Lesson #2 my Daughter taught me.
Lesson
2: Everyone has a gift. Find yours
and remember if you don't use it, you'll make God
sad.
Several
years ago, I found myself by the side of my dear friend's bed as cancer closed
a door to her life here with us and opened a new door to life in heaven. During
that time, I was spending lots of hours by her
side, helping around the house and trying to figure out what to tell her two
beautiful young daughters as to why their mommy was so sick.
I
was by her side all night at times and that meant that things in my house were
put on hold. My wonderful husband was working, trying to pick up the slack for
me and take care of our two young kids so I could be by her side. I am blessed
to have such a wonderful man who would give me all the time I needed with her
and never complain for a moment that he had to take on more work.
One
Sunday evening I was sitting on my front porch, tired and crying from the
sadness in my heart. I felt guilty that we didn't even have milk in the house
for breakfast and I was feeling like a bad mom for not being there with my kids.
My beautiful girl had just taken a bath and was in her PJ's. As I sit here
typing this, I find myself breathing deeply as if I am trying to take in the
smell of her clean, wet hair. If you are a parent you will know what I mean
when I say there is nothing better than cuddling with your child and breathing
in the aroma of a freshly washed head of hair and the smell that children's
shampoo gives them.
That
night Hanna came outside and was doing cartwheels in the yard and talking with
me in between each cartwheel. She had grown out of singing everything by then but
she was still my little girl. Hanna had gone to church that morning with her
best friend and her momma Krista who is my very dear friend. Krista was also her
Sunday school teacher that day. My daughter asked me why I was sad and I told
her I was sad for my friend and that I felt bad that I was not taking care of
my family like I should be.
What
would happen next would impact me to the very core of my heart. I can see it as
clear as day, the sun was setting, the air smelled crisp and she bounced up to
me in her PJ's with her wet hair in ringlets and put those soft little hands on
my face. What she told me filled me with the greatest feeling of joy. She said,
"I went to Sunday school today and you know what I learned?"
" I learned that God gives us all gifts. Each one of us has something
different and if we don't use the gift that God gave us, we make Him sad.”
She then put her arms around me and said, "Your gift is taking care
of people and you need to do it or you'll make God sad." I am teary just
thinking about those sweet words. Next she said, "Don't worry about us
mommy--we are going to be okay, you need to be with them.” Those were
some very powerful words for a seven-year old.
She
then bounced back to the grass to do more cartwheels and I sat there with tears
of joy streaming down my cheeks. Little did she know that a few weeks before I
had been given one of those tests to find your gifts so you would know where
you could serve in the church. That test had only made me more confused because
none of the choices seemed to fit me. That night I found my gift and I began to
understand that each of us is given a very special gift and it is not to be
found in a test. We just need to be who we are and it will fall into place.
For me, however, it took little extra help from very smart and softhearted
little girl to find my gift.
I
slept well that night and went back to my friend’s house the next day to take
care of her and family until it was her time to see Jesus. I am glad I was there and my daughter was
right; they were okay. A few days later my friend went to dance with Jesus and
I am thankful for the time I got to spend with her.
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