This
morning I was thinking
about being a baby. I say I love people.
I say I want the best for them. I say I rejoice when people make
positive
changes. Yet does it all somehow threaten my position? Why
do I want to be the most loved?
Why do I want to be the most special? Because I am selfish, prideful and jealous. Because I'm a baby.
I saw this
grand pecking order and perceived threat with the arrival of each new sibling. Usually it was for the child closest in
age. Hailey picked on Blake. Blake picked on Chase. Chase picked on
Chelsey. Chelsey picked on Cole. Whether it was biting,
pushing,
shoving, hitting,stealing, screaming, blaming or poking them in the eyes.-the threat was real.
When attention was diverted away from them, perhaps they wondered if they
were still
mommy’s special baby.
I’m definitely not above the
fray with all this pecking order business. It wasn’t too
long ago when my sister had to live in the same bedroom with her own bratty baby
sister. I have a visceral memory of scratching each other and getting blood on the pink wallpaper
during one of our sisterly spats. Maybe it
never really was an option to escape from Utah and my own drama and go live
under the same roof as my mom and sister once again. But my sister offered it to me, again and
again because she loves me and I love her. We are SISTERS and friends.
Recently, my mother said my sister is
the most beautiful she has ever been in her entire life. She’s eating right, exercising diligently,
and taking care of herself and the needs of her family. She and my mother are
there for each other, continually serving, giving needed support and attention
to each other. My sister’s children and
grandchildren surround my mother with meaning, purpose, and opportunities to
give and receive love. It is a beautiful,
precious and vital situation.
My sister
is focusing on the positive, learning new skills, increasing her
professional competence and continuing to show love and compassion in practical
, generous ways. She’s pressing forward
as she tries to meet the heavy demands in her life, including her new responsibilities
as Relief Society President. As she
reaches out to care for others, I am positive she is feeling the love of
the Lord for each and every sister in her ward-even those who may consider
themselves a bit different from the white fluffy, homogeneous flock. This may be in part why she was recently was
drawn to a painting by Minerva Teichert entitled, “Rescue of the Lost Lamb.”
I felt this global sentiment during our most recent general conference-especially when listening to Dieter Uchtdorf. Besides his wonderful German accent, his voice reminds me of our international community of saints. I was touched when he got all choked up and had difficulty conducting the meeting after listening to a talk about helping refugees. He too had been a refugee, nurtured by others. Now he is on of the most powerful, poised, and beloved leaders of the church. When talking about "monuments of hope and man's ability to create new life from ashes,' instead of talking about our local Provo City Center Temple, he made it much more international with his eyewitness of war torn Germany and the rebuilding of Dresden's Lutheran church Frauenkirche. Then he zoomed out even farther and made it global as he stated:
You may feel that your life is in ruins. You may have sinned. You may be afraid, angry, grieving, or tortured by doubt. But just as the Good Shepherd finds His lost sheep, if you will only lift up your heart to the Savior of the world, He will find you. He will rescue you. He will will lift you up and place you on His shoulders. He will carry you home.
As
our Father, God wants us all home. We are of one-fold, part of the
same family. As the family circle enlarges, we can fully trust that
our position is secure. God has an unlimited supply of love and attention for everyone-We are all heirs to ALL the blessings pertaining to the kingdom of God. He places each one of us close to his heart. Each one of us IS the special baby
of the
family.
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