No two children are alike; like fingerprints and snowflakes, each child is unique. We should never expect a child to have the same characteristics or abilities as a big sister or brother. Just look at your hands: each finger is different. They don't fight each other for superiority. The ring finger doesn't reign over the others because it wears the ring!

In a similar way, each family member is of equal value — just different and with different roles to play. Boys have a different job description than girls. Mom bears responsibilities that differ from Dad's. Each member is unique, but all equally loved and equally special and equally needed.

Wise parents study each child and become acquainted with each one's special abilities and special deficits. Only then can they meet the needs of each child with an individual plan for growth — physical, emotional, and spiritual. Let's make the rest of the day work a little better by studying your children like ... like the fingers on your hand! And cherish each for what the Lord has made them to be!

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed (Psalm 139:13-16 NLT).