"I am MYSELF"

The Art of Kindergarten Identity, by Amy Grant






One of the best things about kindergarten is the artwork.

I love our daughter's teacher this year. Every Monday she gives the
students a blank sheet of paper to write what they did over the weekend
and draw a picture. I treasure these and have kept each one.

Last week, my daughter brought home one of these sheets with the
header, "I am special because ..." The kids each wrote why they are
special and then drew a picture. I imagine her friend Lola just might
have written something about her beauty queen trophies. Many probably
wrote words about playing baseball, being a good singer, dancer or
whatever else might pop into a 5-year-old's mind.

My daughter's paper says, "I am special because ... I AM MYSelf" (Caps
hers). There is a picture of a sweet little girl with pink hair, pink
lips, a pink triangle for a dress, and of course, pink pumps. I am very
thankful that she knows she is special just being herself!

I wonder what happens along the way that causes us to lose the carefree
security of childhood. How many of us as adults would answer that we
are valued "just because I'm me"? As parents, we treasure our children
for the simple fact that they were born and placed into our lives
through love. There is nothing they can do to make us care for them any
more or any less -- we just love them because they're them!

But in the "real world" of adults, things are different. We are a
performance-based society. You're either in or you're out. You may be
here today and gone tomorrow if your company stock prices drop, your
team loses one too many games, or Simon Cowell just doesn't like the
way your hair looks today.

We tend to value who we are based on what we do -- and by how
successful we are or we are not. Most of the time when we meet new
people, one of the first things we ask each other is, "What do you do?"
It is natural to ask these questions. Conversing about our careers can
offer opportunities to find common ground.

It is important, however, to distinguish what we do -- and how
successfully we do it -- from who we are. We are God's children with
whom He desires to have an intimate relationship. He loves us just
because we are His. Actually, He is crazy about us! He would have to be
to give up His beloved Jesus to literally go through hell just so we
can be together with Him in glory.