My 8-year-old, Kedar, and 6-year-old, Kaleb, love drawing pictures, coloring them and then cutting out their illustrations. Yesterday, Kedar must have brought me somewhere around 24 little paper cars he made. And it was so cute to see his eyes dance with delight as I took notice of the nuances of each vehicle.
Then he asked me, “Mommy, did you like to draw and color when you were a kid?”
For some reason, my firstborn son is endlessly fascinated with my earlier days on earth Daily Cup family. So whenever he enquires, I try to indulge his curiosities.
“Oh, I loved to draw and color pretty pictures in coloring books when I was your age,” I replied.
“Were you good at it?” he questioned.
“Hmmm,” I stalled. “I suppose I was good at it at the time, considering I was a kid. But by adult standards, now, nah, I’m not very good at drawing.”
“Oh,” Kedar said, visibly mulling over my response in his head and moseying away.
Afterward, I thought about how much pleasure I once gained from sketching flowers, sunshine, grass, water, and weird-looking people. Back then, I thought my images were mini works of art. I used to be so proud.
But these days, I have no such fanciful notions about my creative drawing abilities. If I did, the hysterical laughter of my two daughters, Kyla and Kaiah, who are both amazingly gifted illustrators by anyone’s standards, would quickly make me aware of my limitations.
Though a few of my siblings are gifted to draw also, that anointing passed right over me, so I stick to doing what I do well...not drawing. :-)
And you know what? I find pleasure in engaging in those activities God has graced and gifted me to do instead of frustrating myself trying to cultivate talents the Lord never saw fit to bestow upon me.
Wouldn’t life be so much simpler if we celebrated what we do possess instead of lamenting what we don’t?
That’s the message I want to get to you today through this post.
Even if it’s not talent, there are always opportunities to sulk about what desirable things are absent from our lives, rather than being thankful for the invaluable things that are abundantly present within them.
Today, I’m challenging you to stop looking at what’s missing and see what’s manifesting. When you do that, you’ll recognize that you are awesome just the way you are. And life is full and rich—though imperfect— just the way it is.
So be joyful. Lift up your head and see the wondrous glory of God all around you.
To help you do this, I’m stirring Isaiah 60:1 (Amplified) into your cup of inspiration. It says, “Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!”
When you drink down the contents of your cup, may God illuminate your understanding and help you see all the ways His wondrous, glorious, majestic presence makes the ordinary, extraordinary.
Whatever you have, do, and are, is awesome, because our awesome God is alive and working through you!
Now let’s pray.
God, I thank You for helping me view myself through supernatural lenses which reveal the splendor of Your creation. Help me never devalue who I am; be depressed about where I am; or minimize all I am able to do through You. Today, I accept that I am wonderfully made, divinely called, and perfectly equipped to show forth Your glory. I thank You so much for reminding me that you, oh Awesome Wonder, are alive in me, which makes me royalty. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
