Fearfully and wonderfully made

Part Two

Parents,

I hope you’ve had a chance to watch this month’s Online Parenting Class, Overcoming Your Kid’s Failures.

A recent blog post by “Momma D” ( was titled “Who Decides What Different Is, Anyway?” The point made was that we’re all different, but that ‘different’ is nothing more than one’s perception of another.

I want you to see your children not as different, but rather as unique—just the way God intended them to be. So you love golf and your son would rather be hunting and fishing! And is it really the end of the world that your daughter is a girly-girl but that you don’t own a dress? These differences don’t make your kids weird, and they certainly shouldn’t be seen by you as obstacles to be overcome.

God gave us several verses in the Bible to remind us of this important truth. Take a look at a couple of them given below. Use these verses as reminders of just how uniquely wonderful your children are.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ~Psalm 139:13-14

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ~Genesis 1:27

Now let’s take a minute to think about some ways you can let your children know just how much you treasure their uniqueness….

Spend time on an individual basis with each of your children doing what THEY like to do. Clean a fish, paint your nails, play a (non-violent) computer game, and eat sushi…whatever gives you the opportunity to share precious one-on-one time to discover just how fearfully and wonderfully made your child is.

I’d also like you to think about the fact that your words have the power to either build up or tear down your child’s self-esteem and their drive to succeed…or not.

  • Teach your children how to do things before you turn them loose with a project. Without instruction and teaching you’re simply setting them up to fail.
  • Your kids are going to make mistakes (screw some things up). You did, didn’t you? But when you teach by doing together, you not only teach your children new skills, but you enjoy quality time together. Instead of focusing on what your kids can’t do, provide them with more opportunities to do what they are good at.
  • If math doesn’t come easily to your child, trust me, they know about it. Shaming them into doing better won’t help—it will only make matters worse. So empathize with them and find ways to help them do their best.
  • Never compare your child to anyone else. We are all created in God’s image and in the words of Christian author, Darla Noble, “God don’t make no junk!”

I hope this class was beneficial to you in your parenting journey. Your family is a blessing to this ministry.

Partnering with you,

Pastor Barb