Mom Of A Leader

God has made us all different.  Some He made followers and others He made leaders.  Kaitlyn Joy is a leader.  She's not just any leader, but a strong one.  She's not just going to lead a crew at a fast food place, but one day she might just be leading young people onto the mission field, a youth leader, or leading missions into space.  We have been talking about the latter one from time to time.  Right now she's really into space, the planets and shooting stars.
God gave leaders a strong will.  They have to have it to press in when many would want to give up.  It helps them succeed.  However, many people can see a strong willed child as spoiled.  They couldn't be more wrong.   A strong willed child may really want something and tell you why; their answer may only be "because".  A spoiled child will demand you give it to them now and their spineless parent will comply.  A spoiled child isn't necessarily a leader.  They've just learned how to manipulate.  A leader will find ways to serve people or have them work together in a group.  A spoiled child is someone who can grow up dependant upon their parents for everything.  A leader can stand on their own two feet.  One of my biggest frustrations has been people, mostly family, who feel like Kj is a brat because she's strong willed.  They will say things about her as if the very words taste bitter.  Until they learn the difference between a spoiled and a strong will child as well as a leader and a follower, I guess there's not much I can do.  Well, other then avoid them.  I don't want my child suffering from their ignorance.
God gave me Kj for a reason.  He knows I can handle her.  He knows that I'm smarter then to crush her spirit.  Kj is a child, not a horse.  It's not my job to crush her into being what I want her to be.  I have to carefully guide and direct her.  Hopefully I do a great job and she learns how to be a wonderful leader.  If I break her spirit she could grow up lost and always searching for who God wants her to be.  Worse yet, she might not fulfil what He has for her.  I would have to answer to Him for that.  On that same note, anyone who negatively comments on Kj being strong willed is saying they disagree with God's plan.  You don't look at the clay sitting on the potters wheel and chastise it for not looking like a pot.  Instead you mold and shape it into a pot.
I'm sure I will slip up and say I'm the mother of a strong willed child, but from now on I will say I'm the mother of a leader.  If you don't like it, it really doesn't matter.  God made her who she is.  She may have been conceived after man put all the ingredients into a petri dish, but only God could breathe life into her.

Perhaps, when you're ready to get frustrated at Kj or some other child this is a good song to keep in mind...