Teach Me Jesus Thursdays: As He’s Made Them

Do your kids smile for the camera? When we were on vacation this summer, a friend of our’s took family pictures for us. My kids were not cooperative. You’d think I was asking them to eat their least favorite food by their expressions on their faces.

Photos courtesy of Life River Studios

My disappointment in their behavior made me think about how often we as parents want our children to do and be things of which they are not capable. We are all born with different temperaments and innate personalities. Many parents, and I’m one of them, hope for a passive child. We’d like a child who likes to please. But not every family has a people pleaser.

I have one child who is strong-willed-in fact that’s the definition of his name. I have another who can be quite dramatic. Though I wish they were more compliant by nature, I have to remember that God likes variety. Just as the creatures He made are all different, so too He creates each one of us to have different personalities and skills. If every child on earth were a people pleaser, we’d may have happy parents, but we’d also be missing a number of different professions. It takes different types of personalities to be a leader, a teacher, an entrepreneur, an artist, etc.

God uses all the different types of personalities to carry out His plan. He used the shyness of Moses, the outspoken nature of Peter and the leadership abilities of Paul. He places His children with different personalities in families for parents to nurture and help them grow in preparation for their calling in life. I think it’s important that we don’t try to mold our children to fit the type of personality we would prefer Rather, we should raise them by working along with, rather than against their personality. We need to find ways to teach and train them according to how God made them.

While my children often fight against the grain and always keep me on my toes, I know God has created them this way for a purpose. By nurturing them according to how He has made them, I am preparing them for their future work in His kingdom. When I love them and accept them as they are, I am loving the way God loves us.

So, despite the lack of smiles in our family photos, I will frame them nonetheless because the pictures capture the essence of who we are-imperfections and all.