The Better Basket

Aubrey picked up her basket (Or what was intended to be a basket, she thought glumly) from the craft table on her way out. She'd just finished her morning classes at her weekly homeschool co-op. Now she and the other families in the group would gather at a nearby park for lunch and playtime. Aubrey looked forward to this day each week. But today felt different. As Aubrey met her stepmother at their car, she sighed sadly."What's up, honey?" Gina asked as Aubrey tossed her backpack in the trunk."Just look at my basket!" Aubrey said, holding up the item she'd labored over during crafts class that day. "All I had to do was weave the cord in and out of the frame. That's all I needed to do to create a basket, which I was planning to give Grammy for her birthday. But I couldn't make the cord stay in place. Look, Gina!"Aubrey's stepmom gently took Aubrey's creation in her hands and examined the cord that had slipped down to the bottom of the basket, leaving a bare, empty frame with a sloppy mess wrapped around the bottom."Wait 'til you see Claire's! It's perfect. She's better at everything than I am." Aubrey and Gina climbed into the car and headed toward the park."Aubrey, I know you're disappointed about your craft. But it's not true that Claire's better at everything. God has given everyone different abilities. And because you've trusted in Jesus and are God's child, you can use those gifts to build others up and point them to Him. You're better at some skills, even if you haven't discovered them yet."After parking the car, Aubrey and Gina grabbed their lunch bags and walked toward the picnic benches at the park. "I might not be good at crafts, but I'm good at other things. Is that what you mean?" Aubrey asked."Exactly!" Gina answered. "And I wouldn't give up on crafts yet either--sometimes finding our talents requires a lot of learning and effort. Keep learning what you can in your classes and trust God to help you develop the gifts He's given you.""So, even if I can't make art, I'm still God's work of art," Aubrey concluded. Then she plopped down at the picnic table beside her artistic friend Claire. -Allison Wilson Lee