Wonderfully Made
Wonderfully Made
by Sarah Walton
My mom and I used to have a tumultuous relationship . During my high-school years , our differences in personality and perspective ( as well as my immaturity ) caused a deeply painful season in our relationship . During one of my exasperated outbursts , I cried out , “ I never want to be like you !”
Now that I ’ m a mom , I know the pain those words must have inflicted on her . But by God ’ s grace , that wasn ’ t the end of our story . After a few painful years , God grabbed hold of my heart , and He began to restore and heal our relationship . However , as much as I can now say that my mom is a woman I greatly admire and I want to be more like , we are still wired differently . My teenage self was irritated that she wasn ’ t more like me . My young-mom self was insecure because I wasn ’ t more like her . Now , I see that I can appreciate our differences and celebrate both her strengths and mine .
Now , I see that I can appreciate our differences and celebrate both her strengths and mine
My mom is a naturally structured , selfdisciplined , rule-following , organized , type A personality . I , on the other hand , have always been bent toward going with the flow , being less structured and more introspective and highly sensitive to the world around me . If I ’ m being honest , before the Holy Spirit started His work in my life , rules seemed more like suggestions than obligations ( which is why I jokingly say that I ’ ve been a great sanctifying tool in my parents ’ lives !).
Now , as I navigate my own motherhood journey , I ’ ve often wished I were more like my mom , so that cleaning and organizing closets invigorated me rather than paralyzed me and so that charts and structured plans were successfully created and followed through on , rather than leaving me overwhelmed .
“ Sarah , God made you and me different , with different personalities , perspectives , strengths , circumstances — and children . Use the strengths He ’ s given you , rather than getting caught up in trying to fit into another mold . God knew what He was doing when He made you the mother of your children . The very things you perceive as weaknesses are actually strengths that God has given you for your unique calling and family . You can learn from what other moms find helpful , and you can pray for God to grow you in areas of weakness , but tap into the strengths of your unique temperament and ask God to use those to teach , train , and love your children well .”
That wisdom has been life-giving for me , and I pray it will be for you as well because , just as our children are uniquely wired , we too are “ fearfully and wonderfully made ”— and that includes how our various personalities have been crafted by our Creator . We can say , “ Wonderful are your works ; my soul knows it very well ” ( Psalm 139:14 ). God doesn ’ t make mistakes .
This article is an excerpt from He Gives More Grace by Sarah Walton and Linda Green . In their beautiful 31-day devotional , this mother and daughter team share hard-won wisdom and biblical encouragement about God ’ s grace in the ups and downs of motherhood .
UNIQUELY WIRED Recently , I shared with my mom my feelings of guilt about not having more of her strengths . She said something I will never forget :
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