Isaiah J, Currie
God's Rich Investment In This Seed (GRIITS [GRITS])
I have three children and as we know all children have different
personalities and abilities. My first two children seemed to thrive
academically while my last son seems to have to fight for every
academic achievement he receives. He does not always get the same kind
of feedback that my other sons receive academically.
One day, my youngest son and I, went to a local Walgreens and happened
to see two teachers that had taught my older sons. At the time, these
teachers were junior high and high school teachers and had no
knowledge of my youngest son's struggles nor either of them had any
contact with him at his elementary school. They went on about my older
sons accomplishments. At this time, my eldest son had scored a perfect
score on a state exam. My middle son was in a program called Ideas for
academically advanced children and my youngest son was simply just
trying his best to keep afloat.
When we got in our vehicle, my youngest son grabbed his head and then
hit his forehead three times. I stopped the vehicle and with great
concern asked him what was wrong. He began to say you never hear great
things like that about me from my teachers. You always hear things
like: He is working hard! He is really making great efforts to
improve. He is certainly a trooper. With tears streaming down his face
, he cut me off before I could get any words out, he said and you and
dad always tell me I am great, I am smart, I can do this or that, you
say you both are proud of me, you are doing terrific and other forms
of praise we have spoken to him. I was stunned and paralyzed with all
of his emotions. I did not want to rush to say things that may sound
like a cliché. He then added, you are mom and he is dad, that's what
you all are suppose do. You all are suppose to say nice things about
me. I rushed in like a super hero, believing to save the day, and with
the utmost sincerity: I said; we do not just say those things yet we
mean every bit of what we tell you and show you. He returned with a
firm rebuttal, I know, yet I want to hear and see the same things from
my teachers and my school. My brain was searching for the right words
to say and to ease his little heart and heal all the emotions he was
wrestling with and seemed to have grappled him. I was waiting for God
to give me the right things to say. I simply told him I love him and
your grades do not define the person you are and although I meant
those words he looked at me. Without him uttering a single word, I
knew he was telling me that it is still your words mom and I need to
believe in myself.
So he and I continued our errands and shopping and we went to
Wal-mart. When I thought things could not get any worse, we got in an
engaging conversation with one of my older sons former teacher. As
this teacher spoke, I held my youngest son closer and closer to me and
tighter and tighter at my hip. She continued to dote on their every
accomplishment, it seemed like an eternity, I was growingly anxious by
the millisecond and basically cut her off abruptly by telling her, I
really needed to leave, yet easing the abruptness of tone and
conversation, by adding; it was nice to see you and I appreciate your
fond memories of my children.
Anticipating how I was going to handle the fragileness of this
situation, I just keep rubbing his little head, which peaked just a
bit above my side hip, while he walked closely by me. He and I were
silent. I picked up a couple things I knew he'd like and basically
left without getting what I had come to the store for. Back in the
vehicle, before I could hand him the little trinkets and candy I had
purchased, tears began to stream down his grief ridden face and he
said; I am never going to be smart. I turned around and said to him,
with firmness and assurance in my voice, your Father God is the
smartest there will ever be. He created you in the likeness and image
of himself so smartness is in your blood. You are smart. Grades will
never determine what your character is, who you are, and what you have
and will accomplish. There is greatness in you. What if you never
bring straight As home? That does not determine our love for you. All
of these emotions and sincere words that I had spoken to him seemed to
be love laced darts falling at his feet and not his heart.
The day came where my youngest son came from 3rd grade with a cabbage
plant in a cup. This tiny cabbage leaf tilted over the dirt by almost
a child's thumb length. He rushed in with a smile so grand that
nations could probably see it. He yelled: Mom, mom, I gotta a cabbage.
Now everyone in my house knows, although I have tried relentlessly to
grow plants, they have all succumb to the same ill-fate, death. My
God, I even had a cactus plant to die on me. How hard is that? He
looked me square in the eyes, I have a cabbage and I want it to grow
so you cannot help me. Not being offended at all, I was awaiting his
plan that I saw dancing around in his head. He laid out this simple
plan and even provided a backup plan. His grandfather (Paw Paw Currie)
was his initial pick yet if he could not commit to this task, he had a
family friend in mind, Vivian Lee.
His Paw Paw willingly accepted the task. Right in the midst of this, I
heard God give me an acronym that seemed misspelled, G.R.I.I.T.S.
until he God proceeded with the words attached to the acronym: God's
Rich Investment In This Seed. God provided me with a clear revelation
that he, Joshua, my youngest son could understand. I began to speak to
Joshua and tell him what God laid before me. God said just as you
desire this plant to grow so I want you to grow. Just as you have
concerned yourself with how this plant will be nurture, the best
environment for its growth, the right resources, and what all this
plant needs, I have placed you in a nurturing environment and have
placed all the right people, resources, elements, and things you need
to grow and prosper you. Just as you have people you can call on and
delegate things to, you can call upon me and I have delegated angels
regarding assignments concerning you. I invest my unconditional love
towards you. Just as you are concerned about this cabbage plant
reaching its maximum growth and potential, you cannot even imagine how
far greater I want the maximum growth and potential for you and all of
my sons and daughters. Joshua looked at me with an avalanche of tears
and squeezed me tightly. He began to say, without being coerced, I am
smart and I am doing better. The confessions we had him saying became
living to him. He had G.R.I.I.T.S.