Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women (A Homeschool Crew Review)

This is it.. My final review for the year 2018 and the timing on this one couldn't be more perfect.  The girls and I have been reviewing Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women published by Zondervan and this review falls just in time for being able to order it and have it in hand before the start of the new year.

This beautiful hardcover book overs a full year of short devotions focusing on teaching young women how to navigate living in today's world.   The cover features simple floral artwork with rose foil accents and a font that resembles a cross stitch sampler.  The book measures 5.2 x 1.2 x 7.4 inches, making it compact enough to pack in a purse or suitcase when travelling without taking up much room, making it convenient to use year round.  Each  on page devotion includes three blank lines inviting the reader to make notations, prayer lists or other notes they feel inspired to jot down each day.   An attached ribbon to mark your place is also a very nice touch.

Written by Lindsay A. Franklin, each day of the year is given a page that first begins with a verse of scripture followed by a short devotion on a large array of topics such as doing the right thing, avoiding entering situations with preconceived notions  (such as that relationships with mother-in-laws are always full of stress), forgiving those who wrong us, and knowing when to use caution in certain situations. By focusing in on God's word and the lives of sixty different women found within the scriptures - such as Ruth, Esther, Abigail and Mary, Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women guides girls ages 13-18 as to how God instructs them to live their lives and to show them that God values them with high regards.

How We Used It

While both of my girls are slightly outside the targeted range of this book (Ashleigh being 10, Alyssa 19), we did look over the book together, read a few of the devotions and had some really nice discussions in response to what we read.  We didn't start at Day 1 and work through, but instead skipped around because I quickly realized that I wanted to instead restart this book anew on January 1st as part of our "girl time" each night.  By skipping around, it will allow for us to revisit those devotions we read together dispersed between those we haven't read rather than starting over.

Both Ash and Alyssa were very receptive to the short devotions in this book.  I had to laugh because before we started, when the book first arrived, Ashleigh said he didn't want to do it, thinking it was a school book.  I told her fine, she didn't have to do it, but that she would not be allowed to interrupt myself and Alyssa when we held devotion time.  The next morning, I found a note taped to the front of the book from Ashleigh asking to "Please let me in.  Love, Ashleigh".. LOL

 With both girl on board, it was very easy to include this book into our nightly routine.  Each night we

spend 10-15 minutes together having a pow wow in Mom's bed without the guys.  The devotions takes us less than 2 minutes to read allowing us to spend the other 8-12 minutes discussing what we read and how we can apply that to our own lives.

As said, we did skip around a bit in the book, taking a sampling of various pages.  I also took the time to read a number of the devotions on my own.  Unlike many other devotions that skip around each day to various sections of the Bible, or that focus on the authors own personal experiences and how they use the scriptures to help them in their own lives, this book instead spends sections  at a time focusing on a particular woman in the Bible and different aspects of her life.  Even unnamed women of the Bible, such as the Shumamite woman that Elisha encounters, is given multiple pages (the Shumamite woman is given 10 pages). I liked this a lot, as it feels almost like doing a Character study and gives the reader a better understanding of her life rather than just a small glimpse before moving elsewhere.

We have put the book aside temporarily while we read through the book of Luke for Christmas as well as focus on the Advent season, but I am looking forward to picking it back up on January 1st and starting at Day 1. It's a great way to not only spend time with my girls but to get them into the habit of spending time with the Lord each day.

For more information on Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women and how to purchase, visit the product website.  You can also find more information about Zondervan and the various products they offer for Christian living at the following social media sites:

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