My mother has always taught me with bits of God’s Word sprinkled throughout the conversations.  If you ever meet me, I am sure to quote her before too long.  Or tell a story about her.  My relationship with her is so deep and wide that it often spills into my conversations, even though she lives far, far away from me.  And even though I only see her a few times a year, these days.

Early on in my marriage, my husband nicknamed my mother “Mommasaid”, because I was always saying, “Momma said this” or, “Momma said that.”  Even now, she is listed my email contacts as “Mommasaid”.  As an aside, “Mommasaid” must be uttered quickly, for it to sound right.  The emphasis is on the “mom” and the “said” parts, and it has the same rhythm of the words “valentine” or “summertime” or “porcupine.”  I just thought you might want to hear it in your mind the right way.  You’re welcome.

God orders your life in such a way as to shower you with wisdom.  So don’t miss it.  Sometimes He uses a person, like Mommasaid, who shares wisdom from His Word.  Sometimes He uses experiences in His World to grow us in wisdom.

So you can imagine how grateful I am that He has gifted my children with wonderful teachers.  For two years, Josh and Grace have had the blessing of learning from my dear friend Tracy at our homeschool community weekly.  And there are many others who influence them, including friends at church, and music, martial arts, and dance instructors.

As I sat last week, watching my daughter in dance class, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the gift of her ballet instructor.  My shy girl is blossoming under her hand.  Gracie is tall and very lean.  She has grown 3.5 inches in the last year!  I always knew she would outpace me in the height department, and that day is coming soon.  To that end, I never wanted her to slouch.  And so, ballet.

We named our dear girl “Grace” because of its biblical meaning: we see her as a underserved gift.  But I realized later, that her name could set an expectation for her; so ballet seemed to be one way to help her grow in physical grace.  At age 11, she can be all pointy knees and elbows, but she is beginning to hold her head higher and meet your gaze with a smile. I think that dance is growing her confidence and her comfort with herself.  

Last week, I was looking through that expansive glass window at the young dancers girls, ages 10 to 16.  They were at the barre and their instructor was watching them, speaking encouragement and correction.  It is obvious that she really cares for the girls and that she loves ballet.  She is a natural teacher.  This is what came to my mind:

I see in my daughter’s tall, generous, joyful ballet teacher—I see a graceful tree.  I know this tree was once a little sapling too.  But she grew taller and stronger and began to branch out.  When, she first blossomed as a performer, I am sure it was wonderful.  But now, there are many young saplings that she is pruning with her fine eye for detail and with her carefully placed words.  These young dancers, some sparkling with promise, and others simply sparkling with pleasure; these are extensions of that graceful tree, that was once a sapling herself.  And this work that she is doing now must be the sweetest yet.  I am sure that in the heart of every dancer there will always be a performer.  But when a performer is able to step out of the spotlight to allow it shine on someone else, it is a most beautiful and selfless act.  Maybe this is real success? The ability to grow the love of beauty and the pleasure in hard work, in someone else.

I love how God provides just what we need.  Last week, I talked about how He has provided me with experiences to teach me that His Word is Truth.  Yet, I see how He also gifts us with particular people who can walk with us into unfamiliar territories and teach us how to navigate through new seasons with increasing confidence.  He is kind like that.

So how has God provided for you in this way?  Where are you finding Wisdom?  Who is mentoring you, or your husband or children?  Please share in the comments!

As an aside, my husband has also given me a nickname. He says, if I was a superhero, I would be “Bible Lady.” He loves to tease me about how often scripture slips into my discussions…I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!