Strut His Stuff

Piper has always marched to the beat of her own drum. It is a very loud drum........one that is probably neon pink with a zebra print on the side. And she would probably choose to beat the drum with arrows from her bow instead of the drumsticks because........well.........that's just how she would like it. She has never been one to worry about what others think. Not only has she never worried about it, she would confidently strut her stuff in front of anyone who even tried to say her outfit didn't match. In fact, I'm pretty sure that most adults we pass in Walmart judge me for having her shoes on the wrong feet. If only they could have been a fly on our wall that morning........they would have seen me try to convince her to let me switch her sparkly pink shoes to the right foot. But when she throws that cute little chin up and says, "I wike it wike dat," I always decide it's just not worth the battle. So judge away, Walmart patrons.............judge away.

There are countless qualities that I love about my passionate little 4 year old. But I have to say, her confidence in the midst of pressures to conform and her passion to beat that loud unique drum, are the qualities that I love and respect the most. I pray that she stands strong in how the Lord made her and that she never becomes influenced by the world around her. She teaches me so much through those mismatched outfits and she encourages me with that strut of confidence.
Being a pastor's wife, there are a lot of stereotypes as to what we are supposed to be gifted at. In fact, just the other day I was at a dental appointment. When the dentist saw that I was married to a pastor, this is how the conversation went....

Dentist: You are married to a pastor?
Me: Yes, I am.
Dentist: Do you play the piano?
Me: Nope.
Dentist: Do you sing?
Me: Nope.
Dentist: What? Aren't pastor's wives suppose to be able to do those things?
Me: I sure hope not.
Dentist: Well, I think if I were your husband, that would have been reason enough not to marry you.

I'm pretty sure he was joking (at least that's what I'm telling myself), but the fact is, he is not the first person that has said something like this to me. These talents and gifts are usually just expected of pastor's wives. I am here to tell you right now, the Lord's church at Fairview Baptist is incredibly musically talented. I am blown away each week by how the Lord blessed the members in their abilities to sing and play instruments. But if I were to show up at choir practice, or start moving my fingers on the piano, there would be an emergency prayer chain and a new committee formed to keep the pastor's wife busy so that she will not have time to test out her vibrato skills. It is just not my gift and it is not how the Lord wants to use me.

The hard part is being confident in that truth and not caring what others think. There are times that I find myself envious of pastor's wives who are able to live up to that expectation. Why do I let myself feel disappointed about not using a gift that the Lord never even gave me to begin with? The fact is, there are gifts that He did give me. There are passions that He did place on my heart, and a calling and a plan that He designed specifically for me. While I will never sing a solo with the worship band, I am blessed and excited to use the gifts that He purposely instilled in me. Piper encourages and challenges me to not be concerned about the expectations that others have of me, but to embrace the passions and gifts He gave me so that I may be used to accomplish His purposes ................and then I can strut His stuff with confidence.