#71. God Created You To Accomplish Wonderful Things

I adore this little boy!

God Created You To Accomplish Wonderful Things

I know that when my mom wrote this journal for me, she obviously was meaning for each item to apply to me.  However, I feel that she also knew it would be my guidebook for life and that once I was a mama I would apply it to every single day.  The above quote is something I think about often when I look at my babies...I am loving every single second of their childhood and hate that it is going by so quickly, but watching them grow and develop into the little people that God created them to be is definitely one of life's greatest blessings.  

I chose this topic to write about for this post because today is my sweet Lukie Bear's 6th birthday.  I love all of my children with every bit of my being, but they are definitely all individuals and will do different things with their lives.  God no doubt created my Luke to accomplish wonderful things. 

Six years ago at 9:08am, Luke entered this world after 11 hours of labor.  We were very nervous throughout my pregnancy with him due to the trouble I had with Brady...I had to be seen by my regular doctor and a specialist in Pittsburgh each month.  I had the typical jitters about adding another baby after having just Brady.  I wasn't sure how I could love another baby as much, but boy was I wrong!  Luke is my baby boy, Brady's best friend, Claire's caretaker, and Jeremy's little helper.  

Everyone that comes into contact with Luke instantly adores him...how could you not love that sweet face with little glasses!?

  Luke is incredibly sensitive, quiet, and shy if you try to talk to him, although he has started to come out of his shell a bit.  He loves, loves, loves playing and watching sports and anything that involves his big brother and Brady's friends.  He is so obsessed with his big brother that he sleeps on his floor in his sleeping bag all the time just to be near him!  Luke loves family time so much, from playing ball with Jeremy and Brady to playing house with Claire to fishing with pap or playing cards with Nana. He is very smart and loves doing anything that involves artwork, puzzles, math, or problem solving.  He is a perfectionist like his dad and will practice things for long periods of time until he gets them right.

  ( I'm not trying to brag on my kid, but I want him to be able to look back at this someday and read what his mommy said about him at age 6 :) )

All of the above things are great, but I don't necessarily think they correlate with God creating him to accomplish wonderful things.  I think that the wonderful things he was created for are more along the lines of his heart and compassion...his heart is the biggest I have ever known.  He has a kindness inside of him that is so natural, so special, that he touches the hearts of many without even realizing it.  He is so compassionate about others...his preschool teachers can vouch for his kindness to all, even young children with disabilities in his class.  He doesn't see bad in anyone and thinks that kindness is the answer to every problem.  

Of my 3 children, Luke is my most inquisitive.  He was just asking at bedtime all about how he was born and if it was dark in my belly (haha!), if he met Grammy before he got in my belly (in Heaven before God gave him to us), and more.  He asks deep questions about God, my mom, and Heaven frequently.  The way he puts things together about this make me think that I was given this special little boy for a reason...he frequently reminds me that my mom is still alive in Heaven and can be reached through things as simple as a bedtime prayer or a balloon.  He is fascinated by the fact that we will all be together in Heaven someday and seems very reassured by this.

As a mom, it is so interesting to watch our children develop into complete individuals.  I think that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that not every child (hardly any) will make it to major leagues in sports, not all will get good grades or get into good colleges, and some may not go to college.  Not all children will grow up and get married or have children.  Not all will have fancy jobs or fancy homes.  Does this mean that we have failed as parents!??  Absolutely not.  

Luke's preschool graduation!

God created you to accomplish wonderful things.  Wonderful things in life do not truly have to do with fancy jobs, homes, or colleges.  They have to do with kindness, compassion, and humility. I don't care if a person has the greatest job or biggest bank account in the world- if they can't be kind to everyone and treat others with respect, what does that matter in the end?  

Luke's pick for a preschool graduation gift- a hermit crab!

For some reason, when thinking about this post and about this quote, I kept thinking of a sweet worker at our local Wendy's (random, I know).  There is the kindest lady that works at the drive through there...her name is Michelle.  My friends can vouch for the fact that no matter what-whatever the weather, day of the week or time of the year, when we go through that drive through, whether it be on lunch break from work or with our children for an evening Frosty- Michelle is the sweetest, most kind-hearted lady ever who brings an instant smile to your face.  Without a doubt, God created her to spread happiness through her funny and kind words she always has for her customers- she notices everything from earrings to scarves to kids in the backseat.  This is her wonderful thing!  This is how she is serving God and living her life- by being infectiously happy.  

Would I be thrilled if Luke gets good grades through school and then gets into a great college and lands a great job?  Of course.  But would I be more thrilled to know that he spreads kindness everywhere he goes?  To know that he genuinely cares about people's feelings and doesn't see race or religion or disabilities when he looks at people?  Yes.  Would I be more thrilled to know that he spreads love and shares with others about God and Heaven?  Yes.    

You see, "wonderful things" doesn't translate to "big things" or "fancy things".  Being created to do wonderful things, to me, as Luke's mom (and Brady's and Claire's) is praying and hoping that he does his part to make this world a better place.  I think that every single person that knows my Lucas Andrew Schafer can say that he is definitely well on his way to accomplishing wonderful things.  

Happy, Happy birthday my sweet little Lukie...I love you to the moon and back and am so very proud to be your mommy!

Thank you for this awesome picture, Lauren!  ;)

For my recipe for this post, I asked Luke what recipe of mine/my mom's is his favorite...he quickly said "your icing". LOL  He LOVES when I make homemade cupcakes with my special icing- he eats it straight from the bowl.  It is super fast to make and easy to color with food coloring. It is an excellent decorating/piping icing for any type of cakes/cupcakes.

Cupcake Icing

1 1/2 cups Crisco (I use the crisco sticks)

1/2 cup of hot water

1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 bag of powdered sugar (2 lbs.)

Pour the hot water over the crisco and let sit for 2 minutes.  Then add in the flavorings and the powdered sugar.  Mix on medium until desired consistency.  You can then add in any colors with gel or liquid food coloring- I like the Wilton Gels.  :)