As Pinterest peaks, I bet quite a few parents took pictures of their back-to-schoolers holding a poster or chalkboard listing their current interests and what they presently want to be when they grow up. I think it would be fun to take a picture like this every year to see how their personalities, interests, and dreams develop over the years. I wonder how many kindergarteners will actually grow up to be the person they drew on their "Getting to Know Me" worksheets this week?!
I, for one, did not grow up to fulfill my childhood dreams of being a missionary doctor in the African jungles. Instead, I am a stay-at-home mom. And I couldn't be happier.
As a mother of 2 small children (and another one on the way), I want to instill in my daughters the confidence that they can be whatever they want to be, that they can accomplish whatever goals they set for themselves. I don't just want to tell them this though -- I want to SHOW them. I want them to look at me and see firsthand what it looks like to see your hard work pay off, to watch your dreams come true. I want them to KNOW that nothing is impossible, that no matter how many times you fall down you can always get back up and keep on trying, that the most important thing in life is not what you have or what you do but rather WHO YOU ARE.
As a child, I grew up signing the song, "I am a promise, with a capital P. I am a great big bundle of potentiality..." I may not be the best musician in the world, but I want my girls to grow up with these lyrics written on their hearts.
I was looking for pictures and quotes for this post and typed in "What do you want to be when you grow up?" in the Google search engine. I found this quote from John Lennon and it resonated with me.
I do believe John Lennon's mother was on to something. Like her, I want to lay a solid foundation for my children, one that is based on CHARACTER over possessions and prestige. When I talk with my children about their hopes and dreams for the future, I will always assure them, "You can be whatever GOD wants you to be. He has a special plan just for you, and I'm super excited to see what that is." I want them to know I will be there to support and encourage them as they try to figure out what God has in store for them, as they use their unique gifts and abilities to do what they love, what brings Him pleasure and glory.
I laughed last night as I read a post from Kami Dempsey, the top seller for It Works. She was reflecting on the her life and how drastically it has changed in the past 7 years since she became a distributor.
I never grew up thinking, I want to be a wrap girl.
I always saw myself as a Teacher and Coach.
As a former teacher and coach, I can completely relate to Kami on that note. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see myself as a "wrap girl." I NEVER would have pictured myself selling body wraps that help tighten, tone, and firm. I would NEVER have seen myself as a distributor for a direct sales company. Granted, the "job" fits extremely well with my interests and passions -- health and wellness, equipping people to live healthy lives -- but I still never would have imagined myself doing what I am today. Except for the stay-at-home mom part. I have dreamed of that and prayed earnestly for this since I was in high school and college. I remember some very late nights with my dearest friend in college, as we prayed for our future husbands and marriages and families. We dreamed of being moms, of playing with our kids and baking with them and reading books to them. Simple, maybe, but a dream none the less, one that stirred from a desire deep in our heart of hearts.
I am so blessed to be living out my dream. I may not be doing it the way I planned or expected, but as Kami shared, God's plans are always WAY better than ours.
I still have no idea what all is in store as I continue on this journey God has me on, but I am certainly excited to find out. And as my girls watch me and see our family's story unfold, they will get to see firsthand how God works in the lives of His sons and daughters, how He weaves together each and every event in their lives, how He shapes and molds them into the people He created and designed them to BE in the first place.
And if I were to ask my girls today, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and they were to answer, "A wrap girl like you," I would be totally okay with that. Not necessarily because they will be selling body wraps and supplements and skin care products, but rather because they will be making a difference in the world, they will be helping to change people's lives. At least that is what I hope they see me doing and why they want to be like me when they grow up.
What about YOU?
I don't care how old you are or where you are at in life...
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Please take the time to reflect on where you are at in life right now.
Are you happy?
Are you truly fulfilling your dreams or at least working towards that?
If not, is there something you could change? Something you SHOULD change?
I challenge to be like a little kid again. Dare to dream big.
We do, after all, serve a VERY big God.
As He reminded me recently, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what I have planned for those who love Me." ~1 Corinthians 2:9
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