Just Like Mom

I had this striking realization recently. I am just like my Mom, and yet, I am my own person. I am also like my Dad, while still being my own person. My Mom and Dad don't seem very similar most of the time, so I thought about this for a while.



I thought about growing up, and hearing all the time “You're just like your Mom!” - I heard over and over how much I sounded like her, talked like her, liked what she liked, etc. There were things I didn't like as much as everyone thought I did, but I thought I was supposed to...because my Mom did. This is definitely not the majority of things, but I had some pretty big shoes to fill to be just like Mom, and I tried very hard to be just like her.



As I'm watching my two boys, I tend to tell them they are just like their father, sometimes I mean it with the best intentions and all the love in my heart. Other times, however, it's like saying, “You annoy me the same way your Dad does...great!” The latter is not very encouraging to their Dad, or them. I need to watch it. Yet, I'm realizing, I want to watch the first one too. I think that sometimes being like our parents is a huge compliment, but sometimes it's a box. It's limiting.



See, if we are trying to live up to the expectation to be just like Mom or Dad, then how are we going to search for, find, and experience our own passions in life?



I am thankful for my parents, and I am blessed to know that they had a hand in shaping who I am today. My prayer for my boys is that I would constructively shape their lives and opinions, and that I would have God-given expectations of them, but that I would also give them enough room to find what truly ignites the fire within them. I pray that they wouldn't get caught up trying to be just like me (although, I must admit, I am pretty darn awesome!) or their Dad, but rather, they would get so caught up chasing after God that they would hear His whisper and follow Him and the direction He has for them. I want to watch them grow to be as much like Jesus as God can shape them to be.



What is your passion? What ignites the fire within you and motivates you? What is your prayer for your children? Have you started to see passion develop in your child or children's life?