Sunday, April 22, 2007

The Tailor's Shop

"This one is cut from a different cloth. She's not like the rest of the family." So said the prophet about my third daughter.

The following night.

"I have a word for that young man with the curly hair. Who is he?" queried the man of God. Rick answered him, laughing and saying, "That's my son!"
"This guy is different, too. Huh," he says with puzzlement, "he's also cut from a different cloth."

I smiled to myself, knowing that years ago God showed me a wonderful secret about children: they are all unique. You've heard me say before that I think of them as treasure chests. Each one abounds with booty, but just exactly what that booty is must be discovered.

Consequently, we tried hard to free our children from wrong expectations on our part. We rejoiced with every interest they pursued, even if it was not one we had dreamed of for them. Care was taken to not compare them one to another. And they were encouraged to understand that God had made them special and unique. They were allowed to explore various activities or studies.

If they failed at some endeavor, we didn't make excuses, nor did we frown at them. We were not embarrassed by any inabilities. And we didn't shield them from their inabilities. We simply helped them determine whether this was a good pursuit for them, making it clear that just because a sibling or friend had done it was no reason to expect it was for them. We taught them to rejoice with another's success, even if they had not tasted of it themselves. There is no need to protect them from failure. They must learn to face it, understand why it happened, and at times, recognize that someone else is better at this than me and that is okay.

As they were released to discover their own fields of interest, they flourished and grew in confidence. They know that they may never be the world's best at anything (few of us are...) But they know that they can hear His voice, respond to the Spirit's prompting, and step out with confidence in Him. He is always pleased with obedience and service. That is something that everyone can do.

So to hear a prophet of God identify their uniqueness through the spoken word brought a smile to this mother's heart. They are different. We've encouraged them to be themselves and I am confident that was His plan. After all, He made them that way.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

amen. good stuff. i love it. wish i couldhave heard those precious words. this was real good, Darlene. i, also, try to be sure not to compare, but it can be difficult. i know what it feels like so I ask the Lord for wisdom. thanks for sharing.

9:16 PM  

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