Recognize Her Potential
I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. — Philippians 1:6 NLT
Michelangelo was an Italian artist who created brilliant masterpieces. Two of his most famous sculptures — David, from the biblical David and Goliath account, and the
Pietà — he sculpted before he turned thirty.
Clearly, Michelangelo was gifted with his hands. But he also had the gift of vision, and during an anniversary trip to Italy, my husband and I learned about the vision that inspired his magnificent work.
In Florence’s Accademia Gallery, which hosts Michelangelo’s David sculpture and many half-finished sculptures, our tour guide told us that when Michelangelo looked at a slab of marble, he saw a figure hiding inside who wanted to be set free. His philosophy was to chip away the marble to uncover that hidden figure.
“Every block of stone has a statue inside it,” Michelangelo said, “and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”1
When God looks at us, He sees that hidden masterpiece. He notices the inner potential that nobody else can see yet.
And like a brilliant sculptor who chips away stone, He removes our hard edges. If we trust His hand and vision, He’ll transform us into something more beautiful than we ever dared to imagine.
Currently, your daughter is like Michelangelo’s half-finished sculptures. You may see glimpses of her potential, but only God sees the final masterpiece. Only God with His perfect vision can see the full picture of who she’s meant to become as time and life events shape her.
One prayer you can pray is, “Lord, help me see her through Your eyes. Help me love her like You do. Show me her potential.” You get a front-row seat to the sculpting of your daughter’s life. You witness every chip, every victory, every heartache. Be the first to believe in her and the last to lose faith. Don’t wait until she is perfect to love her, because it’s the love you show her today — even as she acts tough, distant, or ornery — that helps crack the shell around her hidden potential.
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. — 1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
Have Grace
Our world is unforgiving, especially to girls. A mistake that a girl makes in seventh grade can follow her for the rest of her life.
It can make her best friends ditch her and her classmates condemn her. Although God is merciful, forgiving every sin through Jesus, this isn’t the reality teenagers see daily.
It’s imperative for your daughter to know grace and understand how we all fall short of God’s standard. Yet even at our worst, He loves us and desires a relationship. Your daughter’s rock-bottom moments hold the most potential for her to understand grace because the love she receives when she feels alone and unworthy can turn her heart toward Him.
As author Anne Lamott says, “I do not at all understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.”2
Grace allows you to see your daughter through God’s eyes and love her through her mistakes. It gives her the strength and courage to rise and try again. We all need more grace in our lives — and more people who give it freely.
The Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7
Michelangelo, “Quotes of Michelangelo,” accessed April 30, 2019, https://www.michelangelo.org/michelangelo-quotes.jsp.
Anne Lamott, quoted in Max Lucado, Grace (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 145.
Excerpted from Love Her Well by Kari Kampakis, copyright Kari Kampakis.
God sees a hidden masterpiece! Isn’t that such a wonderful word-picture? Every now and then, we get a peek at the masterpiece He’s creating in our children and it’s a beauty to behold!
Yesterday, our children in Kentucky gave up their plans to help a family in need. The husband serves in the National Guard Reserves and was away training. Their rented home was found to be filled with black mold and they needed to get out immediately.
We had breakfast at Cracker Barrell, then brought the old folks home to watch over the grandkids, while the rest took off to help move furniture and all the packed boxes of stuff into our basement. And that is not all … This little family with a seven-month old baby will be living in our house while they are looking for a home to purchase. God is good all the time. We can serve Him wherever we are! Praise Him for every opportunity. Pray for this family, please; that the mold issue will not cause lasting health problems, that this family can endure living in the menagerie of our family, and that they are able to find the home they want in God’s timing. Let God work in and through your lives in ways that He will make available to you. You will be greatly blessed!
Pastor Dale