Every mother has been entrusted with a wonder. A mystery. A gift continually unfolding. Who will she be? you wonder, as she squirms and kicks inside you. Then you meet, and fall in love. Who will he be? you wonder, as his little personality begins to show itself, meek and easily contented, or fiery and assertive. 

Who will she be? you wonder, as she starts to display her preferences, her fears, and her joys. 

Who will he be? you wonder when he stomps his feet and screams, or silently gazes out the window.

With every stage, at every age, the gift opens a little more, revealing the endlessly fascinating design crafted by her Creator. You will be discovering the answer to that question well into adulthood. It will also be your task to help her answer it for herself.

But there is more to the story, because motherhood also makes us wonder, Who will I be? The adventure of motherhood lays our hearts open before the Lord, and we discover that we, too, are unfolding. We find out that we are capable of much more sin than we might have thought. We also learn that we are capable of a deeper, more sacrificial love than we could have dreamed.

Motherhood reveals us to ourselves. It also forms us in ways we never imagined. 

So, who will you be? If you walk this road in humility, hand in hand with Jesus, you will become more beautiful even as your youthful looks fade. And just as your child grows into their design, you will too.

In the end, we never totally plumb the depths of all the beauty and potential that God has knit into every human soul until we step into Heaven. There the final petals will unfurl and the last wrapping will fall away, and we will be fully ourselves at last in the welcoming smile of our Savior.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12