It's different, I like it

                One of the things I love about my job is that it every day is different. I never know when a day with a kid will be “easy”, “challenging”, or so full of victories. Last week included days just like each of those for the kids I worked with. It’s amazing to see how much working with special needs teaches me—patience, perseverance, grace, hope, and joy. I am amazed by their perspectives and humbled by the way special needs are so real, and are such a wonderful picture of God’s grace and mercy—reminding me in many ways of how I must look to God sometimes—how my inabilities are apparent and yet are actually opportunities for growth and for his glory. Additionally, I never know how the kids will bless me by their innocence, joy, and wisdom.

Just last week, I was working with a child and out of the blue they started touching my ear and remarked “I like your ears, they’re different, they don’t have a curve, like this (touches their own ear) but I like it, Elise, its different”.  The child had no idea that for a long time I was insecure that my ears were different…tie it back to a rude middle school comment, and let the self-shaming begin. My soul hurt so good to hear those innocent words, the curious pointing out and appreciation of something that I long ago marked as ugly. Our culture is no help—different is seen as ugly, we don’t measure up if we don't match the magazine ideals.

Those precious words “its’ different, I like it” rang in my ears throughout the rest of the week. They worked their way into old and fresh wounds and were a picture of how God looks at us, our “flaws” remarking that “it’s different, and I like it”.

World Down Syndrome day was 3/21—a nod to the extra chromosome. On that day I thought of how special each child is—no matter what their ability--and was reminded that each of my self-proclaimed flaws dont make me ugly, they make me different and beautiful.  

So this week, may you be encouraged and healed—that God sees those things you over analyze, look at with disdain and with a sigh of “this is as good as its gunna get”—with joy. He created you purposefully, he looks at each of those things and remarks “it’s different, I like it”.