...and the rest will fall into place: Princess Esther

We had the privilege of sending James and Esther to Royal Family Kids Camp last week. It’s a sleepaway camp for children from hard places that gives the kids a TON of positive attention. The “cousins” at camp truly sow into these kids - they see their potential and claim God's promises for these kids. James and Esther were glowing when I picked them up. It was just amazing.

When they came home after being away for a few days, it gave me a chance to look at them with fresh eyes… in less than 9 months, God has transformed these kids in so many BIG ways, but sometimes we don’t notice because the changes are so gradual in our day to day life.

So I wanted to take a minute to give you an example with Esther…

When Esther first joined our family, she did not feel pretty. She refused to wear dresses and would ask me to give her “ugly” clothes. She yelled and cried if I used adjectives like “beautiful.” She wouldn’t look in the mirror. She tore out her hair whenever she felt especially upset. Oh, the wild and crazy stories I could tell you about the 12 hours leading up to the "picture perfect" moment in the photo below (from our holiday tea party at the Jefferson)!!

Fast forward a few months… to where she started to feel more loved and secure. She didn’t argue with us quite as much when we complimented her. She started to enjoy “hair days” when I style her hair. She discovered that she did, in fact, like fancy things. So much so, she went to the arcade totally decked out, high heels and all.

Fast forward, again, to last week. She had an air of confidence and grace. She glided through camp in a big ball gown, twirling and dancing for everyone. She had the courage to perform a dance in a variety show. And she came home, proclaiming her role as a princess in God’s kingdom.

She is still shy in accepting compliments. She may look the other way, but you'll notice a little grin and know that your words are sinking in. She has questions about her race, her hair type, her size, etc., but she can now verbalize them and gains a stronger sense of self after each of our chats. She has confident days and insecure days (just like the rest of us)! But the overriding theme is that she's coming into herself. She is getting comfortable in who God created her to be. She can mentally grasp that she is highly valued, even if she doesn't always feel it or believe it.

This is just one of hundreds of changes we are witnessing in our kids. It is so incredibly precious to observe this growth and God's transformative power. We can't wait to see how she continues to grow in her self-esteem as God's (and our) precious daughter!