Baby

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.”

As I look at the painting, I also think of when the Savior stated, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."  In a way, it’s a gentle reminder to the children of Israel saying,”Hey, I have other children too, it’s not just all about you.  You’re not the only special ones. They have needs too. I care about them just as much as I care about you. I want them back too-I want them safely back in the fold of God.  We really are just one big global family.   

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.