Encouraging Words Devotional

The Best Way To Help Your Teen

When my husband does a seminar called “Ten Commandments for Parents of Teens,” I have often heard him say that what your teens want and what you, their parents, want for them is not the same thing. What your teens want more than anything else is independence—that is, the right to make their own decisions.  On the other hand, what you want for your teens is maturity—the ability to make the right decisions.

My Will— Or God’s?

Our oldest grandson was just a toddler when that evening our daughter called him to come to the table for dinner. She was taken aback when she heard him say, “No, Mommy, I’m not going to come. I’m going to play now.”  As you can well imagine, that day he learned the meaning of the scripture verse that says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20).

On Being Stuck In Pain

Is your life right now a “bed of roses” free of all problems?  “Are you kidding?” I can hear you say. “Right now I can’t even remember what a rose smells like!”

You’ve Got Talent!

I used to wonder how much I should compliment my kids as they were growing up. After all, I didn’t want them to get the big-head and think they’re better than they are.  On the other hand, how are our kids they going to know they’re good at something unless we tell them? They need to know we believe in them and believe they’re going to survive the struggles they go through as they pursue their dreams.

Do You Have A Broken Heart?

In her book The Broken Way, Ann Voskamp tells about the time her daughter Shalom came to her, paper heart in one hand and a roll of clear tape in the other.  Tapping her chest, Shalom observed, “We need to tape hearts right to us, Mama….So we always know His love’s around us everywhere.” The words struck a note in Ann’s mind. She writes:

“If only we could all wear a heart right across the center of us so there was always this knowing: God has not forgotten you.   God has not abandoned you….

“Shalom looks down, smooths out her paper heart…. And then the inevitable happens, what always happens: the heart breaks, rips right down the center.”

What Is Your Dream?

If you are between the ages of 22 and 37, society has labeled you a millennial. Do you hate being called that? I understand your feelings. “Business Insider” says that most people over 40 tend to clump all millennials together as “spoiled, lazy, selfish, obsessed with technology, superficial, indecisive, [and] disrespectful.”[1] No wonder you hate the title.

 

[1] “Business Insider,” https://www.businessinsider.com/why-i-refuse-millennial-label-2018-5, accessed 6-30-19.

 

He Is God Of All

Many times in the Bible, God calls Himself the “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” I can understand why He called Himself the God of Abraham, because Abraham was a man of faith. I’m also not surprised He called Himself the God of Isaac, because Isaac was obedient—even when it nearly meant his death!

How To Live Given

Near the end of her book The Broken Way, author Ann Voskamp leaves her readers with a challenging thought in just two words:  live given.[i] She encourages us to change our attitude toward the circumstances in life that make demands on us. Most of us have a rough idea what we think we’re going to do each day. But often when needs and interruptions crop up unexpectedly during our day, we grow resentful.  We tend to feel that others are “taking” from us. Yes, we tend to “live taken” instead of “given.”

 

[i] Ann Voskamp, The Broken Way (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 215.

 

You’ll Learn!

Her baby was just two weeks old when missionary doctor Margaret Brand received a note from Dr. Carol Jameson, director of the Vellore, India hospital.

Feed On His Faithfulness

There’s a verse in Psalm 32 that says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” (NKJV).  

“Feed on His faithfulness!” I like that phrase.  It infers that all our needs will be met because God is faithful to His promises.