The Shape of a Masterpiece

Today’s Treasure: Read Ephesians 2:10 and Jeremiah 29:11

I wish I could claim the grace Elizabeth and Zechariah, the faith of Mary and Joseph, or the wisdom of Abraham and Mordecai. While they surrendered their children to the mold God had created, I have often tried to “redesign” it. I learned a difficult lesson in those early years of parenting as God continued to confront me on my desire to change my firstborn

One day, while I showed my toddler how to fit the bright plastic pieces into her baby shape sorter, God gave me a humbling picture of my own prideful parenting. As two-year-old Lizzy attempted to jam a red plastic triangle through the circle shaped hole, I recognized my own faithless parenting technique. When God entrusted me with Luke, He gave me a triangle: a child with straight lines of determination, high peaks of energy and focused points of interest. Sadly, I had spent all my energy trying to change my firstborn into a circle. I wanted a child who rolled with the flow, a gift that was less harsh around the edges.  Sharp points can poke and prod; triangles can be uncomfortable when you hold them in your hands. So through word and deed and even desperate prayer, I had spent years trying to fit my God-created triangle into a circle mold.

Wise author and mother, Jean Fleming writes in her book, A Mother’s Heart, “The goal of parenting is not for us to decide what we want our children to become and then ruthlessly to train, squeeze, badger and cajole them into the mold. Instead, we must recognize that God has already designed them… Our job is to see our children as God does and involve ourselves in God’s plan for them.“

Our children are a treasure just as they are. For reasons unbeknownst to us, they have been created with personalities, limitations and gifts that are intentional on God’s part. In order for our children to do their part in the Kingdom Plan, we must see them as God does. As we adjust our eyes to eternal vision, we are able to partner effectively with the Potter. We don’t need a new lump of clay; we may simply need a new set of eyes.

This week we’ve enjoyed glimpses of parents who chose to surrender to the Potter. May we, too, become “retired potters” who leave the sculpting of our children’s lives to their Creator.

Parent’s Pondering: In what ways do I try to “squeeze, badger, or cajole” my children into my own mold? What pieces of God’s personality can I see in the unique shape of my children? Today, take time to tell your children one thing you love about how they have been created. Remind them that they are the work of God’s hands.