Curly Girly has always loved getting dressed up for the church balls. At six, she just hasn’t really appreciated the ball itself. Like most of us, Curly Girly does not like doing things where she is unsure what to do and dancing is complicated. For her, this means that anything new, is usually avoided. She is traditionally an oberserver until she gains certain amount of confidence in what is happening before she will jump in. Even then, her participation seems a tentative for a while.
This latest ball was no exception. She enjoyed getting dressed and spun around the living room with her frilly white dress. When we arrived, she stayed close to my side. She hesitantly agreed to dance with her big brother for the grand march. Then she was back to my side. She was, as most of the little ones, more interested in the tasty treats at the refreshment table than the actual dancing itself.
Then it happened. A fine young man from our church came over and asked me if he could dance with Curly Girly. Suddenly, the ball had all new interest. Other people were noticing her and it was another opportunity to affirm that she was precious. She was in heaven on earth! It didn’t matter anymore if she knew what to do or not. It didn’t matter any more if the snacks were tasty or not. She was precious and other people were recognizing it.
This was a great reminder to me of a lot of things (not the least of which is that my girls love to know that they are precious). One that is often overlooked is how to affect the simple perspective change that will make all the difference for a child. Something that was only tolerated before became something positively wonderful.
As parents, that is our primary task: Helping our children understand that they are precious to God and all the good things in this life bear testimony to His love of us. When viewed from that perspective, God and this beautiful life He has given us becomes suddenly wonderful.
Seven on Earth 