It's late, and I'm trying to go to bed, but I've had some thoughts running through my head today, and I want to get them written down.
I've had a couple of quotes running through my head today, and while I can't remember them exactly, to paraphrase they go something like this...
Love me when I'm the least lovable, because that is when I need it the most.
and
If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best.
Several years ago I was called to work in Young Women. I was asked to just be an additional leader - there was a rather large group of Beehives (around 13), and they needed an extra leader just to be with them. I didn't teach, I just got to hang out with them. They were, for the most part, rather loud girls.
How loud, you ask?
Well, to give you an idea, when we would have a combined activity with the Young Men, the Priests wouldn't come because they were very annoyed by these girls.
They weren't bad girls. They just liked to talk, and giggle. And they were rather loud in their talking and giggling.
When these girls moved up into Mia Maids, I moved with them, and became the 2nd Counselor in YW. About this time, they started to get noticed, in a bad way, by stake leaders. They were labeled as "bad girls" and even told they were bad. If something went wrong, they were blamed for it, even if it wasn't their fault. It really hurt to see them judged so unfairly. I loved these girls, and even though they were not perfect, they were "my girls". I was blessed to be their teacher when they were Laurels, and then I was called to serve somewhere else.
I will say that these girls were not perfect... they did screw up a time or two. But overall, they were great girls, and should never have been told or made to feel that they were "bad".
Thankfully, they all survived their teenage years. They all graduated high school and have gone on to live their lives. Most of them are married, and some even are now expecting babies of their own. Several are still in college, one is serving in the Marines. I am so proud of each and every one of them. One of these girls is preparing to serve a mission. She leaves in a couple of months, and today I had the privilege of hearing her bear her sweet testimony. She came home this weekend from college so she could go through the temple for her own endowments. This will be her last trip home before she leaves on her mission. Another one of these girls was home this weekend as well for her baby shower, and my heart was touched to see them both. Still another one of these girls is now in our ward as a newlywed, and I have been asked to be her visiting teacher. It will be fun to get to know her now as an adult.
I am blessed to be the mom of one of these young women - and I am so proud of her and the choices she is making in her life!
All of these girls are such wonderful women, and I couldn't be more proud of "my girls" and how they are living their lives now.
Their story reminds me that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. We shouldn't write anyone off because we get annoyed by how they act. When we are called to serve others, no matter how difficult we think it may be, we should pray for understanding and to have the kind of love for them that our Heavenly Father has for all of us. Finding fault with them will never bring about the Lord's purposes, and will never help anyone return to our Heavenly Father.
I'm excited to continue to watch "my girls" grow in the gospel, and know that they are not only my girls, but my sisters as well.
