What’s Your Message? – Wednesday Wisdom Tip


“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9 (NIV)

If you are joining me here today from Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Encouragement for Today, welcome!

God has given each one of us a gift, a gift of wisdom that we can intentionally pass on to our children and share with those closest to us; treasures from His Word, glimpses into His heart. He has entrusted those to you not just for your benefit, but also for the benefit of your family and those in your sphere of influence.

What is one truth God has revealed to you which you can pass on to your children, your children’s children or young people in your world?

A clear understanding of forgiveness? Healing? Overcoming an addiction?

Grab an index card or small piece of paper.

On this card, write down three sentences that explain the understanding you have.

 

For example, I understand that only Jesus can fill my empty heart. Three sentences might be:

1) Only God can fill my love gap – no dad, boyfriend or amazing husband; only Jesus.

2) When my love gap is filled by Him, I won’t look to the wrong things for love.

3) When I know that I am truly and unconditionally love by Jesus, I will make wiser choices.

 

Now, once you have your three sentences, pray over these truths. Ask Jesus to open the door for you to share His wisdom with your child, your co-worker, husband or neighbor today and look for the opportunity to do it! When God opens the door, walk through it! Through conversation, naturally weave these truths in, sharing God’s wisdom with her.

When we are intentional to pass on the good things the Lord has accomplished in our lives, we encourage those around us to trust Him in their lives too!

Today I’m giving away a copy of my CD Building a Bridge to Your Child’s Heart, as well as a coffee gift card! To enter to possibly win, just click on “comments” below or head to www.LynnCowell.com and answer this question with one word:

What can you share?

Love? Forgiveness? How can you share this message?

I’ll share the winner on Friday!

Thanks for stopping by today! If you have enjoyed today’s Wednesday Wisdom Tip, why not sign up to receive them automatically? Just go to my website at www.LynnCowell.com and put your name in the box that says “Subscribe to my blog”. It’s free plus you’ll receive the free article “Starting the Tough Talks.” It’s simple!

 

Lynn

126 Comments

    1. Leigh Ann Moody says:

      I can share both love and forgiveness. I have struggled with addiction and self-loathing all of my life. I hid behind laughter and taking care of others. I believed in God but thought I was too unloveable even for Him to love. I had children and thought I could LIVE for them… well, that doesn’t work. Loving and forgiving others without doing the same for MYSELF only led me back to my self-destructive ways. My children are with my ex-husband and are hurt and confused. Now I have a chance to start loving and forgiving me and really believing I was created in His image and I am worthy of all of the desires of my heart. When I can honestly do this for myself, I have so much more to give to others and life can have real depth and meaning.

      1. Lynn Cowell says:

        Love this truth, Leigh Ann!

    2. Amy Lester says:

      Sacrifice! During this time of Lent giving a sacrifice to Jesus to honor his Life’s sacrifice for me.

    3. Lytanja Fields says:

      This is not intended to be a sad comment, but there was a time when sin was head of my life. I made many bad mistakes in the presence of my daughter and eventually lost custody of her. Now that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I am sober mentally to be able to teach her those things such as the fruits of the spirit so that she won’t make those mistakes I did as a teen. Although it is hard to raise her and her not living with me Icontinue to put my hope in Christ to make the situation better for me and her. Patience, forgiveness , longsuffering, joy is what love is. Those are the things I want her to know. Through all the sin Jesus still showed us the most greatest love by dieing on the cross. This is an awesome motivation to share Christ’s Love!

      1. Lynn Cowell says:

        He is a redeemer friend!

    4. Thank you so much, the messages are bringing so many people hope especially when you touch issues that relate to women and girls. Thiis is opening doors for young women to look into who they are and appreciate the work of God in their lives. to also understand and take up their different roles in the Church as well as families.

      Thank you

    5. Wonderful, it took me a while to learn this but by God’s grace have realized no one can love me as much as God can. I’m tossed and turned many times because of life’s circumstance but I always feel the whisper of His voice as He says “I’m right here, right by your side”

  1. Love. I am once divorced. I want to show both my son and daughter that no one but Jesus can fill your heart with True Love. Not a girl! Not a boy! I looked in all the wrong places. It has taken a long time to acknowledge that. I want to be an example to my children that with Jesus in your heart the right person will come along and you will find the love that God wants them to share with another person. Thank you for reminding me what I need to do.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      That will preach, Denise!

  2. “What can you share?”

    Gospel 🙂

  3. I work with teens daily and those opportunities come when I get to share how only God can fill that gap. My conversation often ends with how God’s love gives me peace, healing, and renews my spirit.

    So my own story could be summed up with one word: New.

    I am not who I was, I have been made new in Christ. It makes my heart sing when I really stop and think about it!

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Peace is not something this planet has a lot of! Thanks so much, Kim!

  4. I try to teach my daughter “peace”….. she gets so emotional: sad anxious or panicky at times so I’ve tried to teach her how stop think and pray to calm down.

    1. My daughter is emotional, too. It is so hard to communicate anything to them when they are in those highly-charged emotional states. Peace is also something I pray for my daughter.

  5. Rebecca Friedrichs says:

    Faithfulnes

  6. Tabitha Heilman says:

    The power of prayer.

  7. Janet Allen says:

    Encouragement and unconditional love.

  8. Katherine says:

    Forgiveness- even when it is so hard. It will bring peace and freedom to your heart.

  9. I can show my daughter Grace and self-worth. I just wanted to say my 9yo daughter loves your conversation starters. I printed them off a couple of weeks ago and put them all in a jar. At night before she goes to bed, I pick one for me and her to talk about. She loves them so much that on night’s when I forget she will remind me that we haven’t had “our question” yet. I love hearing her answers to all of these. Thankyou so much for sharing them.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      I LOVE that Tammy! Would you be so kind to share this on my Facebook page so other moms will download this free resource?

  10. Identity (in Christ not others)

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Crystal, my friend who was a victim of sexual abuse as a teen just recently, at 35 years old, had “worthy” tatooed on her wrist as a daily reminder of this truth!

  11. Donna Sawyer says:

    It was a “God” thing that I read your email from Proverbs 31 this morning. I was praying over my daughter this morning and God used your devotion to speak to me to encourage me and give me just what I needed at the time I needed it. Thank you so much! 🙂 Thank you Lord!

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness!

  12. Jessie Miller says:

    Holy Spirit Power!!!

  13. Forgiveness, including yourself.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Kimberly, Yes, yes, yes! I know that this is the message God is calling me to give to the girls and their moms who will be at the “His Revolutionary Love” conference this Saturday in Carthage, NC. Forgiveness for us when we have given away our purity and forgiveness to others when it has been stolen from us.

  14. Wisdom, history, truth and love…His Love.

  15. I can share FAITH .. I always have Faith that God loves me and has forgiven me.. I want to pass this on to my girls .. God will always love them no matter what they do and he will always be there for them.. ALWAYS.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Oh Tammy! Listen was supposed to be my word for this year, but this morning in my time with Jesus He told me I wasn’t doing a very good job! More silence, less cell phone and social media!

  16. Jennifer Ellis says:

    Contentment in Jesus!! He is more than enough!!! I am a divorced mom of four( one daughter) and I have chosen to remain single, so that, in this season of parenthood, I will be able to give 100% and focus on them. The Lord has been so gracious to give me contentment in Him.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Jennifer, you can speak to your children in such a powerful way as you live the truth of contentment before them. Jesus, fill Jennifer and empower her every day with your wisdom, energy and courage. Overflow her with contentment in this season. Amen

  17. sharrie brown says:

    Faith and trust

  18. Laura Lasseter says:

    GRACE. I struggle so much to accept grace, holding over myself unreasonable expectations…and I find myself doing the same to my sweet daughters! Yet, God has given me so much grace and has shown me that He constantly is in pursuit of my heart. Thank you so much for reminding me to remember the journey so that I might share this truth with my little girls.

  19. Personally: Forgiveness & healing. As a family: loving each other.
    Thank you for today’s devotional. It encourages me to be intentional to teach my kids about God & the things God is teaching me in my life.

  20. Tammy McKinney says:

    Faith and His love through us.

  21. Stephanie Z says:

    I can share hope! Thank you for this message today. My 16 year old daughter lost a classmate from a freak 4 wheeler accident this week. I am taking her and some of her sophomore friends to visitation at the funeral home tonight. My heart has been so heavy for all of them. We believe by his testimony that the young man who died was a Christian and is now in the presence of our Loving Lord. All of the friends he left behind are grasping for hope. Many have no knowledge of a personal relationship with Jesus. My daughter is so strong in her faith. My prayer is that, as a family, we can share our reason for hope and shine the light of Jesus on this very dark time in the lives of teens that need to know Christ. Please join us in praying that God will give us the words to say as we minister to so many that are hurting. Thank you so much for your ministry.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Jesus, please give Stephanie and her family the perfect blend of compassion and boldness. May the hearts of these teens be very soft to your love and truth and may TODAY be the day of salvation for them! Thank you that you will use all suffering to draw others to You. Thank you for your faithfulness and strength. Amen

  22. I want to share that God is faithful to fulfill His promises, even if it takes longer than we expect. When life gets hard, God is our strength and our hope.

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Sharon, this is a trait this generation needs so desperately!

  23. Amy Starnes says:

    EXAMPLE… I can be the example of Christ for my children, husband, coworkers, friends, etc. his greatest commandment is to love God and eachother. He didn’t just tell us this, He modeled it for us in how He lived His life. I can try to do the same.

  24. Miracles

    Thank you for this reminder. I was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer 5 1/2 years ago. I am here today with no evidence of disease. God is still in the miracle business!

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Yes Suzanne! That is a testimony to pass on!

  25. Reconnect 🙂

  26. Tiffiny Palm says:

    I can share hope. I can share that message through my own experience and how God has showed me how to work through situations while using what Gods Word says too. I have been able to do this with my daughter to give her hope and encouragement

  27. God’s presence in our lives

    Hi, Lynn! Thanks for the thoughts shared in your devotion today. Sharing “God things” with my two sons (ages 12 & 17) is something I struggle with. I can talk with small groups, large groups, even with complete strangers I meet, but it’s awkward trying to talk to my sons. My older son will go to college in August, so I only have 6 months with him before he goes away. Thank you for your encouragement to make the most of that time!

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      So good to hear from you Renee! I am in the same boat…have a child going to college in the fall. Where did the time go?!

  28. I want to share Peace in the midst of chaos and craziness. Also love of who God made you to be. i want to learn so much more about encouraging my children. Hope I win the cd!!!

  29. the power of unconditional love.

  30. Brenda Adkins says:

    The Fruits of the Spirit! Peace, hope, love joy, etc.

  31. Jenny Rutan says:

    I am 51, my daughters are 17 and 14…I was molested as a small child, abused in relationships and searched high and low for love…I have learned only through Christ am I able to help my girls grow into awesome godly women God said they can be, Praise the Lord!…I CAN SHARE MY LIFE EXPERIENCES! 🙂

  32. There are SO many things I could share with my girls from my life! SO many things we have been through. One of the things I want them to know is that they can trust God in every and all situations and circumstances! That they can go to God for everything and should! He is the ONLY one Who can see them through certain things and will always be right there by their side, when they feel like they are alone and no one understands! I also want them to know what you have said; that NO man, person, friend can fill their love gap like Jesus!! HE is the Lover of our souls!! Good stuff here, Lynn! TY!! 🙂
    Proverbs 3:5-6

  33. Jennifer Klemple says:

    Love your blog! You always have timely advice for us moms and ladies. I would love to win too!

  34. Hope. Jeremiah 29:11

  35. Marge Hopper says:

    A most thought-provoking message. We never know when something we said or did for our children takes root and springs to life just when it is needed. I do believe in sharing our faith, especially with those dearest to us–our sons and daughters and that God will reap a bountiful harvest in their lives, just when they need that strong faith to lean on. Thank you for your powerful words in the Lord!

    1. Lynn Cowell says:

      Thank you Marge!

  36. Elizabeth says:

    I can share hope and love!

  37. Compassion and Truth, see I couldn’t just do one word I tried!

    Blessings and thank you for your incredible Kingdom work!

    karen g

  38. Kindness! It’s a choice we can make in spite of our feelings, it’s an action word only accomplished by submitting to God and laying down self

  39. Lucille Gamez says:

    I must admit that for myself that we all need love, hope, and truth.We can’t find it until we have totally submitted to THE LORD! I will totally submit to Him, no matter what the world throws at me!
    Love You Lord Jesus!

  40. Love. I am showing and trying to teach my 12 yr old daughter Unconditional love… Godly Love like no other. My 12 yr old twin son decided to go live w father , but I give him unconditional Love also. He is spiritually blinded right now , but I feel God is working.. I know God’s Love is POWERFUL !!!!!!!
    I Love your Uplifting Emails !!!! God Bless

  41. Hope and thankfulness – in all things! 🙂

  42. On Sunday I heard about one lady at church just got fired from her work and she is the only person that work to support her whole family with husband and two children. So I called her and invite her to go shopping with me and I share my monthly foods money to buy her whatever food she needs to feed her family for this month.

  43. I can share acceptance! We dont have to be like other people. We can be the best that God has for us!

    1. I am showing my girls how God’s LOVE can help in all things. My marriage hit some really rough bumps in the road. My husband and I are showing our girls that our commitment before God did not say we would quit when things got hard but we would work through it all. Our love, God’s love can overcome anything. To go with this is also FORGIVENESS, true forgiveness.

  44. Peggy Clement says:

    God gives us the desires of our hearts. My husband and I where married 9 years and unable to become pregnant after coming to Christ within 3 months we where pregnant. We now have three beautiful daughters.

  45. Martha Fletcher says:

    Jesus. Just Jesus. If I just point my girls towards Jesus He’ll show them what they need.

  46. I can share God’s understanding for what situations we are facing through scripture

  47. God’s Faithfulness! Our family has been through a lot
    of ups and downs these past years and when your in the ‘down’
    times it’s sometimes hard to remember how God is still faithful.
    He has always brought us through and carried us and made
    provisions for us. It’s important to teach these truths to our children
    for we all face times of difficulty, but no matter Gods grace and love are
    still there!

  48. I just think about my passionate love for my children, then
    I remember that is how Jesus’s feels for me…unconditional
    Love!!!

  49. Hope. I am a survivor by the grace of God from abuse in a preschool I attended and by a neighbor, from abuse in college and am a 1 yr breast cancer survivor. Through all of these horrific things and through all of my sad searching for something to fill that painful, terrifying void, I always had hope that God would one day heal me of the wounds inflicted by myself and others and He has and I cannot praise Him enough for it. So hope is my word and it is going to be tattooed on my wrist very soon as a constant reminder that He never gives up on us and never wastes a thing we go through.

    1. Julie Parker says:

      I think generosity is a powerful gift. If we are generous in our time, comments, and with our talents, God will use us to make a difference. I want to help my child to be intentional about being generous.

  50. His everlasting, abundant , unconditional love

  51. I have an understanding that Christ wants us to be kind to others, even when it’s hard to do so. I have coached cheerleading for 15 plus yrs and I use the scripture Eph 4:32 a lot to spread God’s word to the kids, as well as their parents.
    Believe me, there are many, many opportunities to show kindness on daily basis. We have the CHOICE to show kindness! I’m not always kind, but I sure try, even when I feel I’m not treated with kindness. So, I try to teach this to my children, as well as the kids I coach.

  52. Thank you for blessing me with a prayer answered. I very much want my family, friends, even people I do not know to be able to share in the abundant life that whosoever will come to Him in faith. I agree how much better our day starts when it is started w says:

    Lynn Cowell

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