Linsey Driskill - Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible: A Creative Mother-Daughter Devotional

I dedicate this book to my children,
Bates, Brooklyn, and Gracie,
the inspiration behind this dream
may you always love the Lord and others with all your hearts.

Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible: A Creative Mother-Daughter Devotional

2021 Linsey Driskill. All rights reserved.

Illustrations 2021 Focus on the Family.

A Focus on the Family book published by Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise marked, have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked ( ESV ) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2001 by CrosswayBibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ( NIV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. (www.zondervan.com) The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Cover design by Kelly Bennema

Interior illustrations by Brian Mellema

The author is represented by the literary agency of WTA Media LLC, Franklin, TN.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at , or call 1-855-277-9400.

ISBN 978-1-64607-036-7

ISBN 978-1-68428-354-5 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-68428-355-2 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-68428-353-8 (Apple)

Build: 2021-09-02 14:39:16 EPUB 3.0

A s my daughters were curled up in bed one night, reading princess books and wanting to dress up like them, a dream surfaced in my heart and mind.

What if my daughters wanted to imitate women in the Bible who loved God and others?

What if there was a devotional through which my daughters and your daughters could learn about women who changed the world? And what if they were inspired to imitate those women?

What if our daughters saw the freedom in caring more about inner beauty than outward beauty?

What if they saw that humility was the way to true beauty?

What if they grew in confidence as they learned to depend on the Lord?

What if we slowed down and took time to connect with our daughters?

What if a foundation could be built in our daughters hearts, minds, and souls, to love Jesus with all their hearts and to love one another with the kind of love that expands Gods Kingdom?

This book, Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible: A Creative Mother-Daughter Devotional, is my answer to all of those what-if questions.

The Bible women in this book are beautiful hearted because they loved the Lord and others. They were moms and daughters just like we are. And they made mistakes and had areas to work on just like we do. But the examples of their lives, as recorded in Scripture, can serve to strengthen our faith and point us to the One who is perfect and has the power to forgive: Jesus.

While one of our greatest desires as mothers is to be close to our daughters, its easy to get swept up in technology and busyness and miss the chance to connect. This devotional offers a sweet space to slow down, be present, and interact with each other, so that relationship with the Lord and one another can supersede all else.

As the mother of triplets and a former teacher, I have learned that questions are a powerful way to engage children not just to ensure theyre paying attention and comprehending, but also to tap into their imaginations and hearts so we can learn more of who they are. Reflective and imaginative questions within each story help us do this. The questions should not be rushed, as they provide a window into our daughters souls if we really listen to their answers.

The reflective questions within the stories help us to avoid teaching at our daughters, and instead encourage us to learn with them. Jesus asked about eighty questions just in the book of Luke, many times leading people to truth through reflection, so that is also my approach in this devotional.

This devotional helps build a strong faith foundation in our daughters hearts, minds, and souls, while theyre still coming to us for answers.

Before each story, there is a verse called Words for Your Heart that can be reflected upon or memorized. You may want to write the verses on note cards, punch a hole in each corner, and then put them on a key ring for easy reference. A fun way to memorize Scripture is to create melodies and hand gestures to go with the words.

Stories of beautiful hearted Bible women follow each verse. Reflective and imaginative questions within each story foster connection and engagement. Following each story are three questions and a prayer.

The Daughters in Action section provides practical ways to put faith into action.

The Creative Fun section brings life and fun to our faith and relationships with the Lord and our daughters.

My kids and I have had so much fun doing all the activities together, and they have helped the truths of Jesus take root in their hearts.

The devotional is written with six- to ten-year-old girls in mind; however, girls younger and older can also enjoy the lessons and activities and grow from them. Because of the reflective and imaginative questions, this devotional reaches a wide range of ages. Deep within, God has given us the ability to imagine, reflect, and uncover new truths about Him each day, so we can all grow from this devotional.

Some parts of the Bible are too advanced or too mature for young girls. Corrie ten Boom, in her famous book The Hiding Place, remembers a time when her father asked her to carry his heavy suitcase. Its too heavy, she said. He replied, Yes, and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask a little girl to carry such a load. Its the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it.

The devotions in Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible are written at a young girls level so she is not given knowledge too heavy to bear.

Doing one devotion each week works well. This allows time to complete the activities without being rushed.