When I was six years old, I came home with our class photo.
I wasn’t too proud of it, but I had to show it anyway.
I gave it to my father.
When he looked at it, he couldn’t find me. He said, “Bo, where are you?”
Sheepishly, I pointed to myself in the photo—somewhere at the back of the crowd. You could only see half of my face. (Clue: I’m somewhere at the right side.)
Dad groaned. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt me. Parents usually don’t. But that day, he did.
Because he said, pointing to the mestizo guy in front, “Bo, why don’t you be like this guy! Be in front! Wave at the camera!”
Ouch.
I said, “Yes, Dad.”
But I felt very sad that day.
Because I was a shy kid at the back.
And Dad wanted me to be like that mestizo kid in the front row. Confident. Outgoing. Aggressive.
That happened when I was six years old.
That was 35+ years ago.
Yet to this day, I still remember how I felt that day.
That’s how toxic those words were to me.
Parents, you need to love your kids with their personality, their temperament, and their unique gifts.
Never compare them with others.
After all, this is how God loves you.
Friend, are you still hurting?
Perhaps people around you are looking down at you. People around don’t believe in you. And all they do is point out your weaknesses.
You have a God that doesn’t do that.
He never compares you to anyone else.
He loves as you are.
He celebrates who you are.
He enjoys you—your idiosyncrasies, personality, gifts…
And He accepts you as you are—the entire mix, the whole package.