I have an eye for quality. It drove my mother crazy. I’d walk into a dress shop and zero in on an expensive outfit. The same went for shoes, purses, furniture, and fabric. Since my taste didn’t fit my budget, I viewed this trait as an irritating curse. I have friends who can buy cheap stuff and look great. Why didn’t it work for me?

In my single years I dated a man who looked at my ability to appreciate quality as worldly. But doesn’t God appreciate quality and beauty? Appreciating and demanding are two different things.

Through the years God has delighted me in surprising ways. Sometimes He provided fabulous second hand classics. Other times He gave me skills to replicate or barter for items I enjoyed. One time He prompted a shop owner to call me at Christmas and give me the outfit I’d admired months earlier. Gratitude welled up inside every time my heavenly Father showed His personal care for me. He not only met my needs, but many of my secret desires as well.

Now people hire me to pick out items for their homes. I realized my quirk is not a handicap at all. I just had to learn how to work with it. This skill helps me find quality items in consignment shops. It is okay to value a few nicer items more than trunks full of mediocre things. I love the challenge of creating a fabulous outcome from a mixture of parts.

I still admire those who look great with inexpensive fads, but I have come to appreciate my unique style.

What personal trait do you lament? Are you a fanatic about details, random in a sequential world or vice versa, a big picture person? Does this trait seem to upset you more than help you? How could this very trait be a gift to you and to others?

Our heavenly Father is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Even your quirks have a purpose. Ask Him to reveal the strength of your trait.

Blessings,

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