"Mom, what do you want to be when you grow up?" This is what Annabella came home from school asking me the other day.
"Well,
Annabella...believe it or not I am already all grown up and I am doing
my most favorite thing...taking care of you and your brothers." She then replied with a sigh, "I know, I know...but what do you really want to be? You could do anything! You should go to college!! Grandma could watch me and the brothers and you could go learn something!"
I then started to laugh. I couldn't help it. I thought she was attending Kindergarten but apparently college prep and goal planning starts early these days. :)
But she wouldn't let it go. She then started again, "Well I am gonna go to college! I want to be a scientist...AND a teacher!" "What about the dream you told me about a few months ago about having a big orphanage and lots of children? Do you not want to do that anymore?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and thought a moment.. "Hmm..I know! YOU could watch my kids!!" Hahaha
I knew then that we needed to have a little talk. :)
Everywhere our children are bombarded with the American dream...we can be anything we set our minds to! We can do anything! We just have to press onward..work harder...dream bigger. Now I am all about challenging my children and letting their little minds imagine being the first astronaut to live on Mars (my boys current obsession). But I think it has gone far beyond that and I don't think I agree with any of it.
I started out by telling Annabella that a lot of times God gives us dreams and desires and tucks them away in our hearts and that is because He has a calling for our lives and they will be used to glorify Him and help others see Him. BUT our question should NEVER be, "what do I want to be?" or what do I want for my life?" But always asking what the Lord has for me. I then told her sometimes it may not seem like it's the most fun thing to do or not really what we want right then but we can ALWAYS trust Jesus that He knows what's best for our lives. That this life is soooo very short and one day in heaven God promises us a GREAT reward (she wanted to talk about that for awhile :) ) but in this life sometimes things might be kinda hard and we might not always get what we want or what we feel like we should get...but that is not what this life is about and there is JOY in that!!! God is still soo amazing and gracious and lets us have such wonderful blessings in this life BUT this is not our real home. We are HIS..we are created by Him and for HIM. Even still... He loves us SO much and really does know what is the very best thing for your life and whatever that is..a scientist or a trash collector...if you are trusting the Lord and saying YES to Him then one day it will all be worth it!!!!
At first I didn't know if maybe it was too heavy for her. But she seemed to get it. I don't ever want to crush her dreams or to discount all the amazing things that the Lord has instilled in her; but, as her mother and as the person that God has chosen to raise her I cannot sit back and minimize who God is. Yes, sometimes (okay, maybe more than sometimes) I wish that I could just do what I want when I want and make my own plans. But there is never life in that and that is never what the Lord designed. "In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of JOY." I want ALL that the Lord has for my children and I know that they will start having to make their own decisions...but with LOTS of prayer and- by God's grace- some sort of wisdom to offer them... I have faith that they will be and already are becoming little lovers of Jesus who say yes to Him! :)
I then started to laugh. I couldn't help it. I thought she was attending Kindergarten but apparently college prep and goal planning starts early these days. :)
But she wouldn't let it go. She then started again, "Well I am gonna go to college! I want to be a scientist...AND a teacher!" "What about the dream you told me about a few months ago about having a big orphanage and lots of children? Do you not want to do that anymore?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and thought a moment.. "Hmm..I know! YOU could watch my kids!!" Hahaha
I knew then that we needed to have a little talk. :)
Everywhere our children are bombarded with the American dream...we can be anything we set our minds to! We can do anything! We just have to press onward..work harder...dream bigger. Now I am all about challenging my children and letting their little minds imagine being the first astronaut to live on Mars (my boys current obsession). But I think it has gone far beyond that and I don't think I agree with any of it.
I started out by telling Annabella that a lot of times God gives us dreams and desires and tucks them away in our hearts and that is because He has a calling for our lives and they will be used to glorify Him and help others see Him. BUT our question should NEVER be, "what do I want to be?" or what do I want for my life?" But always asking what the Lord has for me. I then told her sometimes it may not seem like it's the most fun thing to do or not really what we want right then but we can ALWAYS trust Jesus that He knows what's best for our lives. That this life is soooo very short and one day in heaven God promises us a GREAT reward (she wanted to talk about that for awhile :) ) but in this life sometimes things might be kinda hard and we might not always get what we want or what we feel like we should get...but that is not what this life is about and there is JOY in that!!! God is still soo amazing and gracious and lets us have such wonderful blessings in this life BUT this is not our real home. We are HIS..we are created by Him and for HIM. Even still... He loves us SO much and really does know what is the very best thing for your life and whatever that is..a scientist or a trash collector...if you are trusting the Lord and saying YES to Him then one day it will all be worth it!!!!
At first I didn't know if maybe it was too heavy for her. But she seemed to get it. I don't ever want to crush her dreams or to discount all the amazing things that the Lord has instilled in her; but, as her mother and as the person that God has chosen to raise her I cannot sit back and minimize who God is. Yes, sometimes (okay, maybe more than sometimes) I wish that I could just do what I want when I want and make my own plans. But there is never life in that and that is never what the Lord designed. "In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of JOY." I want ALL that the Lord has for my children and I know that they will start having to make their own decisions...but with LOTS of prayer and- by God's grace- some sort of wisdom to offer them... I have faith that they will be and already are becoming little lovers of Jesus who say yes to Him! :)
