When my first was born, everywhere we went people told me how beautiful she was. She had dark curly hair and big chubby cheeks. She was so happy and smiley, just a beautiful baby. People would tell me she should be a model or a beauty queen. (Before all my other kids get mad, all of you were beautiful but I have a point I'm getting to.) (My kids read this blog) I would always smile and say thank you, like I had something to do with her beauty. Hadn't I created this child? Hadn't my husband and I put our fabulous genes together and made this little beauty? Ummm no. God created that baby and he put our genes together in such a fashion to create that little darling. But I took the credit, I said thanks and smiled and walked away. I never had a second thought about it and I took it as a great compliment that I had a good-looking child. How many of us take our kids good looks as a credit to ourselves? It took a few kids before I realized that our genes could have just as easily turn out an ugly child. Not ugly to us of course, but in other people's eyes. Would I then take the credit for that? Or would I blame some past generation?
Now you might be thinking, "Well, my kid looks just like me and people say she's a cutie so doesn't that make me a cutie? and then yes, I did have something to do with her good looks". Yes, that's all true but doesn't God ultimately get the credit for taking the good in you and putting it into something even more beautiful? Without His good creating skills, we wouldn't have any babies.
Let me go on. After I realized that God should receive the credit for my kids' good looks, I tried to think of something else that I could take credit for. Aha! My kids good behavior! I can take the credit for that one. I can't tell you how many times people have told me how well-behaved my kids are. We even received money to buy ice cream from a lady at Chik-fil-a once because the kids were being so good. The kids are so well behaved because of my great disciplining skills, right? I mean, all the time it takes me to correct them and teach them how to behave. All the crying and yelling and not spanking because that would be against the law (cough cough) and time outs and threatening, I get that credit right? Wrong! Didn't the Lord give me the strength to make it through each disciplining moment? Didn't He impart to me the wisdom to discern my children's hearts? He gave me a husband to give even more wisdom and calmness to "learning moments". He gave me pastors, books, parents, and friends to share their wisdom and insight. Ok, so God gets the credit for my well-behaved kids. Maybe...
I know, my kids are well dressed! I can definitely take the credit for, hmm, wait a minute, I don't buy my kids clothes. People give me clothes and my extended family takes care of the rest. Dang it, God provides that too. Hmm
My good marriage!! Yes! Finally something I can take credit for! Except, my marriage isn't good just because I am so fabulous. My husband is a good man and we have good friends and family who have given us advice. We have parents who have both stayed married for 40+ years to set a good example for us. We have grandparents and aunts and uncles who pray for us to stay connected. I guess God set that in motion too. Man, He is everywhere!
Do ya'll see where I am going with this? In every single aspect and area of our lives, God has a hand. Whether it is directly or indirectly, He has intricately woven our life together. All the good and perfect things are a gift from Him and He should receive credit. Maybe you're saying, "Well if God gets credit for the good, He should get credit for the bad too." Well, let's think about it for a minute. Think about a bad moment in your life and what caused it. Let's say you got an illness volunteering in a hospital. Should you blame God for that? Well, getting sick is bad but sometimes good can come out of it. I have had bad moments in my life, tons of them. And for the most part, I can look back and see a lesson I learned or how I can now relate to somebody else. I was a teenage mom and at the time it was all happening, life was pretty bad. My parents and I weren't getting along real well, I was working through morning sickness, I had to graduate pregnant, etc. Getting pregnant was my own darn fault but through that experience, I have been able to encourage and help so many other young people. I can impart wisdom to my teen daughters. Yes, the situation was bad but God made it good. He took my sin and shame and gave me righteousness instead. Ok, I'm rambling now but ya'll get the point. Go back to that bad moment you thought of earlier and see what you learned. What advice can you now give to somebody else because you had to go through that experience? Maybe nothing just yet, maybe it is too fresh. God has a plan though. Always keep in mind that He has a plan and it's a good one.
So, the next time you get a compliment, give God the glory. Oh, what beautiful children you have! Why thank you, isn't God an awesome creator? Your kids are so well behaved. Thanks, God gives me the wisdom and strength each day to take care of them. Wow, you are an amazing beautiful person. (I get this all the time by the way) (Ok, just kidding) Thanks, God has molded my character through my life experiences. Sometimes a quick, "God is good" is enough. God should always get credit where credit is due.
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