Thanks for encouraging me as well!

  63. I’m in!

    At 14, I wish I’d known to submit my mouth, words, complaining – to the Lord, and how damaging an unsubmitted mouth can be!

  64. Candis H. says:

    At 14, I wish I would’ve known that my self worth was not in who I was or what I did, but whose I was (God’s daughter) and what He did.

  65. Jill Nydam says:

    At 14 I wish I had known Jesus offered a love relationship not just religious rules to follow. I wish I had known then that He is all I need.

  66. I needed this this morning! When I was 14 I didn’t know the Lord and so sadly I spent my high school and college years looking to men to fill those deep places within. Today I’m in a struggling marriage. And I struggle with trying to let the Lord be my ALL. We have three girls, I have felt the urge and need to communicate the Truth of God’s Love and letting HIM be their all. I’m looking forward to these messages and believe all the females in this home will benefit.

  67. I wish I had known who he was and that it was him who was calling me.

  68. I wish I had known when I was 14 that only Jesus can fill the love gap!

  69. I wish I would have know then this then, it would have stopped me by allowing to make this one perso. The center of world. See I tried to commit suicide when I was 15 all because some boy thought I didn’t love him! If I would have know that Jesus loves me, I wouldn’t have made that choice. I know now the he loves me with all his heart and he is the only one that will ever truly love unconditionally! Don’t get me wrong, Im married now n have 4 wonderful kids but I had to realize that with all the ups n downs my husband n I had that my joy n peace didn’t come from him, it came from the Lord! I love my husband but we are all human and we do fail every now then, so I have learned that regardless the Lors is always there for me and loves me like no other! He is awesome God and he has never let me down!

  70. I wish I would have had someone that could have shown me these things and to fill that emptyness with God and not the other things I did.

  71. What a great message for women and girls of all ages…I was so lost at 14. I know our past shapes us into who we are today, so no regrets, but it would have been great to understand how special and loved we all are in Christ. And the fact that we are God’s CHOSEN children. Somos escogidos! He chose us to be HIS and to live a life with purpose. The personal relationship with the Holy Spirit is something so delicate, and life changing. I hope to use what I’ve learned from my past to help girls today seek a close, personal, gap filling relationship with Christ.

  72. I wish I had spent more time in scripture and prayer.

    1. That’s a great one, Raquel. Last night my daughter said to me, “It is so great that you are a stay at home mom and have so much time to hang out with God. It was all I could do to not yell back, “And what did you do all summer?”. But…I refrained from coming unglued. 🙂

      Isn’t their perspective funny sometimes?

  73. Christina Foster says:

    At the age of 14, I wish I had known that loving Jesus, and letting Him love me in return, would have covered all of the hurt and pain I had experienced as a little girl. By the age of 14, I had been molested by 2 different men. If I had only known that Jesus’ love would have been enough to fill the “hole” in my heart, it would have saved me years of heartache and many broken relationships. Thankfully, I finally figured it out, and on August 14, 2010 I accepted Jesus into my heart. I now know the meaning of TRUE love. I still haven’t found “the one” but I am patiently waiting for God to send him my way.

  74. That you should always be who you truly are, and not conform yourself to fit into the mold of a girl you think that “that guy” would like.

  75. I wish I had known how much He LOVED me, rather than feeling like He was watching over me and waiting for me to mess up. It wasn’t until I became a mom that I could better understand the depth of His love for me as His child, with those arms open wide waiting for me to turn to Him.

  76. LeAnn Hilemon says:

    I wish I had known about God’s unfailing love.

  77. Such good stuff! Love reading everyone else’s comments. I praise God that I had a personal relationship with Him and was in a loving, Bible-believing home at 14. But, like many teen girls I was incredibly emotional and placed way too much emphasis on how I felt about things. I wish I had known that God’s truths were real and unchanging, no matter how I felt about them (or myself or my circumstances) from day to day.

  78. That when God made me I was good enough just the way I was. I didn’t need to keep trying to be perfect.

  79. What awesome words to read today. Oh how I wish I could have read or heard something like that when I was a teen. Faith was not talked about alot in our household and because of that I still struggle with sharing my faith with my family. I feel like the girls will think I am being fake or pushing it at them. I am hoping resources like this will make that conversation easier. Thanks again for an awesome message

  80. I wish someone had told me that the only male I truly needed at that time in my life was JESUS – that I didn’t have to look to boyfriends to make me feel “complete”. I wish someone had told me the importance of being in the Word each and every day – those are some things I am working to instill in my sweet daughter. She is so much more spiritually mature than I ever thought of being at that age. So proud of her – can’t wait to get this new book for us to read together.

  81. At 14, I wish I had known God’s design for dating, courtship and marriage instead of only the world’s views on it.

  82. Suzanne McDonald says:

    I wish I had learned that my worth does NOT come from others, how I look or what I do. At the age of 38, I STILL struggle with this concept! I have 3 daughters ages 14, 12 and 10 and I sooo want them to learn this truth now and avoid a lifetime of heartache!

  83. At 14, I wish I would have known that I should always put god first in everything because he loves me unconditionally, and boys will not. I have a 9 year old daughter who is just now starting to show a small interest in boys & what people think, so this would be great to have to show her that those things don’t matter. God will always be there for her! I won’t to help her build her faith!

  84. At 14 I was a miserable chubby girl. I was teased in school, boys never looked at me, at home i was always doing something wrong or not the right way. I was in a religion where everything was based on works and guilt. I wish i had known God and Jesus as I’ve come to know him the past few years, as a loving, kind God. It nay have saved me from marrying who i thought was a good ‘church’s boy at 18 to feel loved. Instead there was abuse and led to me leaving and ending up in desperation with a now 2nd ex-husband. Things may or may not have turned out differently for me based on God’s will but i k.ow Tje loves me and doesn’t stop listening when i was told before he did. This path, however rocky it was, led me to a Bible based church a few years ago and have come to know God as he’s meant to be known. I wish i knew that at 14.

  85. I wish I would have known how much greater God’s love is than my earthly father!!!!
    Wow! That is great love!

  86. Amy Chapman says:

    I wish I had known that Jesus WAS my knight in shining armor….there was no need to look any further!

  87. I wish at 14 I knew that God had a plan for my life. I knew ABOUT God, but I didn’t KNOW HIM. Today I am building into my children scripture, and seeking the Lord’s plan for their lives.

  88. I wish I knew how much greater God’s plan for my life was than the temporary pleasures.

  89. If I would have heard this message when I was young it definitely could have saved me soooo much heartache and devestation from looking for love in the wrong places. I am in!!!

  90. At 14, I wish I had known that Jesus was the only One who could fill all my needs, especially the desire to be wanted and loved unconditionally. A childhood of abuse and abandonment left me searching (in all the wrong places) for acceptance and love, only to be used over and over again. Praise God that He delivered me! Now my prayer is that my daughter will have no doubt that Jesus’ love is truly “Revolutionary” and all she ultimately needs.

  91. Tammy McKinney says:

    I wish I would have know the impact that really spending time with the Lord and in His word would have had at that time in my life.

  92. I wish I had known that Jesus is ENOUGH, and that He had my future all figured out….no need to worry and wonder and seek my own way.

  93. I praise the Lord because I know the love of Jesus today. He has saved my marriage and renewed my mind! I am now on a mission to impart these truths to my three daughters and as many as I can! Thank you for these awesome resources!

  94. At 14 I wish I would have known the depth of God’s love for me so that I would not have went searching for it in the wrong places. I pray I can instill in my two daughters how much God loves them and that He is the only one that can fill the love gap. Thank you for allowing God to use you in this precious ministry!

  95. Kim Hutchins says:

    I wish I had realized that Jesus Christ would be my friend no matter what I wore, what I ate, what I looked like. A lot of the focus of my classmates were what clothes to wear , what makeup you have on and who you hang around. The focus should have been on the Lord and on spending time in His word.

  96. At 14, I wish I had realized that it was not so much about how I looked, but what I was on the inside………a daughter of the most high King!! And I wish someone had told me to look for a man that was more in love with the Lord than with anyone or anything else.

  97. I was a boy crazed girl. Only I did not know any difference. As I have grown on I’ve realized, through my mom’s insecurities, she raised us girls as very “warm loving and open” girls. Only my sister and I took it as “normal” however, we were often misinterpreted. Guys tried to take advantage of us all the time. In our innocence, we got hurt. If I only understood that Jesus love was/is deeper than a friend. That He will be the one to never take advantage of me.
    Today I’m raising my daughter to be beautiful for Jesus, your own and only true Love. I want her to deeply understand that His Love is what we seek. That any guy has to Go thru God to Get to Me. ( GtG2GtM)

  98. Sigh. Knowing I was treasured, precious, chosen. There is such a thrill is being “the one”. A friend of my 15 year old son is on her second boyfriend, this one a Christian, but I worry so much for her because I know what that’s like to date so young. You can’t live without a boyfriend because it’s addictive. I’d love to win for her.

  99. My ‘childhood’ was taken away at a very young age that t 14, I wanted someone who would just love me and me not feel so scarred. I wish I could have know God was and has always been there for me. He is still working on me and how to fill me but as a mom of a 14 year old I cannot wait to share that God and His love is all she will ever need to be filled. I pray this will help her in her future relationships as she grows.

  100. Rebecca Smith says:

    I wish when I were 14, despite being saved, I wanted the approval of everyone around me, and felt let down and excluded for being different. I put way too much stock in it and didn’t pay close attention to hoe God designed me. I wish I could change that but it makes me who I am today.

  101. I came from wonderful parents, and yet I always felt that there was something missing! Even at 14 I looked in ALL of the wrong places! Reading the things that you have said here I look at it and say “Wow, she knows!” So much of it feels like its my life!! Like any young girl, I was looking for my “Prince” and mostly what I found was “toadstools”….

    Thank you so much for sharing your biblical wisdom. I look forward to reading more!

  102. Regina Lorton says:

    I wish at 14 I had known I was a beautiful, loved handmaiden!

  103. Angela Perez says:

    At the age of 14 I wish I would’ve known that I didn’t need a boy to fulfill the emptiness I felt inside, that longing to just be loved. You see at the age of 14 I was pregnant with my first child. I wish I knew the love of Jesus that I know now! Although I found Him a year later and have been glued to Him ever since, maybe it was because I had a child and still felt that emptiness that I was so open to receiving Jesus as my Saviour. God can turn anything around! 17 years later, I now have 5 children who love the Lord and just celebrated 14 years of marriage. Although I am married to that man from 17 years earlier I know it is only because of what God has done in my heart (and in my husbands heart)! It has not been the smoothest of roads but God has really been working in me, STILL, to not look to my husband to fulfill the love that only He can! It is a daily choice that has to be made to put God before my husband! I believe it all stems from Genesis the curse that God told Eve, “thy desire will be for thine husband…” I’m really blessed that I found your site, I hope to use your resources as my daughter gets older who is now 8 years old. Thank you! Many blessings your way!

  104. Geri Dietz says:

    I wish I knew that God was reachable, and that He personally loved me, I knew He had sent His Son to save the world. But I just saw it as the whole world not me personally. I always thought you had to be in a church to be close to God, and the Catholic church was always locked, God was locked from me.

    I would have loved to grow up as a young women being saved, I can’t imagine how wonderful that would have been. but now as a new Grandma and looking back I can see how God pursued me, and I love that with Him .

    I ‘m homeschooling my beautiful16 year old daughter and have been praying for a study we could do together, this is such an answer to prayer. Thank You

    Blessings
    Geri Dietz

  105. At 14 I wish I had known that God is the Source of my significance and true love and identity. Thnis is my mission now – to help other women learn this. Great devotional and I would love to win the package to share with my small group of young moms

  106. Wow, I think this is awesome. Thank you Lord for confirming what my seventeen year old daughter ask me just a few days ago. “Mom am I weird that I don’t have a boyfriend at 17 and don’t care that I don’t have one?” I told her that she was not weird and that it was not a requirement for her to have a boyfriend at 17 or any age; I reminder my daughter that, yes we have to live in the world but we certainly don’t have to be of the world. I’m going to share this with her as well as my 19 year old daughter so that they can be reminded that. Jesus is all they need at any age. Thank you, Lynn, for your obedience to Christ to publish this message for all women to hear, for the first time or to confirm what we know in our hearts but struggle with in our heads.

  107. I’m a Mom of three and my youngest is 12 and my only girl. A good friend introduced me recently to your website. Each day I am blessed beyond measure to hear what God has to say to me through your daily devotions. I have shared this with another friend and she too dittos my sentiments. I have a big heart for these preteen/ teen girls as does my daughter and one of her close friends. I am seriously praying about starting a ‘His Revolutionary Love’ Bible study and open it up to the girls at my daughters school and beyond. Thank you and God Bless!!!

    1. Hi Julie, recently a friend of mine had her daughter go to the public school principle and ask if she could have a “His Revolutionary Love” Bible study at school. He said “yes”. I am so proud of her! What a perfect place to speak of true love!

  108. At 14 I wish I knew that with God I was complete. Nothing else was needed.

  109. I’m in. I’d love to share His word with my daughter, my nieces and my late nephew’s girlfriend. They are 8, 14, 16 and 19 right now. He was a God-loving young man of 19 when he was tragically taken from us. While I know in my heart that God needs him by his side, its been a very difficult time for all of us. I’d like a way for them to reach out to Jesus but can’t seem to find the right words. With all of the other things going on in their young minds, something like this might be a way for them to hold on to their faith and give them strength.

  110. At 14 I wish I had known that the hole in my heart was only meant to be filled by one person…Jesus. I looked for years to find the right person to fill that hole, when He was right there ready to fill it all along. I didn’t realize the truth until I had my first child and started going to a Christian church so that “she” could learn about Jesus. I didn’t realize how much I had to learn myself! My prayer for my girls is that they will never wonder who their bridegroom is and what He wants for them. I know they will struggle, in fact my 17 year old is in the midst of a huge struggle right now, but I know that God is faithful and that she will return to Him and allow Him to fill that void that she doesn’t even know is there.
    Thank you Lynn for all of your encouragement through your books, blogs and speaking!

  111. Stephanie Kilgore says:

    I wish at 14 I had known the blessings of reading His Word and the Truth that could set me free and heal me. I wish I had known the power of His Spirit and His all encompassing love and mercy! I wish I knew at 14 the beauty of modesty. Instead at 14, I learned to worship beauty and seek approval from others. But now I seek the power of Jesus Christ to make me truly beautiful — to “reflect the Lord’s glory…being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

  112. Sherry Nagel says:

    I wish I had know that life was not always good but God was! That trusting HIM brings security and confidence to my life. That in every situation, HE is all I need!

  113. At 14 i wish i had known Jesus…period. I didn’t come to a saving knowledge of Him until i was nineteen, after what seemed like a lifetime of poor choices and bad mistakes. That has spurred me to pour my life into the lives of teenage girls, including my own. Thank you for your resources.

  114. My daughter turns 13 at the end of this month. I want her to grasp this truth for herself, that He is the only one who satisfies.

  115. Shannon Clinton says:

    At the age of 14 I wished I had know God would never leave me nor forsake me. In my darkest hours, He is always right there beside me! That this crazy thing we call life, it’s all part of God’s Great plan! I know now Everything Happens for a Reason. It’s all Part of God’s plan. We don’t question Him we just abide by Him. All the bumps in the road, are our learning Lesson’s from God!

  116. At 14 I wish I had someone to point me in the direction of “Falling in Love with Jesus” It’s just not enough to go to church, you need to build a relationship with your heavenly Father.

  117. God must have lead me here today. I have often wondered why I strayed so far away during my teen years. I am struggling with my 14 year old who is starting HS and I fear is searching to fill the void in her heart as well… This will help me find the words to share with her!
    THANK YOU!

  118. Carolyn Kiss says:

    When I was 14, I wish I had known that Jesus looks at your heart and not the superficial things, like how you look on the outside. I wish that truth could have gotten deep into my heart, so that the hurtful remarks of others wouldn’t have mattered.

  119. I wish I had known at 14 that I measured up in God’s eyes. I was convinced that I didn’t measure up and just wasn’t good enough in SO many ways.

  120. michelle h says:

    I wish I had known not to waste time wishing for things of the future, but instead spent time preparing for it!

  121. Friends come and go but God’s love always remains.

  122. I wish I had known at 14 that my walk with Christ was more about relationship than rules and regulations, that it was not about me achieving salvation but rather receiving it. It would have helped me feel so much better about myself instead of beating myself up when I did not measure up due to slips, trips and outright falls. It would have helped me remain humble when I thought I was getting it all right. I would have abandoned focusing on works and building the relationship with my Savior so that I would be a committed follower with the works just a testament of who He is in me and I in Him. I am trying to teach my three girls this now as well as young ladies in my church’s youth ministry so that they can avoid some of the heartaches I went through still seeking love in all the wrong places because my vision of faith was all screwed up by what religion without relationship taught me. Blessings to you Lynn for the great work He is doing through you to minister to young girls and us big girls as well.

  123. Sylvia Alonzo says:

    I wish I had known Jesus thought I was “to die for”

  124. I wish I would known that God loved me even when I didn’t love myself. That His love wasn’t conditional on my behavior.

  125. I wish I would have known the love of the Lord totally.

  126. Im soooo in! I wish I had this information when I was 14! I didn’t have parents that would have shared it with me. I WILL share it with my 14 yr old daughter.

  127. I wish I had known Jesus was someone to have a relationship with and that he could be my “knight in shining armor”.

  128. Allison A says:

    I wish I had known that this life is only the dress rehearsal for the real thing that is yet to come. I pray that I can teach my daughter to look beyond what she feels to seek the only love that is real and will never fail.

  129. Shawnmarie says:

    I’m in!!
    Thanks so much for your inspiration!

  130. It is so important to share these truths with our girls. If their dad is the only example they have of how a man must love a woman than even if he is a great husband and father it will still be imperfect and leave our girls looking for love in all the wrong places. Trying to “feel good” about yourself is an uphill battle in today’s world. Only our creator knows our deep place and how to fill it to oveflowing. I wish I would have know that when I was a teenager. That even those you are told you can rely on are going to let you down.

  131. At fourteen, a child from a divorced family, I wish I knew that Jesus could fill my empty places in my heart. I knew the Lord but did not know how to have a relationship with Him. I ventured down a hard road, thank goodness, He never leaves us, nor forsakes us! I am so grateful for Lynn and her encouragement in raising daughters who can be and will be confident in the Lord’s love. These resources help me in teaching my daughters 20 and 7 years old about living for the Lord and trusting Him to meet our needs! Thank you Lynn for loving the Lord and blessings you are passing on!

  132. I wish I had known all of the character traits God wanted me to have in my husband. I would have not gone the “trial and error’ route of dating and getting my heart broken.

  133. Marilyn Kaufer says:

    I wish that at 14 I had known how unique and special each one of us is. In each school there are a few popular, cool kids but as I taught in various places I noticed how these kids were different in each place. A person not popular one place would be very popular in another. I wish I had known then that trying to please people for attention is futile and fleeting. God will always be pleased with us as we seek Him!

  134. I just received your email today from two spiritual filled friends of mine. I wish I had known at that age that Jesus was all I needed to live a joyful, fulfilled life. I’m going to get my 17 year old daughter hooked up with your devotional and email. Thanks for giving me something to help her as she grows and matures in Christ.

  135. I would love to win this for my little girl who is almost 10.

  136. At 14 I wish that I knew that Jesus was “enough” for me. That HE was the only one I needed, that He comes BEFORE all else in my life. With my priorities in place now He has poured out blessings on my family and I.
    Your book sounds wonderful. I have 4 boys, an adult step daughter, and a 14yr old niece. I think the girls and I can read this together and experience revolutionary change!
    ~ God Bless you & your family~

  137. Candice Bennett says:

    At 14 I wish I would of known how valuable I was and that even though my parents were not there god was! and he loved me all the time I was searching to be loved by the wrong people.

  138. At 14…and still today…I struggled with the concept of unconditional love. It’s something my Savior and I work on everyday. So thankful I have a heavenly Father that loves me beyond my faults….

  139. If only I had known about Jesus’ complete love for me when I was 14 then maybe now, 39 years later, I wouldn’t be looking back on my junior high/freshman high school years as ones spent in the spiral of anorexia. I worry about this for many girls in having gone through it myself. Thank you for your ministry!

  140. Thank you so much for sharing this great information with all of us. Can’t wait to utilize the resources you’ve described with my near 9yo. I am constantly reminding her and her firends that they are each created uniquely perfect in His eyes, to lift your friends up, treat others as you wish to be treated, and don’t speak out of anger. Thanks again and have a happy Wednesday!

  141. Thank you for your devotional today. As the mother of 4 girls, I think your book can be a great way to bring focus to God for them (and for me). What better gift than the knowledge and assurance that JESUS is the love of their life? I wish I had known that when I was 14. The answer’s not in boys or anything else. Jesus is the only one that can fill that part of your heart. The part that we yearn to have filled. Thank you again for sharing today.

  142. Bella Mmata says:

    I wish i had known the love of Jesus at age 14. It will have saved me from hopelessly seeking love which i never got from men.Currently, the Lord has signaled me to serve Him in the teenage ministry. I ‘m preparing and gathering materials to make me effective.

  143. Wow! I’m so glad I read your devotion on Proverbs 31 today and found your website. I will definitely be purchasing your book, too. I have a 2 year old little girl, and nothing scares me more than her growing up. I have already began asking God to give us wisdom as parents to raise her up in His image. I also have younger sisters going through these trials right now. I will be sharing your site with them!

    At 14, I was head-over-heels in love with our pastor’s son. I wish then, I would’ve let God speak to the depths of my heart and not sought after a guy’s affection and adoration. Not that he was a bad guy by any means, but once I experienced a relationship I spent the next several years moving on from one relationship to another. I look back and wish I would’ve yielded myself to God and His plan for my life. I regret not being able to give my whole heart to my husband because pieces of it had been given to different guys throughout the years. The baggage that you take from each relationship only molds who you are and how you respond to the next relationship… sometimes my husband gets the bad end of my reaction due to some other guy’s negative impact in my life. (Working on that with God’s grace!!!) The positive from all of that though… over the years and relationships I learned why it is so crucial to marry a man after God’s own heart. My husband has been such a blessing and a stronghold through his faith for our family during times of testing.

  144. I wish I’d known at 14 that HIS love was unconditional; and that I didn’t have to anything but love to get love from others.
    My daughter turns 16 soon, and I’m excited to give her these devotionals!

  145. When I was 14 I wish I had known that God thought I was beautiful and that is all I needed. To not worry about what others thought, only Jesus. He is my biggest fan and my truest friend I could ever have.

  146. I wish I had ben offered a tool like this when I was navigatingthe teenage years. I would have made so many different choices. This will be a powerful tool that will beneift my 12 almost 13 year old daughter. There are so many different area of media that bombard our teenagers each day. We need all of the weapons that are available! Thank you

  147. I wish I had known when I was 14 that my value was not dependent on others view of me, only the Lord’s view. I wish I had known last month that my own 14 year old daughter was struggling with the same thing. IT is what has brought me to this site today.

  148. Kristin Kunoff says:

    That Jesus was the thing I needed to fill myself with, not boys!

  149. I wish I would have known Jesus’ love and acceptance when I was 14. I was always trying to get acceptance from my dad hoping that would fulfill that empty hole inside. I finally got straight A’s in school and that wasn’t good enough for him. When that didn’t work my direction changed to filling it with boys opinions of me. I had some boundaries but not enough to not get hurt. I always wanted the knight and shining armor to come rescue me. When I went to college I met my husband and he helped me find Christ by inviting me to church several times and finally I said yes. I don’t remember what the sermon was about but I remember I felt God’s love for me!!! It filled that hole and I feel I did a 180 in my direction! God is the only one who can fill that God shaped hole! I would have loved to know that when I was 14 but it’s all in God great timing.

  150. I wish I could remember NOW what I knew at 14! I was more confident in who I was then – in life, in love, in family…perhaps I should be the one reading these devotions along with my 17 yr old daughter!!

    1. Get them girl! Find your confidence in knowing Jesus is CRAZY about you! THAT is truth!

  151. Katrina Arbuckle says:

    When I was 14 I wish I could have had a healthy self-confidence, instead of looking for approval from others. I definitely sought approval and affirmation from boys, parents, teachers, my peers in general. I love this message you are shouting out! My daughter is 13 and I long for her to seek only God’s approval!!

  152. Carolyn Rogers says:

    I wish I had known the basic truth that I could go to Jesus for all the love I desired, not just fatherly love.

  153. When I was 14 was actually when I began to own my faith, instead of just saying I was a Christian and leaving my faith at the door when I left church on Sunday. I realized that the Christian life means devoting everything to God, not just trying to fit Him in here or there. I realized that I had to try to become a holy person, not just live my own life and expect God to change me without my participation.

  154. I didn’t know Jesus when I was 14 but I’m so happy that my daughter does. I wish I could have experienced His love and acceptance for me when I felt rejected. I’m so thankful for His love and acceptance in my life now. Recently my husband walked out on our family. I am so thankful that my daughter can walk through her teen years knowing Jesus is always there for her and will never abandon her. He will love her, accept her and guide her each day. I look forward to reading your books with my daughter to help encourage and strengthen her faith and mine!!

  155. I wish I had know that there was more to Jesus than just knowing about him; that when things were going on that no one knew about, that there was someone who not only knew, but cared, and was there for me to turn to for the help I so desperately need. I was in my late 20’s before I came to understand this. I would love to know how to teach/explain this to my daughter so she doesn’t make the same mistakes I did at her age.

  156. I have 3 daughters ages 20, 16 & 13 so we could really use this information. Thanks for the wonderful devotional today!

  157. I wish at 14 I had known I was “good enough” to the only one that mattered, Jesus.

  158. I had been raised Catholic and learned to fear God. It wasn’t until much later in life that I learned about having a personal relationship with Jesus. What a change that has made in my life!

    1. Terri, I was raised Catholic for a time as well. One of the things I think I best learned was to fear God (isn’t it interesting how we all get something different?) In our culture today, we have to be careful that while we are teaching our children that God is personal and crazy about them, He is also holy and to be feared in a good way. Jesus…please help us to get this balance. 🙂

  159. Kristen S. says:

    I grew up in a staunch southern baptist home. My speeches from my parents were “Don’t do this…..Don’t do that……..What would the preacher say if he knew this?……………The Lord is going to get you!………….You can’t follow two Gods!

    So!! I so wish that I would have learned about God’s grace and God’s forgiveness, His unconditional love……..the “we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

    This is something I am drilling into my girl’s heads! The positive parts of God and why we should obey and how that is good for us, for our protection, His plan for us……so excited about this devo!

  160. I wish I had known to please God more than people

  161. I wish had known exactly what your devotion from today stated. I also wish that I had known how to recognize God, the Father’s, love for me. I didn’t understand that kind of love since my earthly father, along with his affirmation and approval of me, was absent in my life. I was always puzzled when I heard people say, “God, my FATHER, loves me.” I wish I had known that kind of love, or maybe a better way to say that would be to recognize my “Father’s” love for me at 14.

  162. I would have love to been completely aware that God truly has a plan for me and a calling on my life when I was a teenager. 🙂 I would have liked to have been geared in the path of ministry as a young girl!

  163. I wish I had pursued better friendships with young men than relationships with young men in my teen years. It was “status” in my day to be someone’s girlfriend. What we don’t realize as teen girls is that we are giving our hearts away too soon, and getting them back is no easy process. Not that it can’t happen at 21, but I think there is a different level of maturity in handling a breakup at 21 than 14. I am thankful today to see my own daughters enjoying friendships with young men and not seriously dating in their early and mid teen years.

  164. I wish I learned and understood then that my hope should ALWAYS be in Jesus. I wish I understood that He alone died so I could live and that is what I should base my worth on. I wish I understood that He has ALWAYS truly cared about what was on the inside and the condition of my heart.

  165. At 14, I wish I understood deeper that the only approval I needed is from my Lord and Savior. I always tried a little too hard, if I was smarter, nicer, read my Bible more, I would be liked more, loved more…accepted. With age comes understanding – I wish this for my 3 girls!

  166. I wish I had had a stronger walk & been in the Word more & already praying about choices I would face when graduating high school!

  167. Dale Katherine says:

    I really wish that I had a do-over…..but am working on knowing that God can make beautiful things out of dust.

  168. Susan Nelson says:

    When i think back on my formative years, one of the deepest longings of my heart was to have a boyfriend. I turned to overeating instead, which pretty much assured me of never being asked out 🙁 It was a vicious trap of Satan, the more i ate, the more i felt unworthy, the more unworthy i felt the more i ate. As an active member of my church and youth group, i would have intermittent “affairs” with God, but when all the other girls in my youth group got asked out by the guys i would find myself with that aching void. This was a big enough problem by itself but it wasn’t the worst of it. While I didnt have the oppertunity to be outwardly promiscuous, the literal flesh is not satans only battlefield. My mind, with or without the help of romance novels, could conjure up some pretty steamy scenes, leaving me filled with guilt and condemnation. The void became a black hole of sorts that sucked me deeper and deeper until i was 21. God in his goodness and mercy rescued me from my pit and literally moved me from the lush and green Midwest to the arid landscape of the west. Here, over the last 18 years, in the desert of my life God has shown me my value as His child, worked to root out sin in my life, and given me Joy. 10 years ago God brought to fruition an earthly desire to be married and made good on a promise that if i would but follow him he would bless and increase. All that to say, i wouldn’t necessarily change a thing between 14 and 39.( I think of James “consider it pure joy my brethren when you face trials of various kinds for the testing of your faith develops perseverance, and perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking in any good thing” and so many other verses that speak of the power of Christ made evident in our lack and limitation) The Journey has built in me a message and a ministry that i pray will glorify my Lord. Now that is not to say, that i don’t desire to transfer to my daughters the love and value they have in Christ at the age of 5, 15, and 55. I have certainly failed at getting this across to my older daughters at times and this is why I’m glad that God has led me here through a recording i finally had time to listen to last night where you were a guest speaker.

    1. Wow Suzy! Thanks so much for sharing your story and thanks for taking the time to listen to my talk! Share with others all you have learned my friend!

  169. Wht i wishd i knew at 14 ws the love i needed nd nvr hd or gt didn cme frm a boy tht all i ever needed ws Jesus. My mom ws always high n my dad ws gne so all tht ws lft were boys. Thy always knew the right things to say to me until i wouldn’t do wht thy wntd so i jus became angry n hrt n put up my walls. I nvr knew jesus would b there for me. I thought i ws tooo bad for Jesus to kno or love, hw wrong i ws.

    1. Amy, I am so glad you know the truth today!

  170. I wish I would have known that God loved me and that I was his princess! I wish I would have had a better self esteem.

  171. Lynn- I wish that I had known that God loved everything about me and that He understood all the doubts I had about myself. Thanks for spreading God’s truth! Jodie

  172. I wish I would have had a clearer understanding of who Jesus was. I would have loved to know about His love for me when I was 14. I wish I was told back then that only he could give me the love I wanted and fill that emptiness inside. I was looking for approval and affection in all the wrong places. He was the last person I was even thinking about pleasing at that time. I had it so backwards. If I knew then, what I know now and have recently been learning, I don’t believe I would have gotten myself into everything I did at such a young age.

    I lost college scholarships since I couldn’t play basketball my senior year because I was pregnant. From age 13 to 22 I went through three long term relationships that all involved domestic violence. I’ve yet to experience a healthy relationship. I’m with a man I’ve been with for six years now; he’s never hit me, but he’s cheated on me (even passed me an std). After all I’ve been through I’m just not up to starting all over. One wrong decision after the other; all in search of love and trying to complete a family for my child.

    1. Dear friend, my heart breaks for all your pain. I pray that as you heal and find Jesus to be all your wounded heart needs, that you will be able to share this healing with others. You could help another young girl to head down a path of love and God’s goodness. Thank you for your vulnerability!

  173. Brooke Hughes says:

    This is a God thing. I have been considering (praying) about starting a small group for high school girls. I have 2 high school nieces that are so dear to me. I have been honored by being asked by one of them if I would consider. This would be a new thing for me. I have been wondering what I would discuss – how I would handle it, etc. I read your devotion on Proverbs 31 and then went to your page. Not only does the devotional book sound wonderful but the book, HIs Revolutionary Love sounds perfect. I even clicked on the leaders guide and was delighted to see suggestions for small groups and guidance…… It gave me the boost that I needed to email the youth director and let him know that if he thinks I qualify…I have a great idea for a small group. I know this is off topic but I wanted to share with you how you have inspired me and I am guessing that God has picked at the perfect study for a small group if it is in fact his will. If not, he has definitely introduced me to something I plan on sharing with my nieces. Thank you for doing what you do. Respectfully, Brooke ps….At 14 I wish I knew the confidence that comes with knowing he sings over me with joy.

    1. Wow, Brooke! How cool is God! I hope the free leadership guide will give you the confidence to get started! If you need multiple copies of “His Revolutionary Love”, just let me know! I’d be happy to sign them for your girls and get them to you for a discount. Thank you so much for opening your heart to being used by God to invest in this next generation of godly women!

      1. Brooke Hughes says:

        That is great! Thank you Lynn. I will let you know. Meeting with our youth paster next Wednesday! 🙂 Brooke

        1. Jesus, give Brooke favor on Wednesday. Amen 🙂 Plain and simple!

  174. At the age of 14, I was not saved and did not know that there was a Savior to learn about. My daughter is 12 and i love that fact that she has grown up in the church and knows our King of Kings. Anything will help when teaching her about her worth in God’s eyes.
    Thank you!!

  175. I realized that God was my best friend as a preteen. But I didn’t fall in love with the Word of God until I was an adult.

  176. I wish I had known just how much He loved me and that His love is the only perfect love there is. Knowing that I was loved unconditionally would have made all the difference in my teenage years!!

  177. Your messages ring so true with me because when I was 14 I thought I needed to be pretty and popular with the boys to feel important. Unfortunately, that followed me into adulthood and it’s very hard to reshape thoughts that have been ingrained for so long. I’m hoping I’m doing a better job with my 14 year old! Thanks for all of your wisdom.

  178. He knows me. He sees me. He has a plan for me and it’s perfect. He wants more for me than I can ask or imagine. It will all come to pass in His perfect timing and love.

  179. “I’m in!” I’d really love to find a way to help boost my daughter’s self-esteem and self-worth. She is 15 and has been struggling so much with friendships in the past year. She is so down on herself lately … I suppose that’s something she learned quite well from her mother …

  180. JoEllen Gay says:

    I have two daughters, 15 and 13. I wish I had known when I was 14 that God is the author of my love story and He already had the perfect mate for me.

  181. I truly wish I had understood His Revolutionary Love at 14! To know that HE Loved/s me more than that boyfriend or even my father! I knew who Jesus was but just didn’t “get it”! I would have been able to stand stronger and not given in to some of the pressures I faced! This is why I have a passion for teaching young girls this very truth!

    1. Thank you so much Melissa for sharing God’s truth with God’s girls!

  182. I wish I would have known where true, real, and unconditional love comes from when I was young. I knew Jesus’ love for me, but I hadn’t grown or developed my relationship with God to not fall into what the world tells you. When you’re young, you want to fit in and you tend to follow social norms. I would have rather not and just known and told myself over and over again Psalm 139:14.

    I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

    I also I wish I would have come across a message on a t-shirt at a younger age that said “A girl’s heart should be so lost in God, a guy must seek Him to find her.”

  183. I wish I had known that I was NEVER alone!

  184. I wish I’d understood at 14 that I was perfect just the way God made me and that the world shouldn’t dictate how I view myself.

  185. I’m in. I would loved to have accepted how all emcompassing His love is. I was from a stable home,so I didn’t search as hard as my granddaughter is. Praying this devotion will show her how to fill her heart without a “daddy.”

  186. When I was 14 I wish that I had known that God could fill that “love gap” in my life and that I had not learned it the hard way. I now have 2 daughters of my own and am so thankful that I can teach them and encourage them through God’s promises and my experiences without placing God in those gaps.

  187. Courtney Lynn says:

    I was a teenage anorexic at fourteen. I with had realized that I did not have to put myself and my family through that terrible sickness–Jesus loved me even though I wasn’t a size zero!!

  188. I wish I had known that I could have a relationship with Jesus and not just about having a religion. Back then, I just knew of Jesus and what he had done for us. I did not know how special I was to him. Thank you Jesus for finding me!!

  189. I wish…

    I wish that I had grown more from the girl I was then to the woman I am today. So much of me is still that same girl who is longing for love, acceptance. I wish that I was more grounded in His truth, more submissive to His ways, and I wish I had not tried to fill the gaps on my own.

  190. When I was 14 i wish I had the material that is out there for us now. I love sharing with young people and I teach them in Sunday School and Bible study. I only knew about Jesus but not like I do now who I have given my life to Him and I will not turn around. Praise God for all His Grace and Mercy. I want to thank God for sending my neighbor to start taking me to church and sunday school. I love the Lord with my whole heart.

  191. You are beautiful! You were made for SOOOOO much more than all of this 🙂

    I’m in !!

  192. Age 14 was a rough age for me, especially since I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus at the time. I pray my children will understand this way.

  193. Jennifer Dawson says:

    I so enjoy your writing. As a mother of two teen daughters, I appreciate your work.

  194. There’s so many things I wish I knew as a teenager! I’m in 🙂

  195. Don’t let the world tell you what is right, listen to Jesus’ words and follow them, no matter what your friends are doing! I’m in because I have a 14 year old girl!

  196. I’m IN! The most important thing I can install in my girls… is to never let a boy, or mans opinion of them to define who they think they are. To always turn to the Word of God and submerge themselves in what He tells them they are to Him.

  197. I tell my daughter all the time that her self-worth is rooted in God’s opinion of her and NOT in the opinions of the kids at school. I try to explain to her that girls who think they are worthless if they don’t have a boyfriend don’t know what God has said about them and probably don’t have a relationship with Him. Every morning before she gets out of the car to enter school, I pray a blessing over her. We have been doing this since elementary and she is now in middle school. Thank you Lynn for all the encouraging words you share.

  198. I wish I knew that I could experience His presence in everything…that He was always with me. It is something that I treasure so much now!

  199. Jenny Rutan says:

    I would have love for my mom to tell me that “the most important man in my life at 14 until the day that I see Him face to face is Jesus Christ and to always put Him first” I looked in many faces to only find no one could fill that empty space in my heart that Christ has. I try to instill in my daughters 13 & 16years old that God /Jesus/Holy Spirit has got to be first in their lives.
    Thank you and God bless you and your ministry.

  200. I wish I could have grasped at 14 that Christ is truly All in All. I can do nothing without Him.

  201. Stephanie Hanks says:

    I wish I knew HIs Love for me when I was 14. So many young girls go looking for that “love”. I have 3 daughters they are 12, 10 and 7. I’m in!!

  202. I wish I had know that while God’s standard is perfection, He wasn’t ever surprised when I made mistakes. He knew all along that I needed a Savior. I always felt like I wasn’t quite good enough for God to love me. Now I know that my failures were just evidence of my need and that He loves me no matter what! Parental love should be unconditional but that wasn’t what I experienced so it was hard to imagine a God who could be kind and tender even when I screwed up.

  203. Yvonne M. says:

    I wish I’d known about Christian relationships – what standards are set for us.

  204. Just found your weekly email subscription. I am excited to see it in my box tomorrow! Also ~ I am ordering the book to share with my daughter. We have got to find a time during the day we can read it together. Maybe she can read it to me in the car some days and I can read it to her in the evenings other days. Or (Dear God, I can’t believe I am going to say this!) I can get up and read it to her in the mornings before school. Ugh… I am so not a morning person!

    1. Just be faithful whenever you can Demaroge! Your seeds will grow!

  205. I wish at 14 I’d known of His unconditional love for me. I have 4 kids & try to remind them daily that they are loved no matter what. I’m in!

  206. Thank You for sharing this,my 14th yr was not a good one as my mom died that year and lots of things changed. I have 3 girls and I feel I fall so short in doing all the right things but God knows my heart and Im trusting Him to guide me.

    1. He will Karen! Don’t feel like you have to know everything! Begin with pouring in the parts of truth you have available to you and be faithful with that, my friend!

  207. Thank you for these words of encouragement for our teen daughters and for us s mothers too. I wish A a teen girl I had known that God’s love was all that I needed. Looking forward to sharing the truths with my daughter. 🙂

  208. I wish I would have know how much He loves me.

  209. Tina Sparks says:

    Thank you for these words of encouragement. I wish that at 14 I would have had a mother that showed me who Christ was and His love for me. Then maybe I would have felt the true love I feel today from Him. I look forward to sharing with my daughter the truths of how God’s love is all she needs in her life to make her complete.

  210. Im just asking for prayer. I have a 14 yr old daughter and need Gods wisdom
    In being the mom that I wish I had. Prayers that God will soften hearts.

  211. Jen Torresson says:

    I sooooo wish someone would have told me that Jesus loves me, Cherishes me, and has chosen me. That I am precious and wonderfully made! Imagine the impact on our self esteem and sense of value.

  212. Julia Reffner says:

    I wish I had known what it meant to truly surrender to Jesus and had done it as a teenager.

  213. Robin Mason says:

    I love it and I wish this had been available to me as a young lady. Please keep it coming, I love it and I love sharing it with the young ladies in my circle and my 25 year old daughter it may worship to her or something she can share with the young ladies she ministers to! Again thank you so much for being obedient to God and sharing!

    1. Thank you so much Robin, for helping me spread the word and help moms raise wiser daughters!

  214. there are SO MANY mistakes I made for way too many years – looking in all the wrong places. Thank you and I would LOVE the give-away for my daughter and friends. Thank you for a great blog I have forwarded on to many young women and/or their moms!

    1. Thank you so very much for not only be a part of our blog community but for sharing with others, Patti!

  215. I wish I would have known there was a Heavenly Father who loved me ENOUGH and in knowing that I would not of wasted endless years searching for Love in all the WRONG places coming up empty every time……oh the beauty of staying pure ladies!!

  216. I wish I had had known that no guy could fill the void of not having a dad around, that only Jesus can do that

  217. Susan Spina says:

    One thing I wish I would have known is that my peers (at that time)will most likely not be around in 5 years so really shouldn’t let them determine my self-worth. Our true identity is in Jesus! He loves us and that will never change. He will never leave us or forsake us.

  218. I wish I would of known of the relationship with Him. I wish I would of known of His love. Growing up catholic I was never told I could have a relationship with Jesus.I know life would of been different.

  219. Remember I am on your team!

  220. The Lord made you who you are. Rejoice in Him and in His Word. He will guide you if you just trust and believe. Spend daily quiet time with Him and He will communicate with you, IF you search for his direction and are open to hearing His Words. He loves you dearly!

  221. At 14, I wish I would have known how to have a real relationship with Jesus. The living, breathing, can talk back and forth, relationship. All I knew, at the time, was to follow the rules, and if not, I must not be a Christian. Every mistake was pointed out by the adult influences in my life. I was constantly being told that they were praying that my life would straighten up. I gave up. I couldn’t do it. Thank goodness Jesus never gave up on me!! Following Him is so natural now that I’m walking, talking and living with Him moment by moment in His love! I still fall, of course, but He picks me up every time 🙂

  222. I wish I had known just how faithful God is to chase after us even when we walk/run the other direction. There have been times I have tried to ignore Him and His word and He always find a way, a book, a person to show me His grace and mercy.

    I also wish I had known that He understands every single thing I go through. When I feel like He couldn’t possibly know how lonely it is, painful, and scary to be here, I have to remember He was “tempted in every way, just as we are, but was without sin”-Heb 4:15b.

  223. That he was and is my one true love…no boy could ever love me the way Jesus does…

  224. At 14 I wish I knew it all. At least I thought I should. Now, I wish I had known what was important and would have pursued Jesus and never looked back.

  225. When I was around 14, my parents were separating and divorcing and going thru their own things. I wish I had pursued Jesus instead of boys to fulfull my loneliness during this time.

  226. God wants to have an intimate friendship with me!

  227. I wish when I was 14 years old that I would have known about the all powerful love of Jesus and maybe I would have sought love for Him instead of from boys. I want more for my girls, I want them to know that our Heavenly Father is all they need and that he loves them just as they are. All of my girls have been involved in our church awana program since they were in kindergarden and we are now 1st grade, 5th grade and 7th grade. I want the girls to apply what they are learning and I want to be a better example. Thank you for all your hard work and your words of wisdom and encouragement!

  228. I just wish I knew Jesus loved me unconditionally and would always be there for me! Thank you so much for sharing and inspiring, what a blessing you are!

  229. Love your messages. I have a 12 year old and it’s so scary trying to bring them up on the path God wants us to. So much out there…and then I have to cover topics that is hard to make sure I am presenting the right way! About to have some “talks” based on topics in books we are reading. And not wanting her to make my mistakes too.

    It so encouraging to hear the foundation you are giving your girls. Am hoping I can figure out a better way than I am on doing the same. For a drowning in “to do’s” mom with 3 kids…to give them each what they need and put God first in their lives…am struggling.

  230. I did not know anything about God or Jesus when I was 14. I wish I knew Jesus then because I would have made better choices.

  231. I wish, at 14, I would have had foresight to look for the right sort of attention and be content in growing into the woman God wanted me to be.

  232. I wish I had known Jesus when I was 14, so I had not treated my body the way I did. (now I know is God’s body) at that time period I was obese and felt that nobody loved me, no even my parents, so I try to kill myself but something always hapened that I couldn’t died. ( now I know it was God’s purpose for me to be alive) Thank God for his amazing love. Because of that reason I don’t want my girls and my niece who has recently been abandoned by her dad to go through the same sitation. I would love to share with my niece about Jesus’ love but I don’t know if it’s a good time for her or wait a little bit more so she can open up her heart, she doesn’t know to much about Jesus so I don’t know how to start. (her mom doesn’t want me to talk about “my religion” with her) I know God is good and He knows the right time. I can only pray and wait. Thank you for the 7 days building faith, my oldest daughter enjoy them. God bless you.

  233. Melissa Reynolds says:

    I’m so in!

  234. I wish I’d known that what was on the inside really was more important than the outside.

  235. I wish as a teenager that Gods love was the one that wouild fill me.

  236. Karen Smith says:

    Wish I had known there was a God to lean on & learn from, to show me the right path to take instead of getting married at the age of 14. I still can not believe it to this day that my parents signed the papers allowing it! And I wasn’t even pregnut!

  237. anonymous says:

    If only I had this kind of resource to help me when I was 14. I never grew up with confidence. I was always put down and compared to. Reading the inspiring messages from Lynn has encouraged and uplifted me and so to I will share this with my 14 year old. I sometimes find myself comparing my child to others and realise what I am doing is so wrong. She is who God created her to be and I cannot change who she is but encourage her and nurture her in the ways of God. God Bless you, Lynn as you continue to share your heart with us.

    1. And bless you for sharing your heart with me! As Lysa TerKeurst says, “We’re making imperfect progress.” but at least it’s progress right?

  238. I wish I had known that Jesus was in love with me. If I had seen my value in His eyes, then my past would have turned out differently.

  239. I wish I knew that Jesus loved me unconditionally, and that I didn’t have to go looking for “love” from teenage boys. I was always made to feel like I wasn’t enough in my parents eyes. Unfortunately instead of turning to God I turned to sex and drugs. I got pregnant when I was 16, luckily by a man who has stood by me for 15 years, but obviously I was looking for something I already had. I just didn’t know it. After getting pregnant I totally turned my life around and my husband and I are now the youth leaders in our church!

    1. What an awesome story, Beth! THANK YOU so much for investing in youth people! They are a gold mine waiting to be found!

  240. I want my daughters to know that I will always love them even when I don’t agree with them or am disappointed in their actions and that God loves them even more than I do.

  241. I too wish I had know that a man COULD NOT fill in the gap for lonliness in my teen years. I would have saved myself much heartache that I put myself through. Although I regret much of what I did, I know God had a purpose in my life and I know that I am now FORGIVEN. I have 2 girls, and my prayer is for them to know the LOVE that GOD has for them, and that no one else can replace that.

  242. Ruth Welch says:

    I was raised by a single mother who was so focused on keeping me from making the mistakes she did that she stressed the wrath of God more than the love of God. My image of God was this great big person sitting on a throne just waiting for me to make a mistake so He could crush me like a bug. Sad to say I had this image until I was in my 40’s. I taught Sunday School and Woman’s Missionary Union and never missed a service but I was serving out of fear, not love. I am now 61 and just learning that my purpose in life is nothing more or less than loving people in the name of Jesus. What a great joy to know that I am loved unconditionally and to share that love with others.

  243. Rhonda in MA says:

    I am in!!!! I would love this “kit” to share with my girls!!!

  244. I wish i had known that Jesus would fill all the empty places in me.

  245. I am in!! I try to encourage my 15 year old by reminding her that she might be setting an example for someone she doesn’t even know.

  246. I am in!
    As the single mother of two… I / We need all the encouragement we can get!

  247. It’s scary for me to look back at my teen years and see all the “close calls” for what they were. I was naive, and stayed out of trouble and harm through God’s grace and mercy.

    Professing love for Jesus wasn’t “cool” then, but thankfully today I recognize Him for the power and truth it is. My daughters are 13, 6, and 5. I want them to have Jesus woven into the fabric of their daily lives. I want His name to be the first on their lips in trouble and in praise. Can’t wait to begin a daily devotional with them.

  248. Chantelle says:

    I wish at 14 that someone had talked to me about the true source of my identity. That Jesus, and my heart, are the core of who I am.

    As Prov. 4:23 says “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the wellspring of life.” As Stasi Eldredge put it in her book “Captivating”: “(our heart)…is the source of all our creativity, our courage, and our convictions. It is the fountainhead of our faith, our hope, and of course, our love. This “wellspring” of life within us is the very essence of our existence, the center of our being. Your heart as a woman is the most important thing about you.”

    God created me in His image. So, as a FEMALE – I bear His image; so my heart is “a reflection of God’s heart.” And more than anything – God thinks I am truly captivating.

    No matter what anyone ever says to me, how I am treated, what I do to myself, or what pain I experience…I am a princess – the daughter of the King of the Universe. He cherishes me, I am safe with Him, and I matter.

  249. Peggy Clement says:

    Im in . One thing I try to teach my girls when someone doesn’t like their outfit to tell them they don’t dress to please them but they dress to please theirself and as long as its modest its ok.

  250. I wish I had known about relationship versus religion. I was brought up in a church, but didn’t realize how much God’s word was really meant for ME! I also, sadly, never saw victory over depression and oppression for someone very important to me who I knew without a doubt loved God and had a strong faith, but also was brought up in the same manner…religion without relationship.

  251. Really fantastic devotional. It is what so many need to hear. I have 2 daughters, 7 & 10. I am looking forward to receiving your 7 day faith builders to share with them. At 14, I would have told myself that looking to others for my identity, affirmation, and love will always fall short because Jesus is the only true source of unconditional love, affirmation, and authentic identity. He loves us before we loved Him. He knows all our faults, sins, and ugly parts and loved us more then enough to suffer and die on a cross for US. No boyfriend, no friend, no one can fill that God shaped hole in our being. Just Jesus. Thank you for this devotional Lynn. I found you through your guest post on MOD Squad and so glad I did!

    1. Thanks for coming over, Laura! I love the MOD Squad! I hope you’ll be back 🙂

  252. I wish I would have understood the importance of reading His word daily & how it would have helped me in my daily life. Even though I fell away from Christ through my teen years, when I look back over those years I can see that He was right there protecting me from so many things that could have harmed me or drastically changed my life. I turned away from Him but He NEVER turned away from me. How can I not love a Savior who does this for me?

  253. I wish I knew I didn’t have to work harder to be a better person, but it was God who did the work as I learned to love Him. He changes and it is real change!

  254. I am in!!! I wish I would have known at 14 that loving Jesus was way more satisfying and fulfilling than the temporary pleasures of the world. I remembered being surprised that sin was so much fun, no one warned me of that danger. It was confusing to understand how something so ‘fun’ could be so seriously dangerous for me in so many ways, emotionally and physically.

    I have a 14 year old and 17 year old who I pray for daily that they have a relationship with Jesus and be filled with His enduring love, it’s the only place to get that kind of love!!! Oh, that we can teach our young women to find their love in their heavenly husband!!! Looking forward to reading the Devotion, thanks Lynn!

  255. Jeni Wurmlinger says:

    When I was 14 it wasn’t “the thing” to snuggle up to your mom and talk about Jesus in the everyday….I’m so thankful my daughter will snuggle up with me and ask away….blessed!!

  256. Lynn Bowman says:

    I’m in! Thank you for this great resource!

  257. I’m new and I’m in!!!!! I have two daughters that I would love to snuggle up with and talk about Jesus and help them to head in the right direction. Thank you for such a great resource and knowing that this is out there to help our girls.

    1. Welcome friend! Looking forward to hearing from you often…we moms need each other!

  258. Sherri Jackson says:

    I’m in….so much to tell my daughter…she has started high school and my advice to her is be the better person even when others are unkind.

  259. Most every morning, I have my daughter repeat a little saying after me that reminds her of the love and acceptance of God. That seems to help her start the day with the right focus.

  260. Joyce Olmstead says:

    I’m in too! I have 18 grandchildren that I want to radically influence-10 of them young girls! What am opportunity!

    1. Praise Jesus for you, Joyce! I love radical grandmas!!!

  261. I’m In! When I was 14 I knew who God was but didn’t KNOW him. There are still times even now when I have to remind myself that God is love and He isn’t the one who changes, I am. I want my girls, almost 9 &12 (and my son 6) to learn now when they are young, that God is the only one who can give them the unconditional love we all crave (daddy and I give them all we are capable of) so they won’t have to struggle as much to remember this later in life.
    Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity with these books and conferences that will help us as parents to bring our children up in the Lord!

    God bless you for your faithfulness!

  262. I’m in! My daughter just started middle school and this would be a great resource to share with her. Thank you Lynn!

  263. Laura Jones says:

    I wish at 14 that I’d known that the Bible was really absolutely true and that I could trust God that Jesus really does save us!

  264. Vicki Herrera says:

    When I was 14, I was in a home with an abusive, acoholic parent. I knew about God, but I wish I knew how He desired to have a personal relationship with ME! I talked to him, but didn’t really understand that He wanted me to BELIEVE that He was with me in it all. I am blessed to have two daughters, 14 & 12, and my whole heart has been to cultivate the knowledge of their value in Jesus! I’m in with both feet!! Thank you for all you are doing!!

  265. Cassie Laffan says:

    Oh wow, if I had known then what I know now. How does the song go, “If I could turn back time?” Nit
    Growing up in a Christain home, I simply
    Did not know Jesus when I was 14. I did alot
    Of Things that I am not Proud of but Am so thankful
    For the blood of Jesus that washes overe.Today, I am so thankful to be raising up
    Two of His girls for His Glory. So thankful to Have this ministry in my life!

    1. Cassie…love the “if I could turn back time”. 🙂 Thank you Jesus that we don’t have to turn back time to be made new in You!

      1. Cassie Laffan says:

        Amen Lynn!! 🙂

  266. I knew about God when I was 14, my family did as well, But I was very shy and timid, I began to believe others when I got ridiculed, made fun of, told I did not fit in, and I had to do certain things to have friends. I made it, but I did not have any true friends. Now a mother of 2 girls(teens) I am finally realizing that the only person I need to make happy is God. I try to teach that to our daughters. As they just started going to a public school, we are having a difficult time everyday reminding them that they DO NOT have to be any one different to be liked and God is their #1 friend .
    How they look on the outside is not as important as how they look on the inside.
    Thanks .

  267. Amanda Neal says:

    I would love to have this for me 13 yr old daughter!!!!

  268. I had a lot of head knowledge at 14. I wish I knew Jesus was all I needed and that the way He made me was just right for me.

  269. Lynn,

    Love it!! Love the new devotion! Can’t wait to share it with my friends!

  270. I didn’t know anything about Jesus at age 14 but I wish I had.

  271. Lynda Parker says:

    Wow, I have 18, 16,10, 9 and 7 year old granddaughters! I would so love for them to know Jesus “perfect” love at a very young age, so they don’t look for it in all the wrong places, like I did! I didn’t have the most perfect “real” father (who does, I guess) therefore I was looking for someone to love me! As I went on through HS it got worse! I ended up getting married just to fill that void! Of course, I got divorced a few years later! I love the way you girls teach us to teach our daughters and granddaughters!

  272. I have 2 daughters that are 14 and almost 12. I want them to know that God is what they need and I want them to feel secure. I want their focus to be on what God thinks of them, not the world. I’m so excited to do the devotion with them! 🙂

    1. Hey Lindsey! They are the perfect age to pour this truth into!

  273. I wish that at 14 years of age, I would have known that man could not fill the gaps in my heart. I wish I had known that Jesus is love and that He is all that i need. I want to pass this wisdom on to my young girls (ages 7, 3, and 1) so that they may avoid the heartache I experienced as a young woman.

  274. I wish I had known God’s love for me. If I had known His unconditional love I might have made better choices.

  275. At age 14 my parents were getting a divorce and I had my first boyfriend. If I would have known then that Jesus is all I needed, the date rape may not have happened. I wouldn’t have tried to fill the hole in my heart with a boy, and sunk into a pit of feeling unworthy. It took until I was 40 to figure this out. As a mother of a daughter, and a mentor to high school girls, I want them to know this and learn to make it a priority in their lives and to know that Jesus loves them more than anyone else possibly can.

    1. Oh Lisa, I am so very sorry! What a painful painful experience! Thank you so very much for investing in high school girls! Jesus thanks you too!

  276. If only I had known at age 14 that my father’s attitude toward me didn’t define me; rather, God defines me by the value he places on me. God has been faithful to slowly peel back the layers and this is another part of that process. Thank you, Lynn, for your devotional at Proverbs 31.org! This will also impact my interactions with my husband in a much more positive way!

    1. Thanks so much for the encouragement, Rae!

  277. I wish that I had known at 14 years of age that my heavenly Daddy loved me more than anything. I wish that I had known that I wasn’t created to be abused and neglected but to be cherished and that He would fill all of the gaps in my life. I have three beautiful daughters that Ihave tried to instill this truth into but they, being typical teenagers, often reject things because the parent has said them. I pray every day that they will each draw closer to Jesus and the Father and make choices knowing that He loves them unconditionally and unendingly.

  278. I wish I had known at 14what I know now, that Jesus Christ is my Savior and loves me!

  279. I wish I just would have listened more closely when I was 14 and followed the teachings I heard instead of following what I thought was “popular”-the worldly things. I want my children to understand how to have a deeper relationship with the One and Only and know that He is all they need.

  280. I’m In!!! At 14, I wish I had known just how much Jesus loves me. That his love is the REAL thing, not another fairytale romance. Maybe then, I would have loved me enough to not make some of the mistakes I did right around the age of 15. My 10 year old daughter developed a skin condition about 3 years ago called Vitiligo, which removes the pigment from her skin. I think she’s beautiful, and my husband and I are trying to convince her that Jesus loves her NO MATTER what the world may say in it’s complete ugliness and ignorance. What a great resource this would be 🙂

  281. Hi I’m in!!! And o love your daily inspiration. The one thing I always
    try to do is pray with my daughters before they walk out the door!
    Thanks Lynn for all you do In the glory of God!

  282. Michelle T. says:

    I’m In. But a simple hug and a “You can make it, it’s going to be alright” is what I say to my girls….. Cause with God anything is possible. 🙂

  283. Sandy Phillips says:

    I’m in! I wish that I had the parents that would have prayed with me and over me – the way we do our daughter each day. She knows that she can crawl into her heavenly Daddy’s lap anytime and he hears her every word!

    Thanks Lynn for your words of encouragement. If I win this I will bless another young lady the way my daughter has already been blessed by the words in your book.

    1. Thank you so much Sandy!I really appreciate your words 🙂

  284. I wish I had known at 14 how much God truly loves me and wants the very best for me. I wish I had known that I can fully trust Him with my heart, that He will never let me down. He was always ready to guide me in His way, anytime I was ready to give up the control I was holding onto so desperately.

    I thank God for the Truth he teaches me everyday, and my prayer is that I might be able to teach my children what I missed out on at their age.

  285. Oh MY!! I SO want this package for my almost 14 year old daughter! Middle School is such a rough time and boys only add to the mental issues .. 🙂 I wish my mother had told me how important Jesus would be in my life, at this age. I wish she had stressed to me that HE is all I need and everything else would fall into place. I hope my daughter will always know this fact ..

    1. I couldn’t agree more, Cammi! Middle school is really hard. I do believe we can start to teach our girls from a very early age to really on Jesus for their self-worth and confidence!

  286. I wish I had someone teaching me these truths growing up. With a father that left doring my teenage years it leaves young girls searching for love in the wrong places.

    1. Hey Jennifer, I believe that is the story of many of us. Though we can’t control our own stories, or the stories of our children, we can introduce them to the Perfect Father as soon as possible.

  287. I had no sooner wiped the tears from my cheeks over the recent loss of my husband of 17+ years (long story…as a result of his poor choices and pending imprisonment), when I came across your devotion. Talk about timing! Thank you. I have a mighty task ahead of me, as we have five children (three girls) that desperately need the security of the love of Jesus right now–me too! Oh how I long for Jesus to be the ever loving, ever faithful, ever true, ever present love of my life! HE is my source of it all–my portion–my hope! If I had known this when I was 14, I may have been spared from the heartaches that linger, even now.

    1. Oh Jodi! My heart breaks for your heartache. You must at times feel alone. I am thankful that you do have the Perfect Love beside you and He promises to be the husband and father that we need. Jesus, you know exactly what Jodi is facing. I know you will be her strength and shelter. Please help her to sense that! Amen

  288. Amanda Gay says:

    I wish I had known how much God loves me even when I fail Him. I wish I had known that I can in no way earn His love; it is freely given. Therefore I am simply loved because of who I am and God’s love for me will never change. I want my daughter to truly understand God’s grace and love!

  289. I wish I knew that God love is the ONLY and perfect love.

  290. Hi Lynn, have only just got to read this today and would love to get a copy of these books for my daughter (she’ll be 10 at the end of this month but a very grown up 10). However there is no option for shipping to the UK. I know I can get a copy of ‘His Revolutionary Love’ off amazon, but they don’t have the devotional which I know would help both of us (as well as my 12 year old son).

    I know it’s too late for the Faith Builder’ Pack, but I wanted to share with you the one thing I wish I had known at 14 was how much Christ loved me and the love I was desperate for could only come from Him and no man here on this earth. But He is good and patient with me and never lets me down and even though I fail Him at times He is just waiting for me to come running back to Him.

    Prayers always

    Sam xxx

    Sam xx

  291. This is just the kind of thing I’ve been searching for! Great and thankyou!

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