When Your Daughter is a Warrior
The set of her jaw. The solid confidence in her gait. The determined, if not fierce, look in her eyes when faced with a challenge. She is only 13 years old, yet there is something that has always taken my breath away every time I behold her…
My daughter is a warrior.
She has a picture on her wall. Really, more specifically, words – more to remind the rest of us than her – “Though she be but little, she is fierce.” Though I don’t know the true origin of the quote, for my girl, it couldn’t be more true.
She is my youngest and smallest framed child, beginning her days with an epic struggle for life. On the outside, she was weak, frail, and up against some pretty huge odds. In truth, there were moments we were not sure she would survive. But she took it all in stride, like it was no big deal. But it was. It still is. One courageous step at a time, she blew all their expectations, and ours, away.
In all of the hard, God pressed my soul to look harder…beyond the surface to the gems unexpected. My daughter taught me that. She is that. She is not who I thought she would be, but that’s ok. She is better.
You see, God has always had x-ray vision. The Word testifies that He is intent upon what lies inside of us. Yes, He has fixed His creative and glorious eyes upon the heart most of all.
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV)
In 1 Samuel, God led the great prophet, Samuel, to the home of Jesse in search of a new king. And as each of Jesse’s sons began to line up in front of him, Samuel zeroed in on the oldest, tallest, and probably strongest one and concluded,
“Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” (vs. 6)
But God loves to turn expectations upside down and inside out, telling Samuel,
“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.” (vs. 7a)
One by one, the seven sons of Jesse were paraded before Samuel and each of them was rejected. The one son who was left was not even there to parade. He was in the field with the sheep, content in who and what he was.
He was probably not the one I would have chosen, either. But God did choose him.
He was not the one who looked mighty to me, either. But God called him mighty nonetheless.
My daughter, too, is so much more than what you might ever suspect on the outside. On the inside, she truly is a warrior. I can see it now. Now, it brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my own momma heart.
My question to you, my friends, is this: Who in your life begs to have a deeper look?
Perhaps the person who currently mystifies you is your own child or even your husband. Or perhaps that person is you. Whoever it is, let me assure you that He sees them, all of them, just as He sees you. Things just aren’t always what they seem to our oh-so-human eyes. Thank goodness, right?!
So, my challenge to you today is to take some deliberate time to ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart to see the people in your life as He sees them. It might be a hard process to undertake, at first. He might ask you to lay down some things you thought you had in the bag. But I can promise you that what He will do in that open-hearted stance is partner your vision with His – for His children and for yourself. Just open your hands and watch it unfold. It’s a breath-taking picture, indeed.
The song I want to share with you today is from Influence Music and Michael Ketterer, entitled, “Spirit Lead Me.” This song is about retraining our heart and soul and laying down everything we think we know, submitting every piece into the hands of our loving God.
***HINT: listen all the way through to the end…the bridge is so powerful.
With joy for the journey,
Sarah
