My mom is a diamond in the rough, I’m just the rough.
This was my friends commented on my last blog post. It’s funny that’s how she responded because I think she’s beautiful and incredibly talented in so many ways. It would never cross my mind that she’s “the rough”. It got me to thinking though and this was my response, “You’re still a diamond, we all just shine in different ways.”
Do you believe that? Do I? That we’re all diamonds in the rough and we just shine in different ways? I don’t always believe this about myself but I’m learning to. We’re all in process and I’ve heard it said that you’re discovering who you really are in your 30’s and in your 40’s and 50’s that you really embrace that and live it out. I can only hope that’s true. The older we get the wiser we become if we’re smart enough to heed the lessons we learn along the way.
I think that all our lives as women that we either try to emulate our mothers exactly or we try to avoid becoming them. This is true for men too I’m sure with their fathers. I think that we can have it both ways. I think that we can be the best of our mothers and live out our own unique identity to be our own glorious selves. There’s no one else exactly like you and that’s a great thing.
My friend also said that we have it harder today than our mothers did. I agree in lots of ways with that statement. The comparison trap has always existed since the fall of humanity but I just remember it in the non-internet way. Our moms had 4-H clubs, blue birds, the school PTA to compare themselves to and that was bad enough. But in our world today we have the battle of the whole worlds PTA, every club comparison, the Pinterest savvy, blogging world to compare ourselves to. It’s just too much my friends. It leads us to believe that we really are just “the rough” when we’re constantly comparing ourselves to everyone’s highlight reel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of social media, blogging (obviously), and my daughters birthday parties would never be as fun with out all the Pinterest ideas but I have to use if for good and not bad. Don’t compare myself to the ways others shine. Let’s celebrate each others strengths and be okay with how we’re made.
I don’t think that we’re always discontent with how we’re made, sometimes we just don’t fully understand how we’re made which makes for living that out in a healthy way a bigger challenge. I know for me the Aha moment this week was just putting words and validation to years of life and things that I have felt but didn’t completely understand. Now I understand better and hope to live it out.
My prayer for us is that we live confidently in who God made us to be. He says that He has formed you even in your mothers womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God delights in you. Let’s celebrate that we’re all diamonds in the rough made to shine in different ways.
