Do you have or know a child (especially a girl) who struggles with being enough? Today I am sharing two Christian books that use faith, God's love and more to help teenagers and young women realize their own potential, faith and self confidence. The first book is Unshakable Hope Student Edition Promise Book by Max Lucado.
This book is suggested for ages 12+ however I plan to have Hazel read it after I am done writing this review. I think it is appropriate for tweens and teens. It is written as a devotional. The chapters are very short and each shares one of God's promises and then expands on it and shares it relevance in the reader's life. Then there is a list of scripture that share the promise. Next there is a place to process the chapter with places to respond to statements and questions. Finally it ends with a promise/prayer for the reader to make to God. The promises are wonderful reminders (or lessons) for the reader to share in the wonder of our God-- things like He keeps his promises, the Holy Spirit empowers you. I love the messages and see how this could help during the difficult years for tweens and teens when they pull away from their parents and need more guidance. I strongly recommend this book for kids in these ages.
Have you ever asked yourself, "Am I enough?" It could be good enough, smart enough, etc. I know I often did when I was a young woman. I definitely lacked self confidence. I know most women at some point ask themselves these kind of questions. Our next book addresses these questions. It is Am I Enough? Embracing the Truth About Who You Are by Grace Valentine.
The first thing I am going to say is where was this book when I was younger? This is a must read book!! It is written for older teenagers (sex is discussed in it) to young adults and beyond. It answers these self doubting questions with faith and God's love. It reminds the reader of who she is--a child of God and whose opinion really matters--God's and God's love for us is unconditional. We cannot change his love for us by our actions--good or bad. The book is broken into sections that address ten lies like you are beautiful because a guy told you so or love must be earned. Each section has two to four chapters sharing about how these lies are just that lies. Valentine shares the truth using the Bible and God's love. She does this in a non-judgmental way. In her conversation about sex, she says it does not matter whether you are a virgin or not but what matters is where you go from here. There are so many wonderful messages in this book and it is a great read for women of all ages and at all stages of life. Let's face it we all need to be reminded sometimes that we are loved how we are. I think this is a wonderful book and highly recommend it. I will be saving it for Hazel when she is a bit older since she is definitely a bit too young for some of the messages and things shared in it.
I hope you will check these books out. They are wonderful for your tweens, teens and young adults!
