Who You Were Made to Be
Recently I had the opportunity to share with a group of young moms about their IDENTITY. Becoming a parent can often shift your ideas about who you are and who you want to be. The point of my message to those moms was that their identity was not found in the titles they have (wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, coworker) or the titles they don’t have. Who they are is a chosen and loved CHILD OF GOD that was fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image for his glory. And goodness, isn’t that a message we all need to be reminded of.
As a parent, I find myself frequently reminding my children that they are exactly who God made them to be. They are not too much. They are not too little. They are ENOUGH. These messages are so important for our children to hear. When a classmate makes fun of them, when they are not invited to a party, when a friendship fades - they are ENOUGH. They are LOVED. They are CHOSEN. They bring delight to the God who made them and who has great plans for them.
These are such important truths for our children to hear. These are quite possibly even more important to our children with special needs. They may stand out more. Their differences may be more recognizable. They may have less self-confidence than their peers.
Our children need frequent reminders about who they are and who they are called to be. They need reminders that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, that they are chosen, that they are loved and that they are enough. As parents, we need to be sure that the truths of God are louder than the voices of the world in shaping our child’s views of their identity. Knowing who they are in God’s eyes will inspire confidence in them.
There are so many practical ways we can remind our children of their value and worth and identity. We can consistently pour truth into them so that when they are hurt or disappointed or left out, they can hold onto the truths of who they are in God’s eyes. A few ways we can do this are through our words, through music and through books. Below I will share some songs and books that I love for reminding my own children about who they are.
This is a Spotify playlist I created for us to play in the car on the way to school. These songs have such encouraging messages, and listening to them on the way to school is a great way to start their day on the right foot.
Books are another great way to remind our children that they are exactly who they are supposed to be. Below I will share some of our favorite books about being unique and wonderful, about going back to school, or about being afraid.
*the following are affiliate links where you can purchase these books on Amazon
Different A Great Thing to Be is such a sweet story. I love the encouraging reminders about just how great it is to be uniquely you.
You Are Special delivers the message that we are special to God just the way we are and isn't that such a great reminder.
If Only I Had a Green Nose shows us how it is important to be exactly who we were made to be.
It Will be Okay is one of our favorite books about trusting God when we are afraid.
Tomorrow I'll Be Brave is an encouraging book about being brave and facing a new day and new experiences with confidence.
Koala is Not a Bear is such a fun book about finding your place and making friends
The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be is a delightful story about celebrating our differences.
The Night Before Kindergarten (or any of the other grades) is a great book for those back-to-school jitters, and for preparing children for their first day of a new grade.
One thing I love about our school is that they let parents come celebrate birthdays with our children. As part of the celebration, they let us bring a couple of books to read to the class. I always bring one of these books because they contain such great messages that children need to hear.
You are unique
You are special
You can be brave
You will find your friends
You are loved
You are exactly who you are supposed to be
I think we could all use those reminders. Don’t you?
