Although I love my mom the the ends of the Earth an back, I am not her. Yes, I may look like her, and I may have characteristics in common with her, but I am not her. I have my own personality. I have my own identity. My parents may have raised me similarly to how they were raised, but it was a different time and contained different circumstances.
For the longest time I considered some of my mother’s struggles to be my own as well. Some identity issues, some past issues with the Church (not Concord, but the church as a whole), some relational issues, you get the point.
My mom and I are extremely close. I would go as far as to call her my best friend. The amazing thing is that through our relationship, God taught us a balance of the kind of healthy relationship a mother and daughter should have. Growing up I would say we were friends, yes, but she was my mother first and foremost. Now that I am older and becoming a woman in my own right, it has become more of a friendship where we walk alongside each other in our faith and struggles. She’s still my mommy though! 😉
To the point, in this time in my life I am discovering my own personal identity, far apart from my mother an my friends at home. What kind of woman I am. What kind of Daughter of the King I am. What kind of friend I am.
I know that I am growing daily in my understanding of God the Father, Protector, and Lover of my soul. I know that i am desperate to KNOW Him. I know that I am His beloved, His favorite, and that I am worthy of His love. I know that I am an encourager to those around me. I know that sometimes I don’t think like others around me, and that that is perfectly fine because it’s how God made me. I know that I am an individually vital part of my team, my community, my family, and my friends that no one could replace.
I am Sarah Elizabeth Motes, friend and daughter, encourager and beloved, unlike no other and that will never change. What WILL continue to change is my growth in the Lord and my growth into the woman He has me to become.
I am my mother’s daughter, but I am not my mother.
