I had another blog planned for today.\u00a0 In fact, I had most of it written and was getting ready to post it until something happened tonight.\u00a0 An exchange I had with my 6-year-old daughter caused me to bump up against a truth that I cannot escape from and my heart simply will not rest until I let it live and breathe within me.<\/p>\n
My two sons are exceptionally intelligent.\u00a0 My oldest has been doing multiplication since the age of 4 and has had the aspiration of becoming an astrophysicist for nearly five years.\u00a0\u00a0 My younger son is extraordinarily gifted in both academics and art and excels quickly and easily.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, my daughter, who is in kindergarten, is trying to memorize seven sight words this week with little success.\u00a0 We have gone over and over and over them and she seems to retain nothing of what we rehearse.\u00a0 I review a letter with her at least a dozen times only for her to forget it within the following minute.\u00a0 And tonight, as I tried desperately to help her learn the word “he” to no avail, my patience evaporated and my anger erupted.\u00a0 I yelled and blamed.\u00a0 I accused her of not focusing, of not trying, of not caring.\u00a0 And as my tongue wreaked havoc on her little spirit, she burst into tears and became inconsolable in the face of the failure I had charged her with.\u00a0 Suddenly, the weight of what I had done came crashing down and I held her, profusely apologizing and confessing.<\/p>\n
Shortly after that I asked my oldest son if he heard what had happened with his sister.\u00a0 He said he did and in a moment of profound discernment, he asked me, “You’re worried about her aren’t you?”\u00a0 I confessed I was and asked him what he thought I was worried about.\u00a0 He responded confidently and clearly, “You’re worried she’s not smart.”\u00a0 In that moment, faced with that truth, I fell apart right there in his room.\u00a0 As tears streamed quietly down my face, God’s truth about who my daughter is came raining down.\u00a0 What if she is not smart?\u00a0 Will I love her less?\u00a0 Will she be less special?\u00a0 Will God’s plans for her be less profound or powerful?\u00a0 Of course, the answer to all these questions is no.\u00a0 The truth of the matter is that intelligence is not an attribute that God values, it is something the world values.\u00a0 And I have fallen again into a perfectly laid trap, buying into the lies about what counts, what matters and what is esteemed.<\/p>\n
As these revelations made their way into my thoughts, I reflected on my sweet daughter and God reminded me of all the glory he has infused her with.\u00a0 She is an exceptional creature.\u00a0 She is magnificent in her joy, immeasurable in her love and extraordinary in her kindness.\u00a0 She is a wondrous and stunning display of God’s grace and beauty, both inside and out.\u00a0 And while these attributes may not win her a scholarship to Harvard, they will without question win the heart of God.\u00a0 And at the end of the day, that is all that counts.<\/p>\n
Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. \u00a0For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’ ”\u00a0 In the original Hebrew, verse 24 is astounding.\u00a0 Different from the words for boast used in verse 23, the word for “boast” here is halal.<\/em>\u00a0 And this is where it gets amazing.\u00a0 The word halal<\/em> can be translated as follows:\u00a0 to glory, to celebrate, to shine. \u00a0To shine.\u00a0 I love that.\u00a0 God is delighted with us when we shine in our understanding and knowledge of him.\u00a0 When we shine in love, justice and righteousness, He is most pleased with us.\u00a0 And it is that very shining that draws others to us.\u00a0 It is the light of his love that radiates, invites and compels.<\/p>\n My daughter shines.\u00a0 She loves God and credits him with all good things in her life.\u00a0 She thanks him for princesses and puppies, sweets and swingsets.\u00a0 Her tender spirit reflects his heart consistently and contritely.\u00a0 I don’t know if she’ll be intelligent by the world’s standards.\u00a0 She may be.\u00a0 She may not be.\u00a0 But in any case, God has shown me tonight that the world’s standards do not apply to the heart.\u00a0 He has reminded me without doubt that what he values is far superior and valuable.\u00a0 He has graciously allowed me to witness the magnificent shine of his creation and I am humbled by the privilege to call her mine.<\/p>\nShare this:<\/h3>