Loved & Cherished: A 5-Day Devotional for GirlsНамуна

Loved From the Very Beginning

I wish you and I could go get ice cream together and hang out. (That is if you love ice cream as much as I do!) I’d ask about when and where you were born so I could learn about the very beginning of you. 

Have you ever thought about why you were created? Well, from the very first verse of the very first book of the Bible, we get a glimpse into why God created you and me. Let’s read a few verses from Genesis to find out more! 

Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning, God created . . .” Later in Genesis 1:26 (NLT) it says “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us . . .’” The us in this verse is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit; the whole God family was there. This is the family we have been born into. Yes, from the very beginning, we have been invited to belong to God’s family. When we were created, God opened the doors of His family wide to us all; for this perfect God loves everybody. That is why we were created. We were created because this loving God had so much love to share He wanted to share it with you and me. That is how John 3:16 starts out, “For God so loved the world . . .” 

From the very beginning—the beginning of the world and the beginning of your life—you have been loved. Treasured. Adored. Cherished. Wanted. Prized. 

I know that is not the message you get day in and day out in this sometimes lonely and often very hard world. In fact, lots of days it feels just the opposite! Maybe you feel disliked, aban- doned, ignored, invisible, forgotten, or unwanted. Those feelings, while they are very real and valid, are not the truth. But, boy, they sure can be believable when your teacher comes down on you, your friend fights with you, or your parent is disappointed in you. 

I’m so glad that we can look to God’s Word to know what He says because in the end, what our Creator says about what He has created is most important! 

Living Cherished

Which words best describe how you are feeling today? Treasured. Disliked. Adored. Abandoned. Cherished. Ignored. Wanted. Invisible. Prized. Don’t see the word that describes how you are feeling? Write your own list. Now, talk to God about how you feel and what you are learning about what He says. The prayer prompt in the next section will help you get started. 

Talking with God

God, thank You for Your love for me. Thank You that I can talk to You about how I feel. Today, I feel __________________. No matter how I feel today—good or bad, happy or sad—You still love me. In Jesus’ name, amen.