Life is Like a Pie Chart

As much as I hate to admit this: my daughter is officially taller than me.  Actually, let me recant that. She’s at least, officially, the same height as me (I’m not quite convinced that she’s taller).  In any case, this “measurement” of her growth reminded me of how much she’s growing and changing every day. 

Before I sound too cliché, I’ll get to the point. 

Her physical growth reminds me that she’s growing in every other capacity, as well. Not to mention at a pace that I find hard to keep up with! I look at it as my job to stay ahead of  her pace, so that I can be prepared to lead and guide her through each growing pain.  But, let’s be honest. There are only so many hours in the day, and I’m only one person. 

I can’t possibly be there to influence her for every moment.  So that led me to this incredibly random thought: 

If life were a pie chart, how would I determine the measure of each influence in my daughter’s life???

Here’s  a list of things I came up with that are probably some of the most prominent influences on her life and decision making right now. These are the pieces of the pie chart, that I see in my daughter’s life:

·      Our home & how we live our lives in it

·      Her friends

·      Her peers / peer pressure

·      Culture (tv, handheld devices, music, etc.)

·      Her teachers & Bible study leaders

·      Church / Devotional Time

·      My example

·      The unknown (there’s always a factor we parents don’t know about)

What does your daughter's life pie chart look like?

What else is an influence on your daughter’s life?

And how big is each slice?

I encourage you to think through things realistically (not just how you’d idealize it) and visualize how big each of these factors are in influencing your daughter’s character building & development.

For me and my daughter, this silly pie chart idea is a visual reminder, that just like a pie – there are many pieces of influence that contribute to my daughter’s decision making and character development.

And as a mother, I have the responsibility to determine how large each slice of influence is, by what I allow in her life. 

But sweet sisters, we both know it's only by God's grace that we know how to manage that precious, lip gloss loving pie chart. We must seek Him in everything we do, especially as mothers.

Will you seek and graph with me?

Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

-Emily F.

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