Lessons from a $2.00 pair of skates

While we try to teach our children about life- they teach us what life is all about. “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Matthew 20:33


Now those of you who know me, know I love garage sales… and I love a bargain. So when I saw Mya looking at a blue and pink pair of roller skates with a wishful look in her eye- I could not help but to bring them home. I had no idea that the lesson that those $2.00 skates would teach us would be priceless.

As I sat on the porch one afternoon watching Mya fall over and over on her skates-then get back up again-I realized there had been so many times in my life when I had not had the courage when knocked over… to get back up again… get back up again. A righteous man falls seven times, and rises again. “Proverbs 24:16 RSV

Then God taught me a lesson.

The first thing that came to me was the old saying “One mans trash is another mans treasure"... Sometimes, what one person does not cherish or have any use for anymore- can come in the form of a shirt, a pair of roller skates… or a life. How many times in my life had I not seen the treasure within another human? How many times had I ‘looked the other way’ or viewed someone as ‘useless’ or ‘in my way’?

Lord, you truly love all of us the same, regardless of the color of our skin, our bank account, or our age. As you walked on this earth-the leper, the prostitute, and the child, all found a welcome place in your heart...

God was not yet done.

Mya came to us at age 4 with scars because someone viewed her as being 'useless' and 'in the way'. Some of the scars are deep, deep inside-hidden. Some of them are visible to the human eye. But one thing I have learned from my spunky, smart, beautiful baby is when you choose forgiveness it allows God to work in your life and therefore- in the lives of others. In our weakness –God is strong. You see, Mya has chosen not to look at her past- her scars- in a ‘poor me’ kind of light, but to see them for what they really are-a gift from God- and to get back up again.

It is not whether you get knocked down- it’s whether you get back up again….

ALL OF US have been knocked down at one time or another. Sometimes our scars are only on the surface- and sometimes they are buried deep inside. But from our scars comes the chance of healing and personal growth. Growth WILL come IF we allow God the freedom to work out every detail in our lives- the past, the present, and the future- in a way that will honor HIM.
You see, God gave Mya- from her past, the unique mark on her life that allows HIM to bless others with hope, encouragement and inspiration- because she allows it.


God forgive us for the times when we have tried to hide ourselves from you and put on a pretense to others around us that all is perfect in our lives.

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I’m the first to admit, I do not like suffering -and I do not like my scars being visible… sometimes I try to bury them inside and pretend that everything is ok… I try to fix things by myself- instead of seeking God first. “He must increase, but I must decrease” John 3:30. The more of HIM I see, the less there is of me.

When we allow God, he will prepare us -so that when he brings to us someone who is broken hearted, struggling, or lonely- we can say “I know what you are going through… God has not forgotten you”. “Praise be to the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4


Today I am thankful that through this precious child-, my 4 year old with scars deeper than most of us could ever understand, I learned how to have the courage to get back up again. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12”9

Lord, help us to live our lives seeing the ‘value’ in things that the world views as worthless. Let us love the unlovable and see the treasures around us through your eyes. Let us not put the things the world holds of value over the things that you hold dearest to your heart. Lord take the broken pieces of our lives- the hurts, the disappointments and the failures and make them usable for you. Let your beauty and worth be seen in our scars- in us- because we know in your eyes nothing is ever wasted… not even a blue and pink pair of roller-skates.