A couple of years ago, a good friend shared with me a letter her husband had written to their daughter. The letter, one of many in a compilation of love, advice, and prayers from friends and family for her thirteenth birthday, expressed the love every teenager longs to hear and experience. I cried as she read the letter to me over the phone. The words touched a part of my heart that had been untouched as a teenager. I was raised by two workaholics. I knew they cared about me and that deep down they loved me, but they never seemed to have much time for me. I longed to hear them say they loved me, that they were proud of me. I craved for them to impart to me spiritual wisdom and advice about life. As I grew older, the desire to have my parent's love for me expressed deepened, leaving a gaping hole that wrought insecurity and a lack of self-confidence. As I listened to the words of love written by a father to his daughter and questioned how my life would be different had my own father written me such a letter, God gently and simply said to me, "I did."
Consider devoting a whole book or Bible study to the development of personal love letters from God. Set aside a few minutes every lesson for each person to journal what God is saying to him or her. Encourage them to personalize God's messages by relating them to situations and struggles in their life right now. Be looking for:
- Messages of unconditional love
- Fatherly advice
- Prayers
- Truths
- Promises
- Commands
At the conclusion of the study, encourage each person to take what he or she has journaled and write it in the form of a personal letter from God. Devote the next meeting to a time of worship, prayer, and sharing each person's love letter from God.
