Establishing a God-worth With a Book of Twelve

Establishing a God-worth With a Book of Twelve- a book of letters from 12 women of influence in my daughter's life


For most girls, twelve is a year of great physical change, of a widening world, of the awkwardness that comes in the in-between. 

The years that follow twelve are often marked by insecurity and self-doubt. Many feel pulled by the pressure to "fit in" and also the call to stand out. 

Twelve is a fork in the road. When faced with the path less traveled or the path of least resistance, so many girls just can't decide. The world would call this uncertainty a lack of self-worth. But, I see it differently. 


The truth is, self ANYTHING cannot be trusted. It vacillates and wavers with the wind. It is fleeting. When we point our girls to SELF for their worth, we point them to imperfection. We doom them to a life of never measuring up- of always feeling not-quite-good-enough. Because in and of themselves, they never can be enough. It is only in Christ that they can find real worth.

Establishing a God-worth With a Book of Twelve- a book of letters from 12 women of influence in my daughter's life

My daughter is twelve. She's approaching the turbulent teen years. In my love for her, I do not want to build in her a worth that will waffle and change. I want to point her to a worth that is constant. Never-wavering. I want to show her a worth that is rooted in truth, not her own effort. 

I want to stir in her a GOD-WORTH...I want her to see herself as God sees her. 


Establishing a God-worth with a book of twelve


In an attempt to build in her a worth grounded in God, I called upon twelve women who know her and love her- twelve women who know and love God...her grandmas, aunts, mentors, and other mothers in her life. I asked them each to write her a letter that pointed to one attribute of God-worth as shown through Scripture. I compiled all of these letters into a photo journal for her so that one day when emotional and physical changes get the better of her and feelings of insecurity and doubt displace truth, she can look to God and see herself for who she really is, Beloved.

Knowing how much the book has meant to her, my daughter has given me permission to share the dedication page, my letter to her, and the list of twelve truths in hopes that other mothers might encourage their daughters to build a God-worth. 


Establishing a God-worth With a Book of Twelve- a book of letters from 12 women of influence in my daughter's life

Dedication Letter in the Book of Twelve

"My Sweets,
At twelve years old, you are no longer a little girl. You are a young lady. The next few years will be filled with many changes in your life. They'll be exciting and full of great memories. But, they might also be sprinkled with fear and anxiety. You'll have one hand eagerly reaching ahead into womanhood and one hand grasping back for the comfort of childhood. At times, this back-and-forth pull might leave you feeling confused and out of place. Please know that you are not alone. This is the journey that we all have taken.
We are twelve women who love you and want to encourage you as you face the days ahead. You have so much to look forward to in the teen years! If you allow Him, God can use you in a mighty way. We've put together a book of twelve truths you can take with you as you grow. We hold them out to you as a reminder of who you are to us, but most importantly, who you are to Christ. If you ever doubt your worth, look to these pages and cling tightly to the love of the Savior.
God is writing a great story for your life, and we're so grateful to be a part of it! 
The Twelve" 

Establishing a God-worth With a Book of Twelve- a book of letters from 12 women of influence in my daughter's life

My Letter

You are loved.

Never forget how very much I love you. I love you for YOU...not because of what you do or don't do, what you say or don't say, how you act or don't act. No. I love you because you are worthy to be loved. You are my favorite girl in all the world! I love you for YOU.
But, I'm not the only one. God has wrapped you with the arms of a family, and many friends, and a community of Believers who all love you for YOU. Sadly, there may be times when even in the midst of all of them, you won't feel loved.

Someday down the road, the enemy of God might try and convince you that you are unlovely or unlovable. He might whisper lies into your heart and mind. And when he does, remember THIS- even when we, in our humanness, might fail to show you the love you need and deserve, God loves you. And His love never fails. He loves you with a love that cost Him everything...with a love that gave His own Son. Christ stretched out His arms wide in His love for you. His love for you is eternal, never-ending. It does not come with conditions or a list of expectations. It is a free gift. 

Romans 8:38-39 says, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

There is nothing you could ever do to make Him love you more. So, don't ever feel like you have to do something to earn His love. There's nothing more to earn. You already have it all. And there's nothing you could ever do to make Him love you less. His love is forever and always. 

You are loved. God loves you. I love you.
Mom

Establishing a God-worth With a Book of Twelve- a book of letters from 12 women of influence in my daughter's life

Twelve Truths with Scripture References


  1. You are loved. (Romans 8:38-39)
  2. You are accepted. (Romans 8:31)
  3. You are complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
  4. You are capable in Christ. (Philippians 4:13)
  5. You are being perfected for a good work. (Philippians 1:6)
  6. You don't have to be afraid. (2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:6)
  7. You are chosen. (Ephesians 1:4, 11)
  8. You are forgiven. (Isaiah 43:25)
  9. You have purpose. (Jeremiah 29:11)
  10. You have hope. (Ephesians 1:12)
  11. You are included. (Ephesians 1:13)
  12. You are not alone. (Psalm 73:23)


In the coming years, I pray she draws close to Christ. It is only in Him that she will find worth. 


21 comments:

  1. Oh wow! What a great idea! Your dedication and page on love is just beautiful. It brought me to tears. Oh how I wished I had something like this when I was 12. My oldest daughter turns 12 in May. I might just have to do one of these for her. However, I'm not sure the are 12 godly women I can count on to write a page. Do you think the book would be just as powerful with all 12 pages, but written by half as many people (if each wrote 2)?

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    1. For sure, Bridget! The letters and truth inside them are what make this a book worth having, not the number of people. Go for it!

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  2. Again, thank you for your example in faithful parenting! This brought me to tears. What a wonderful gift, full of Godly encouragement. I'm tucking this idea away to do for my children!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. And thanks for reading!

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  3. This is a lovely idea I'll tuck away for my daughters when they are a bit older.

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  4. My daughter just turned 10 a few months ago. I'm going to pin this and try to do it for her when she reaches 12. Thanks

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  5. This is so amazingly beautiful! I have tears in my eyes thinking about how much your daughter will treasure this and the impact it will have on her heart and her life!

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  6. Wonderful idea & well thought thru. I'm sure this book will be a source of encouragement, and comfort when the teen years make the road to you rocky. Being the mom of two daughters 21 &7 I love this idea and am inspired to create something similar for my youngest when she approaches the teen years. Thank you for sharing this project.

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  7. Thank you Jamie for your inspiring article! I am a longtime reader of your blog. I am commenting as a new ministry that I am a part of. Please check us out! We as a team are committed to discipling moms through insightful Bible studies and practical mom tips designed to help moms navigate motherhood with Christ at the center. God bless!

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  8. Thank you Jamie for your inspiring article! I am a longtime reader of your blog. I am commenting as a new ministry that I am a part of. Please check us out! We as a team are committed to discipling moms through insightful Bible studies and practical mom tips designed to help moms navigate motherhood with Christ at the center. God bless!

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  9. Thank you so much for this post! I read it earlier this year and bookmarked it for later. I LOVE this idea! It is so perfect for my daughter! She is already 12, so I am going to tweak this a bit and do this for her 13th birthday. I just sent out a message today to 12 other ladies to participate and am getting some very positive responses about it. I can hardly wait for the letters to start coming in and to put it into a Shutterfly book for her. It is going to be so meaningful to her for many years to come! Notes of encouragement have always been very special to her!

    While I'm posting, I wanted to also thank you for your blog in general! I have been homeschooling for 3 years and love the information that I have found here. My daughter is 12 and my sons are 9 and 3. Since two of them are the same ages/grades as your kids, I have been able to find a lot of applicable information that has been very valuable to us! I think our girls have a lot in common too - especially a love for writing. :) So, thank you so much for all of your posts and for sharing your homeschooling world with all of us! God bless you and your family!

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  10. This is wonderful! I would like to do this for my daughter! I’ve already sent out the request for my friends and family to write letters. And one Aunt has a Christian newsletter she writes and asked if she could share it on her newsletter. I will pass her your web address. Thank you for your godly example.

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    1. Oh, I hope your daughter enjoys the book you make for her as much as mine has enjoyed hers. God bless!

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  11. Hello, i love this! Did you "assign" each woman with a certain scripture truth, or did they pick their own? I'm hoping to do this for my daughter this year. ❤

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    1. I gave them a list of qualities and let them choose the one they wanted to write about.

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  12. I tucked this little idea away for years. Now my girls are turning 12 and I'm so excited to be doing this for them. The women I've asked are so happy to be part of this little project. Thank you for the idea.

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  13. Thanks for this. My daughter's love language is words of affirmation, and this is just so perfect for her.
    She is 6, but I am going to start already. I have asked her teacher to write a letter and she was honored to write one. Now I'm encouraged to ask more of her teachers in the coming years. I believe a teacher has a big impact on a child's life.

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    1. As a former teacher, I'd have to agree with you.

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