by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks


One of the greatest gifts I discovered as a Christian was that I am okay just the way I am. After all God created me to be me! When I was a little girl my mother read me the book "Saggy Baggy Elephant" by Kathryn Jackson (a Golden Book). I loved that story! It was about a little elephant that was lost in the woods and a parrot tells him that his nose is too long, his skin is too baggy and his ears are too big. The little elephant becomes aware of how strange he looks, becomes embarrassed and hides. In the end he is found by some wonderful gray elephants that ooh and awe over how beautiful he is. I so hoped that would be how I would be one day... And guess what?

Through Christ I did become beautiful in His eyes. He created me to be the mother of my children, the wife of my husband and the grandmother of my grand babies. I so enjoy feeling comfortable in the skin I'm in because for so many years I was like that little elephant... embarrassed to be me.

God has richly blessed me to have confidence in Him and also has answered my prayers for my children to know Him. My daughter has recently moved and is still living out of plastic tubs, stripping wall paper and painting walls of her close to 100 year old house while meeting the needs of 5 little ones! She is confident in her motherhood and that God created her to be exactly who she is ... even as unconventional as she is. Here is a poem that she wrote the other night.

IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT?
by Jeni Peterson

My children - 5 in all - eat most meals out of bowls.
Sometimes my husband takes the kids for ice cream for breakfast.
And there are times I give my children cereal for dinner.
Other times I give them dessert.
Is there something wrong with that?


My children's beds are stacked with books
and blankets instead of neatly made.
Many days in our home are pajama days
And I'm not ALWAYS out of bed before 9 am.
Is there something wrong with that?

My 4 year old and 2 year old like to put yogurt
on the floor in their room and go skating.
When my oldest sings they all dance around her
twirling and bumping into each other.
Is there something wrong with that?

When I try to sneak away for a moment alone
- maybe even the bathroom - they all come running to me
like a herd of elephants (we have wood floors).
Is there something wrong with that?

I tuck each little one in bed safe and sound.
We pray and then I pray that they stay in their beds
BUT when I wake up in the morning
there are no less than 3 in bed with me!
Is there something wrong with that?

My six year old is thankful for his armor that God gave him
as well as the can of pop on the counter.
He also tried to set a world record
for going the longest without changing his underwear.
Is there something wrong with that?

I learned many important things from my mom...
the one I get the most use out of is eating kit kats
and drinking coke for breakfast.
Is there something wrong with that?

The two year old will sneak the baby M & Ms
if he screams loud enough.
That same sneaker had chocolate
ALL over her face after morning snack
- I tried all day to get to a washcloth to her face
but just couldn't get there until bedtime!
Is there something wrong with that?

If I've lost my mind and don't know what else to do
I make them all sit at the table silently
with crayons, paper and/or play-dough.
Is there something wrong with that?

When I plop on the couch they all plop on top of me.
(If you are wondering how many children you can
hold at one time - I've found the answer...
as many as God has given you!)
Is there something wrong with that?

I am who God created me to be.
Is there something wrong with that?

by Jeni Peterson

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:13-18

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