This is Jyeva. (Pronounced Yay-Vuh.)
If you look up the
definition of “free spirit” in the dictionary, you will likely
find her picture.
Jyeva has a fresh
way about her, a caring and affectionate nature, and can offer up
intercessory prayer with the best of them.
Jyeva teaches me
something new every day, but there are three lessons that God weaves
continually in my heart as I parent this precious girl.
1) Be yourself.
If you notice in
the picture above, Jyeva has her own sense of fashion and style. You
say rainbow butterfly leggings, lacy shirts, and athletic socks do
not go together. Jyeva says, “Why yes they do, kind sir.” The
year that Jyeva was 3-years-old we called her Boca because she
insisted on wearing only bedazzled velour track suits every where she
went. She had no taste for dresses, especially for church. She
believed and still does that Jesus was meant to be honored in
converse with purple stars.
Another year, I
battled that girl to try on an Easter Sunday dress to match her
sisters. All three of us huddled into a dressing room, the light bulb
finally went off, when Jyeva looked at me, eyes wide open, “Why
would I want to wear a dress to match Macee's? I'm not Macee, am I?”
She intended no disrespect, her tender tone cut right to my heart,
“Nope, you're not Macee. And I love you just the way you are.”
How often have I
needed to set aside the expectations around me and embrace who God
made me to be? Who am I trying to be most days? Someone who could
pass for having it together on some commercial, or the broken but
beautiful me that the Savior has fully redeemed and pieces together
into His masterpiece, each and every day?
2) Embrace life.
Jyeva runs at life
full throttle. You ask her to give you two laps, she does four. You
ask her to give it her all, she gives it 150%. But the lesson she
teaches me isn't about giving it my all and being bold. Jyeva's
lesson is simpler.
When Jyeva was
5-years-old, we almost lost her sweet self. I remember clearly
rushing her down the side of a mountain in Haiti, to get her to the
medical care she needed in America. Five days later, lying in a
hospital bed, the nurse tentatively took all of the needles and tubes
out of her little body. Jyeva looked a me, smiled, and said, “Look,
Mom, it's me, Jyeva...Unplugged!”
And she's not
joking. She knows full well that life is short and your time here is
like a blink, a half second, the length of a dandelion flower in a
strong breeze. Jyeva's passion is that not one person be homeless. To
have a passion at age 8? She's my hero. I want to be Jyeva when I
grow up.
How often are we
uncomfortable diving into something passionately? How often do we
take for granted the day that God has given us today to do His work
and love His people?
3) Allow others
the same – be yourself, embrace your life.
As is also evident
from Jyeva's outfits, she highly values creativity. But more than her
outfits, Jyeva thinks outside the box. The best way she expresses
this is in the way she regards other people. Jyeva honors each and
every person as a full unique individual in the Body of Christ, in
the world around us. She expects no one to look like her, speak like
her, think like her. In this, she is always willing to give someone
else the benefit of the doubt. She's always willing to ask a
question, instead of jump to an assumption. God created each of us
unique, with a unique path to walk. We are all on the same Emmaus
road, trying to understand the Word and the work of Christ in our
lives, but we may all do that in very different ways.
So often I am quick
to judge, quick to assume. Praise God for a Savior who is quick to
forgive. Quick to love.
I wonder if these
lessons are useful at all in your own families, or even in our
churches. The more I look around me, I wonder if we fully accept the
Jyeva's of the world in our spheres. Do we greet those who dress a
little different from us at church with the same comfort we offer
those who look like us? Do we invite people to share their joy and
passion and ideas openly and wholeheartedly in our families and our
churches? Are we careful enough with people's testimonies, honoring
their walk as valuable and interesting, worthy of sharing, even when
it doesn't look like ours?
Matthew
16:18 has one of my favorite nuggets of Scripture that can easily be
skipped over because of the depth of the rest of the passage
(emphasis added below).
“And
I tell you, you
are Peter...”
You
are Peter.
You are Jyeva. You are you.
God
gives each of us personalities and ideas. I'm so thankful for the
unique journey God gives each and every one of us. I'm so thankful
when these journeys cross and our lives are made better by one
another. Let us honor who he made us to be today, by being ourselves,
embracing the life that He's given us, and allowing that same
precious gift for one another.
Labels: bold, build up, creativity, mom
