"I Wanna be like Her." Welcome to 2018.

Our 3-year old turned 4 this weekend and with the additional candle at her all-things-pink, all-things-sparkly, and of course, all-things-princess celebration, I heard words I thought I'd never hear from my free-spirited, strong-willed, 'I-won't-wear-a-bow-in-my-hair-anymore' miss independent daughter.

"I want to be like her, momma," she stated, as she held the phone up to my face, showing me the picture on the screen. The words were spoken as she watched her favorite 'beauuuutiful' princess twirl about on a video again and again. My heart plummeted. This was the first time our free spirited little bird felt she wasn't more than enough simply by being her own precious self.

"I wanna be like her." It's every girl's dream to be a princess, right? Perfectly normal to want to wear a long, fancy dress which billows in the wind while still making us look ever-so-slim (Say Yes To the Dress, Atlanta!) with flowing long hair that doesn't sink/shrivel/spiral/kink/konk with the Atlanta humidity, right? And the flawless complexion with no zits or wrinkles? Who wouldn't want that? Permanent makeup? Sounds like a dream!

"I wanna be like her." Maybe there's nothing wrong with wanting to be someone else ...

Until we aren't so little anymore.

"I wanna be like her."

The thief of joy. The killer of happiness. The stealer of sanity. Five words that rob us of who we are and who we were created to be. Ourselves. Uniquely us. Five words that rob our youngsters and tweens and middle schoolers and middle-aged moms and four-year olds and even the mom writing this blog right now. Five words that rob, kill, steal, and destroy.

"I wanna be like her."

Admiration is good. It's healthy. It's even, well ... admirable. But wishing we were 'her' (or him) is a slippery slope. It's also a sure-fire way to squash all the life out of who we were uniquely designed to be.

Comparing ourselves to others is 100% guaranteed to leave us feeling depleted, as there will always be a prettier princess with a more billowy dress (which of course doesn't wrinkle and of course makes her look 10 pounds slimmer than she actually is). And fellas, don't think you get out of this scott-free. Comparing is a trap for you, too, as there will always be a prince out there with a bigger truck with bigger tires and shinier rims. And better abs. Don't forget that, princes - better abs!

So what if we stopped looking sideways so often and instead set our sights on the road ahead of us (not the princess in the pink convertible with the shirtless Ken beside us, as tempting as it is to look in their direction).

I believe we all were created with a Divine image in mind, despite all the mistakes we repeat on a day-to-day basis (speaking for myself here on repeated mistakes). While the outside package may not feel like much of a princess or prince (if you're a middle age mom of a four-year old, that is), there is a Creator who sees you as just that - a lovely, beautiful princess or prince (with six-pack abs, even!) - fit for a kingdom of royalty. And if you don't believe me, take a look at 1 Peter 2: 9-10.

So dust off those tiaras and crowns, moms and dads. And put them atop your pretty little heads, and those of your children.

Happy new year, your highness. You are royalty. Believe it.

Love,

Lauri

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