“Train up a child in keeping with his individual gift or bent.” Proverbs 22:6 Amplified Bible
“At the core of every person is the awesome and personal design of God awaiting discovery.”
My thoughts today are about “a Designer’s original.”
I find three practical truths in Solomon’s wise counsel in today’s verse. First, God the Creator designed your uniqueness and individuality with love and mastery, as He formed you in your mother’s womb. The Bible says, “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.” Psalm 139:13-16 NIV. There is nothing about you that is random or accidental. If that were not true there would be no pattern for a parent to follow, no destiny for each child to realize.
Secondly, you are to discover the design that is God-given. That’s where your greatest achievements will be found. To the degree your parents succeed in that and you will embrace that design, you will find satisfaction and success in life.
You will occasionally hear a reference to a person’s “natural bent,” the way God created them. There is a naturalness to every person that is supernatural in its origin. The biggest mistake a parent could make may be trying to impose their own hopes and plans, pushing a child in ways they were never meant to go. Yes, you are affected to some measure by your heredity and environment, but know this: at your core is the awesome and personal design of God.
Thirdly, your greatest goal is to recognize and understand what is right for you. You are a Designer’s original, made in His image and likeness. See Genesis 1:26-31 NIV. Little girls and grown ladies watches beautiful celebrities walk the red carpet at a glamorous TV event, talking about the designer original dress and dazzling jewelry they are wearing. Some may wear a designer original, but more importantly, everyday you are one – the Designer’s original, incredibly beautiful and a handmade one-of-a-kind!
Every other objective and passion of your life will flow from your being comfortable and secure in what comes naturally to you – what clearly and consistently resonates in your heart of hearts. Something inside will whisper, “This is me; this is how God made me,” not as any excuse for imperfections, but as a calling to be all God designed you to be. Refuse to be a cheap copy of anyone else. Be yourself as a tribute to your Creator.
This can best, maybe only be found in Christ. “That you may prove for yourself what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2 NKJV. You most find yourself – who you really are and are to be – when you fully give yourself to God. To lack this is to become vulnerable to peer pressure, to succumb to others’ undue influence to conform you, or to tragically lose yourself by pleasing someone else’s agenda for your life’s path. “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically as something done for the Lord, and not for men.” Colossians 3:23.
My prayer for you today is that you understand that what is righteous before God will be right for you.