faith and family - may 2016

God's Masterpieces

It is May. Or, as often referred to by its more accurate name, it is “Mayhem!” Sweet summer is right around the corner; yet, the busyness of May feels like climbing a mountain before you can get to that promised land of summer on the other side!  It is hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end. There were so many highlights this year. For me, though, my favorite part of Weekday School is knowing that my daughter has felt so well loved each and every time she walked through those doors. And for that, I am truly thankful to be part of such a wonderful community!   

I am also amazed at how much my daughter has matured over the year! In fact, I was so struck by this at the parent teacher conference when Mrs. Madigan compared Charlotte’s self- portrait from the beginning of the year, which was a blob of colors, to the recent “masterpiece” she drew, which showed a detailed round face with eyes, nose, mouth and hair! In fact, Charlotte has been creating many more masterpieces, both at school and at home, as this year has progressed: each one more exciting and vibrant and mature than the last.

It reminds me of the verse in Philippians 1:6 which says: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” What wonderful, freeing and energizing news to us weary mothers! We, along with our children, are God’s works of art that He is constantly perfecting and completing, even when we don’t see or feel it.

When we first enter into a relationship with Jesus, He fully accepts and embraces us: incomplete works and empty canvasses. Truth be told, we are a total mess! There is much undoing that needs to be done. I doubt anyone would have looked at my life when I first met Jesus and instantly thought of Monet! However, when Jesus and the Holy Spirit begin the work of transforming us, Jesus doesn’t see our “mess.” He sees the finished work of what He originally created us to be and we are precious to Him!  

As mothers, we are often tempted to compare ourselves to others. We only see our failures while focusing on others’ seeming perfections. This plays out in parenting our children, too. By focusing on the current behaviors and circumstances of our children, we miss the bigger picture of what God is working out in our lives, and in the lives of our children!

I once was given great advice by a godly, older woman. She said to look at my life and children with “heavenly goggles” and to pray for things, not as what they are (in the natural), but as what God says they will be. (Romans 4:17: “God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”) This requires faith! By praying and thanking God for what He is already doing, and will do, it changes our perspective and allows us to rest, trusting in the work that the Holy Spirit is doing, right now!

While the pressure and trap of trying to be the "Perfect Mom" are always waiting for us . . . the good news is that by keeping our eyes . . . our “goggles” on Jesus, we will soon see evidence of  the “work” He is doing in transforming our lives and the lives of our precious children into His masterpieces!

Chandy Kelly, Faith and Family Coordinator