Our third kiddo, Abigail, is a very disciplined young lady who loves to laugh, read books, and do ballet. She is what I would consider a super dedicated young lady who gives up a TON to be able to dance at her ballet studio.
One night when I was picking her up from ballet, she sat down in the car and started telling me how it had been another quiet day. She explained once again how no one talked to her and when she would try to talk to them, she was met with silence. Many of my ballet pick-ups sounded exactly like this. But, that night was different.
As we drove home, there were tears, lots of them. She had taken all her little 10-year-old heart could handle of the silence. We had been going to this specific ballet studio for years. Most of the girls she danced with had been together since they were YOUNG, and they had shared experiences together. On top of that, 2.5 years of her experience there had been through covid…the being 6 feet away from everyone and not being allowed to talk to each other during class left her heart hurting. All of this added up to Abby feeling like the “new kid” for years. That night, as she cried and I drove home, I knew my response needed to be different.
Abby: “Have you ever been in a group of people who just stare at you and not in a nice way?”
Me: “Ab, I’m not really sure…but here’s what I do know…”
I asked her to find James 1:2-3 on my Bible app on my phone. She had Siri find it 😂... and I said to her, “Read it out loud…LOUD.”
Abby: James 1:2-3 “Count it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
Me: So, why is this happening to you? God is allowing it and He is doing something IN you. He’s developing perseverance. He wants you to be able to stand tall in the midst of trouble…to know who you are and who you should go to.
Also Me: You belong in this class because God has placed you there and you've worked hard. And there’s a purpose to you being there. He has people you need to show His love to. You belong because of WHO is in you.
By the time we’re turning into the driveway, I’m all fired up. And I finally just said to her, “Ab, there are two ways to approach this:
- A victim mentality of “Oh woe is me…” and as I was driving it was super fun to make this very dramatic! 😆 OR
- You can stand tall, smile at them through your mask, wave and know that the God of the entire universe adores you and is for you.”
And I ended with, “Really, it’s your choice.”
This was the very last conversation we had like this. After years of struggle, Abby came to make friends and enjoy her time there a whole lot more! But what made the difference for her? What pushed her past what she was seeing and feeling?
- It was her faith in God. [We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor. 5:7]
- It was the Word of God…which is alive and active! When I had her read those verses out loud in the car that night, she didn’t just read them…she was putting them into her heart and her memory. She was allowing it to change her perspective. She was allowing it to change the way she saw her situation.
When we’re faced with trials with our kids, taking them to Jesus and His Word is the best gift we can give them. We may not always know the answer right away, and I’ll be honest, I could only remember that night what the verse said and the book it was found in. [Siri helped us do the rest!]
Use whatever means possible to point your family, your kiddos to Jesus. Maybe it’s a Bible study, maybe it’s scriptures in the morning, maybe it’s allowing/asking the Holy Spirit to remind you of a verse on the way home from ballet one night…
We are called to talk about and teach about Jesus to our families. It’s our vision verse for this ministry and our family.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7
Love God with all you are.
Teach your children all about Him.
Talk about him in all things.
You are not alone parents and grandparents, keep up the GREAT work!!
💗Jennifer
Fun insider info:🤩
We have some fun new resources for you to point your families to Christ coming SOON! We've been working hard and are so excited to reveal them to you in the upcoming weeks and months!! Stay tuned....🎉