Do Our Kids Know How Adored They Are by God?

As parents, we constantly strive to raise emotionally healthy children, don’t we? We do our best to provide our kids with safe, stable and supportive home environments where words of love are spoken, acts of kindness are practiced daily, and mercy, grace, and forgiveness flow freely. We make it our parental priority to tend to our children’s physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and social needs.

But try as we might, no matter how diligent we are to keep our children safe from harm and to shelter them from the storms of life, we know that tempests are coming. It’s not our fault – we live in a broken world. Sin is all around us. Inevitably, hurt touches us all. Even our children.

No matter how hard we try to shield our kids from pain, we know that one day our little ones will fall and scrape their knees. One day, they are likely to encounter a school yard bully. One day, a friend that they trust will betray them. One day, someone they love will break their fragile hearts.

When that day arrives, we will tightly wrap our children in our arms and wipe away their tears. We will love them, comfort them and pray for them. We will offer them words of wisdom, encouragement and hope. We will do everything humanly possible to make their hurt go away.

And yet, as much as we love them, our love pales in comparison to the love our Heavenly Father lavishes upon them. Our God loves them infinitely more than they can even imagine!

When our children experience the pain of growing up, we can use these moments to help our children grow in their love, knowledge, and understanding of their Heavenly Father, who created them and loves them even more than we do. We can help our children to not only understand who God is in their heads but also to develop a tangible relationship with Him in their hearts. Then, they will be girded with the strength to face a world of unknown challenges, even when we are not by their sides.

One of the best ways to empower our kids is to speak God’s words to them and to teach them to store them in their hearts so that they can easily recall them in times of need (Psalm 119:9-16).

It’s particularly important for them to hear God speak of His great love for them directly through the Bible. Here are a few key Bible verses that reinforce to our children just how much God loves them:

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose – Romans 8:28

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. – Revelation 21:4

As we spend daily devotional time with God, let’s make it a point to highlight special verses about God’s personal love and compassion for us that we can share with our kids!

It’s easy to whisper God’s words into our children’s hearts when they are young, but as they grow older, it’s gets harder for them to hear His voice above the clamor of our culture and their peers. To counteract these external voices – to help ensure that God’s still quiet voice remains the loudest voice in their hearts, souls, minds and spirits – we need to help them build quiet times into their days where they can sit with the Lord, meditate on His Word, and learn to respond to Him.

Devotional journals are a great way to do this and Adored: 365 Devotions For Young Women is a beautiful tool that can help your daughter understand that she is beloved by God! The devotions in this book tackle tough topics that girls face today – subjects like bullying, social media, friendship and dating – while showing them how infinitely precious they are in God’s sight!

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Your Turn

When your children are going through a difficult time, have you shared God’s love for them and helped them turn to Him in the midst of their pain? Have you shown them how a journal can help them to process their emotions during good times and bad? Please share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments!

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