Don't get me wrong, they have some similarities, but their differences speak much louder. For example, when Campbell first started coloring her favorite part of the activity was lining up her crayons and placing them in an organized, color-coded fashion. Piper's favorite thing to do when she laid her blue eyes on those little "art sticks" was sneaking in the other room and coloring on the wall. Today, if you hand each of them a pack of M&M's you will also see their differences. Campbell will dump them out, organize them by color, and save her favorite color to eat last. Piper will turn the bag up, see how many she can fit in her mouth at once, and save the melted chocolate on her face until I attack her with a wipe. Campbell is a perfectionist who is determined and loves to learn. She loves her friends, she treasures her family, and I call her my "love bug" because she always wants me to cuddle with her. She loves to use her imagination when playing and always chooses to play the part of "mommy" because she likes to be responsible for taking care of "her baby". She is hilarious and I'm pretty sure she mastered the art of sarcasm by age 3. Piper is wide open and fun-loving. She will talk to everyone we pass in the aisle at Walmart and her strong compassion causes her to have such concern if she hears a baby crying two aisles over. She loves to be messy and is determined to wear her shoes on the wrong feet. She says she "likes them like that". She is feisty and does not get intimidated. She is a leader. We call her our "passionate" one because whatever emotion she is feeling she is ALL IN.........happy, mad, excited, etc.
The Lord created them in very specific ways. As a parent, I know it is my job to raise them to be CONFIDENT in those characteristics He so purposefully gave them. I don't want them to let society, or even their friends at school, cause them to be insecure in who the Lord made them. After all, I know He has big plans for them and I know that He blessed them with these characteristics to equip them for those plans. If they were to grow insecure they could become hindered, or distracted, from the ways He desires to use them. As their Mommy, I want to instill confidence and fearlessness in their uniqueness.
So here is what hit me in the face..........I am NOT always confident in my uniqueness and the idea of describing myself as fearless is almost laughable. I know that my girls study my every move. I literally learn about my own quirks and my repetitive statements by watching them play "Mommy and little girl" with each other. You see, I have tried to always be aware of not talking about my dislike of my body. I know that I need to avoid talking about wanting to lose weight or the caloric intake of my lunch. While I want them to be healthy, I do not want them to become worried or insecure about the appearance of their bodies. But I have completely overlooked being confident and fearless in the qualities, gifts, and characteristics the Lord has purposefully instilled in me. Let alone allowing them SEE me be confident and fearless in my God-given uniqueness. Instead, they have heard me talking to their ever-so-patient Daddy, dwelling on my insecurities and fears when I am faced with a task that the Lord has placed before me......a task that intimidated and scared me.
The fact is, the Lord made my girls unique and is equipping them for big things. I want them to be fearlessly confident and EMBRACE those things. As I look in the mirror, I want to ask God, "Is there anything I'm running from?" I know He has purposefully made me the way I am. I want to be fearless. I want to be confident in how He has equipped me. I want to embrace the desires and passions he places before me and not be intimidated. I want my girls to imitate THAT.
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