Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Book Review: 30 Days To A More Beautiful You

30 Days To A More Beautiful You: A Devotional For Girls. Kylie Bisutti. Tyndale. 64 pages. [Source: Bought]

Devotionals tend to be hit or miss with me. There are a few that I do love, that I am enthusiastic about recommending. This book is a 30 day devotional for girls. Each entry begins with a verse (or two). Each entry concludes with a true beauty tip. In between is an "inspirational" story by a former model. The good news is that the book does a fairly good job at presenting biblical truths. Some of the true beauty tips:
  • You are worthwhile to God
  • You have inherit value as God's child
  • You are a daughter of the King
  • Live to please God, not people
  • God loves you unconditionally
  • God made you uniquely beautiful
  • God knows and loves the real you
  • God's forgiveness makes you "good enough"
  • Let the roots of your life grow deep into Christ
  • You can depend on God, who never changes
  • The only way to a satisfying life is to know God
The stories feel genuine and honest. Some devotionals go the way of fiction and create stories and introduce problems that need to be solved. This is more biographical. For better or worse. I haven't decided if it's an overall weakness that the modeling is mentioned in almost every entry, or, if it's a natural accident.

I haven't read many devotionals for this age group, so I'm not sure how this one compares to others currently available.

Quotes:
DAY 28 SETTING AN EXAMPLE Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 TIMOTHY 4:12  SOMETIMES WE FEEL as if our individual choices don’t matter, as if no one notices what we do. But the truth is, others are watching us. When I tweeted about quitting modeling, I was amazed by the comments I got from teen girls who read my story and were challenged to think about how they dressed or how to honor God with their bodies. It wasn’t until I had a change of heart that I realized how God might use me as a positive influence. Not because there’s anything special about me, but simply because Christ shines through me. All of us have an opportunity to influence those around us—whether they’re our family members and friends, people in our communities, or even random strangers who happen to cross our paths. God calls us to be an example to others—no matter our age. Being an example doesn’t mean we have to be perfect. No one is. But, with God’s help, we will be able to show other people what it looks like to live a life dedicated to Christ. When we love others, choose our words carefully, make wise choices, and live in purity, we will be role models for those who might be watching. Who in your life might be looking at you as an example? What could you do this week to be a better influence? True beauty tip: Be a role model for those around you.
DAY 29 LEARNING TO FEAR THE LORD The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. . . . We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. PSALM 33:18, 20 WE OFTEN THINK that fearing the Lord means being afraid and cowering before Him—like a guilty person in front of a powerful judge. It’s true that fearing God means we stand in awe before Him because we recognize how powerful and holy He is. Yet fearing God also involves trusting Him. We don’t need to be afraid of Him because we know His character. He is great, but He also is good. He is powerful, but He also is full of love. He is holy and perfect, but He also came to earth in human form so He could be our Savior. For me, fearing the Lord meant realizing that God deserved to be in control of every aspect of my life—not just in what I did outside of modeling. It meant that I had to let Him take His rightful spot as Lord of my life. I had to let go of my attempts to run my own life and learn to rely on Him completely. When we fear the Lord and put all our hope in Him, we don’t have to fear anything else. How do you view God? Do you see Him as Someone to fear or Someone to trust? What is one change you need to make to let God be in control of your life? True beauty tip: Trust in the Lord and in His love.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

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