My parents recognized early on they needed to handle each of their children in very different ways. For me, one of the worst punishments was being sent to my room by myself. My sister, on the other hand, was a different story. As an introvert, the best discipline for her was to make her sit down and spend time with all the rest of us – especially her extroverted older brother!
God knows us and works with us in the same care-full way. In John Ortberg’s, “The Me I Want to Be,” he writes, “Jesus was stern with the rich young ruler, tender with the woman caught in adultery, patient with the disciples, blistering with the scribes, gentle with the children, and gracious with the thief on the cross. God never grows two people the same way. God is hand crafter, not a mass producer.”
What God wants most is to grow us into the people we were meant to be. How God does that differs from person to person, but one thing remains constant: those who God hand crafts most beautifully are those who’ve placed their lives in God’s care. That’s why I look forward to seeing you this weekend in the hand crafter’s workshop!