David and When Your Best is Not Good Enough (The Thinking Tree)

David was a precocious young man. He was ten years old and the oldest boy in his family. In context, he had three older sisters! David loved to try new things. He tried the clarinet, but it didn't seem cool. Then he decided he wanted to do martial arts. That was fun for a while, but he really wasn't that coordinated, so he decided it wasn't for him. However, shortly after his tenth birthday, he finally found an activity that seemed to be "the one." Well, that is what he told mom and dad when they questioned him about buying paints, an easel, canvases, and all the other tools every great painter needs. David worked extremely hard on his art; Mom and Dad were impressed. The night of the big art show at the community center, David unveiled his painting. For the first time, others were allowed to see his absolute best work. However, not everyone thought it was awesome.What happened next was unexpected and led David to discover a talent, a gift he never even thought of, and to explore what happens when even your best does not seem quite good enough. Nona helped David realize that as humans we want to be famous, to do something really big-we want to be special and we forget that when we use the talents God has given us to His glory we are "famous," "special," not because other people notice, but because that is the highest praise we can show God-when we submit to His calling and value His gifts above all else, then we show that we recognize His love for us and His perfect plan. Read more