frog dissections, Jessica Simpson, and God's good plan

My 13 year old daughter often laments that she is not good at anything.

"Everybody is good at something, but I am not good at anything" she often cries.

Last week, my sweet girl left for school, dreading the day.

"Today we are dissecting a frog!"she said in total disgust.

You know how much she loves those frogs. She even named her favorite.

"I'm probably going to have to cut open Jeremiah!!"

She was not happy.

The next day I received a letter from her teacher.

Apparently, Annie did a wonderful job in class. So much so, that the teacher reached out to me on a holiday weekend to share the good news.

"She has a real talent for dissection."

"See?" I pointed out. "You are good at something. God gave you the gift of frog dissection."

Just what every thirteen year old girl longs to hear.

It is funny, isn't it?

God gives us all that one gift...that thing that comes easy, that thing we can do well, that thing that we might hate or love or not give much thought to at all, as we try to do something else.

And I am not saying that I believe my daughter's calling in life is to glorify God through frog dissection, but I am saying that maybe we need to consider those things we do daily, those things we do not recognize as God given talents, and pay more attention to them. Maybe even, call me crazy, thank God for them.

My gift, that I have been trying hard to ignore?

My gift, that is a real, honest to goodness, Holy Spirit kind of guiding?

I have the God given ability and glorious gift of walking into any TJ Maxx, and picking up the ONE shoe that has been designed by Jessica Simpson.

Every. Single. Time.

I finally decided to put my pride aside, accept this gift, and by her darn shoes.

Frog dissections, and Jessica Simpson shoes...maybe not quite the dreams we have for ourselves, but clearly, a part of God's plan. And from what I hear, His plan is for good.