“I wanted to share with my daughter how to set boundaries in dating; I just didn’t know how.”
“I’ve been talking to my girl about what to look for in a guy. Thank you so much for backing me up!”
“I’ve known that a boyfriend isn’t the answer to the desires of my daughter’s heart, now I know what to say!”
These were some of my favorite comments this past weekend as I spoke at a mother/daughter retreat. This is my passion; to come alongside moms and empower women to become wise and in turn raise wiser daughters.
When I was nineteen years old, some wise women came alongside me, teaching me that no guy, whether he is a dad, boyfriend, even an amazing husband one day, can fill the love gap in my heart. As I became a young woman, a wife, and eventually a mother, I began to realize the enormous need of women of all ages to have their hearts filled with this truth.
I wanted to share what I had learned about love.
About 10 years ago, I began by inviting a small group of girls from my neighborhood over for pizza and brownies. Then I shared my story with them about how I fell for Jesus. One of the girls stayed afterwards to help me pick up. She asked if I would mentor her. I said, Yes!” Then she invited a friend, who invited a friend, who invited a friend…until we ended up regularly with six or seven girls.
I began writing Bible study lessons, which I would email to the group. Then we met every Wednesday after school to go over the lesson and answers to their questions. The idea that Jesus was wild about them…well, let’s just say their comments included, “This is weird!” But as time went on, I began to see their understanding of Jesus’ love change. That wasn’t the only thing that changed, so did the way they thought about themselves. As their thinking changed, so did their actions. As I saw their self-worth and confidence rise, I just knew this was not just for this small group of girls, it was a message for every girl.
This was the small beginning of His Revolutionary Love and the conferences I now speak at all over America.
It didn’t take long for me to realize one problem with my first book: the girls were reading His Revolutionary Love way too fast. Reading a whole book in a day is a lot like drinking from a fire hydrant! So I wrote Devotions for a Revolutionary Year: 365 Days of Jesus' Radical Love for You . This way, a girl can soak in a bit of God’s truth about her every single day of the year.
With one grown son and two high school daughters, I often feel like I’m not equipped for this raising children thing. Just when I think I have covered one issue, another one that I haven’t even thought of pops up!
Do you ever feel you’re not equipped as a mom?
Then you’ll want to join the community of moms who gather at my website who are purposing to raise wiser daughters.
I certainly don’t think that I have it all together, but we’re trying, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to figure this thing out together. Maybe this is just what you need? A place where you can get tips on how you can be a wise woman raising a wiser daughter too! Join us at www.LynnCowell.com.
Let me leave you with three of my favorite tips for getting your girl to talk to you:
Turn off your phone when she talks.
If it rings, dings, or bings, no matter what – leave it.
Look her in the eye.
Nobody looks anybody in the eye nowadays. When you do it says one thing, “I really care.”
Care about what she cares about.
Even if you have heard about the woes of life at the lunch table every day since school started, listen intently again.
Today, Lynn is giving away a signed copy of her newest book Devotions for a Revolutionary Year: 365 Days of Jesus' Radical Love for You. To enter, just leave a comment about an area you need help in as a mom. If life is super busy, just say, “I’m in!”
Lynn Cowell is an author and speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries. She has been married for over 25 years and has a grown son and two daughters in high school. She has written two books His Revolutionary Loveand Devotions for a Revolutionary Year. Her favorite things include the mountains, well-worn sweatshirts, and anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter.
photo credit: pixieclipx via photopincc