“I’m a little concerned about Kyla,” said her first grade teacher.
Immediately, my ears perked up.
“What’s going on? Is she alright?” I asked, feeling concerned.
The teacher sighed while holding several pieces of white drawing paper in her hand.
“I want to show you something that you may want to address,” she said, motioning for me to come over to the small wooden table with the miniature, multi-color chairs lining it.
I sat down, feeling especially big in those child-sized seats.
“See these pictures?” she began, spreading them out over the table. “Do you notice anything odd about them?”
I didn’t.
“They pretty much look like typical little stick figures,” I said, wondering if there was something I was failing to see.
“Yes, do you notice that none of the people she’s drawn have a neck?” she questioned.
Before I could answer, she added, “At this stage of development, I would like to see some progression in Kyla’s drawings. By now, the people she creates should have all their body parts in the right places.
As she spoke to me, I examined the colorful illustrations. In each one, the legs came right out of the circular head. And the arms, with about three straight lines for fingers, shot right out of each side of the head.
“Yes, I see that now that you’ve pointed it out,” I confirmed.
She finished her talk by saying, “I don’t want you to worry, but I just want you to know that the other children have more advanced drawings. So work on that with her.”
Well, when I got back home, I spoke to my husband Kenya about the discussion with the teacher. I relayed her concerns.
He looked at me strangely and said, “So what’s the matter?”
I could see he was genuinely baffled.
“That’s it,” I said. “She thinks Kyla’s stick figures are too elementary for this stage of development.”
After talking about it a bit more, we both decided not to focus too much attention on that. We worked on literacy and writing exercises, mathematics and other skills.
We both figured that she would eventually evolve in that area. Even though the teacher was worried, we weren’t.
You see, from the time the children were very small, Kenya and I always vowed to do our best to cultivate their skills and help them learn. However, we were adamant about not getting sucked into the comparison game.
Children grow and develop at varying rates. No two are alike.
Kyla turns 16 next month. And you know what? She is a brilliant illustrator. Her work is jaw-dropping. Sometimes, when she brings me something she has sketched, I sit there in awe. The detail and sophistication of her artwork is astonishing.
To God be the glory.
Earlier this evening, I told Kyla the story about her first grade teacher. She furrowed her brows and looked intrigued. “Even when you were drawing awkward stick figures, God knew He had already placed the gift of art within you,” I said.
The Lord had bestowed this extraordinary ability upon Kyla to create beautifully complex designs and sketches well before it manifested.
Isn’t He amazing?
Friend, it is not how you start, but how you finish that matters.
Often, people will look at where you are today, or where you were yesterday and try to compare your progress to someone else’s. They have preconceived notions about how far along you “should” be right now.
If you’re not careful, you’ll get caught up in the expectations of friends, family and society as a whole. You’ll put undue pressure on yourself to perform at a level on par with those you consider peers.
Don’t make that mistake.
God already knows His plans for you. Even though you might be struggling in a certain area today, He knows a breakthrough is coming tomorrow.
So don’t fret over a perceived lack of results.
When God is ready for it to happen, you will blossom. You will be fruitful. You will grow and flourish, because He has ordained it to be so.
Just remember that God doesn’t operate on our timetable. Don’t feed into the notion that you are too far behind, or that it is too late for Him to move in your life.
Who told you it was too late?
That is untrue.
God is not limited by man-made timelines and deadlines. Rather, He defies them.
To flex his sovereignty, the Almighty One waited until Sarah was what Genesis 18:11 called “past the age of child-bearing” to open her womb.
In the world’s estimation, you may be past the acceptable age to bear fruit in a certain area. It may seem that you are past the mandated time and past the season of possibility.
The enemy will try to convince you that things are moving too slowly, as if that is an indication of some sort of lack on your part. Don’t dare feed into that!
Keep in mind that God’s timing is the only timing that matters.
Besides, I believe it is God’s pastime to do things man considers past time. In other words, He delights in come-up-from-behind miracles. He takes the very one everyone counts out and chooses them.
So then, why worry about timetables when the One who is able to turn the tables is on your side?
Let me reiterate: when God is ready for something to manifest, it will happen, but not a moment sooner.
To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring Habakkuk 2:3 ESV into your cup of inspiration, which says, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, rejoice in knowing that God is on the throne and He is in full control of your destiny.
No matter what people say or how things may look, hold onto this: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,’” according to Jeremiah 29:11.
Now let’s pray.
God, thank You for reminding me that You alone control the times and seasons, and as long as I’m in Your will, I’m right where I need to be. Please help me reject comparisons and opinions that place pressure on me to meet a man-made standard. It is my desire to conform only to Your will and do things Your way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
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