let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. 1 Cor. 7:17

David is 14, and right in the thick of the special-needs sibling stage of focusing on differences. He is aware of how different James is from other 12 year olds, and he's also aware of how different our family is from his friends' families. His best buddies are twins. He sees them as automatic best friends. And it makes him even more aware of how different his relationship is with James. It makes him jealous.

As parents we can empathize with that, can't we? I have a nephew who was born just two weeks after James was born. And when I see what all he's doing, I can compare them and get jealous. But these verses in Acts remind me of God's design:

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us ... (Acts 17:26 & 27)

God determined when we would live and where we would live, and as we read 1 Cor., He also calls us to specific life circumstances.

I know David's life is different from his friends' lives, but that doesn't make his worse. Just different. And with God's help, I can encourage him to see his life as God sees it—perfectly designed just for him.

Join me in prayer,

Heavenly Father, I want to pray against jealousy and envy in ___'s life today. I struggle with it myself at times, but I know that's not what You want for us. James 1 says You give good gifts to your children, and that means our life circumstances are good gifts for us. Help _____ to see that in his/her life. Help me to give grace when I know he/she is struggling with this so it doesn't become shameful. Thank You for reminding us that our calling comes from You and honors You. In Jesus's name, amen.

With Your Child:
When you notice your child struggling with jealousy, it can be a good time to start counting blessings. Since David has a natural bent toward jealousy and I have a natural bent toward criticism (based on our personality types), we both need reminders of all that's good in our lives. You can start by asking your children to share three blessings from the day when you say goodnight. It helps put them (and you) in a peaceful, thankful mindset before going to bed.

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