Children make you
think about what really matters in your life and where you want to head.
Without a child, it is
easier to just go with the flow and take whatever comes.
But with a child,
suddenly time is a precious commodity. And you realise life will come to an
end. And you start thinking about what you should be spending your life on.
Children also make you think about who you want to be. What kind of person do
you want your child to emulate?
Yet, at the same time,
a child becomes a factor you must consider when you decide where to head. You
can no longer make decisions without considering a family and how your decision
would impact your family. So while a child spurs you to think, a child seems to
limit your choices too, that is, on the surface.
When I think deeper, I
realise that in fact, my children have helped me expand my choices. Suddenly I
have new choices, including working from home, starting a business, working
part time, writing a book, being a housewife. Options I would have never
thought of.
The irony of it all.
Children limit and expand your choices at the same time. Even if you choose to
cover your eyes and ignore the importance of making a decision, you still have
to reach a point when you decide what you want to be. I chose this picture of
Treasure covering her eyes, because it reminded me that we just can’t hide from
everything.
The irony is also that
what you choose to be will likely be what your child will be like too. And that
is why God asks us to model Him. Because, whatever we choose to do, we need to
choose to be like him.
Sometimes, I think
about what I want my daughters to be like – brave, determined, having a strong
sense of purpose, kind and driven. And then I realise these are the very
qualities I often think I lack. And then I realise I have to stop thinking
about what I want my child to be, because that is what I want MYSELF to be and
the last time I checked, I was still breathing. That means I still have time to
be that very person.When I think about all this, I suddenly know that I have as much growing up as my kids have to do.
