She's not your average girl*Pensive Pensieve, Part Two

When she was mere hours old, I knew she was brilliant and destined for Great Things:  she latched on and nursed without difficulty.

It's laughable to me now I based her whole future on the basic human instinct to survive.

I also knew I was The World's Best Mother when she easily potty-trained before turning two.  All it took to strip that title was the subsequent births of my sons.

These are just two of the lessons I learned early on that confirmed what I suggested in my previous post: You can't assume all blame for [your children's] failures and inadequacies any more than you can take full credit for their successes and natural God-given giftings.

On the day of her birth, my father-in-law (the most Godly man I know) handed me a torn strip of paper.  All it had on it was a scripture reference--"Rachel was beautiful and well-favored, Genesis 29:17b".

It was prophetic.

Much deeper than skin, Rachel's beauty exudes from her heart. She's not the sweetest young woman I know, she's not even the nicest...and goodness gracious, she's certainly not perfect.

But...she's innocent, pure in heart and...well...rare. Her standards and convictions inspire me, make ME want to be a better person.

She’s had a ravenous appetite for books since age eight.  Her shelves are weighted with volumes of her favorites and sometimes I "borrow" from her library. A few years ago I noticed something curious: some of the words in her books were whited-out. It didn't take long to realize she was censoring profanity.  We never asked her to do this, and it's not as if the books she read were littered with excessive garbage. Not long ago, she explained: "If I see those words they just get stuck in my head, so I'd rather not see them in the first place."  Simple enough...and an admirable standard.

Last week, I overheard a conversation between Rachel and my husband. He was going over our family budget with her and as he explained how mortgages work, she was flabbergasted--the concept of interest over 20 or 30 years scrambled her brain.

But her response absolutely exploded my heart.

"I'd want to live in a smaller house," she began.

At first Tad thought she was self-conscious that our home is larger than her closest friends' homes.  She clarified, however, offering the simple logic that a small home was less expensive.

"That way I'd have more money to give to people who need it."

Wow.

After attending a leadership camp and reading the book "Do Hard Things" this summer, she's been pondering the "hard things" she can do.  She returned from camp with the lofty ideal of sponsoring a Compassion International child with money she earns from babysitting; her best friend is going to contribute to the monthly expense.  Together, they have the dream of visiting their child next year.   

She joined both the cross country and track teams at school last year, and though she's always at the end of the pack, she never gives up. She may not be a gifted athlete, but is doubly-blessed with determination and commitment.   

Rachel is not driven by status symbols or brand names, she doesn't chase boys, and secrets in her care are closely guarded.  She's always loyal to her friends.  One  recently told me "Rachel will be the friend who helps me stay on track."  She's been championing the underdog since she was 10, and when she disagrees with us, she'll calmly defend her position.  She's quite the debater.

I'd love to take credit for all these things, to give you a formula for successful parenting you could cut-and-paste onto your own children.  Although we've certainly prayed for her and trained and guided her along the way, I think the person my daughter is becoming has more to do with how God created her than anything else.   Though I still see my role in her life as "mother", I've been surprised by our developing friendship; I thought that aspect of our relationship would be years down the road. 

Rachel is a sophomore...we have her at home for three more years, less, really.  Already she is craving independence and in small ways, testing her wings.  I’m thankful for this because I know those wings will serve her well. They are beautiful wings, you might even say well-favored.

But it’s not quite time for her to fly.  Not yet.

For now, she's grounded.

:)

* Post title inspired by Barlow Girl's song "Average Girl"; they rock a thousand different ways!