As a mother, one my greatest blessings is to have other adults who love and care for my children. There have been many times in my parenting journey where I have prayed for people to come into my children's lives, love them for who they are, and have a positive influence on them. Those people have been teachers, Church leaders, parents of my kids' friends, and of course, members of our extended family.
I can't do it alone. Scotty and I can't do it alone. We need our village.
Last Sunday Scotty shared some thoughts in testimony meeting about those who serve in the youth programs of the Church. He begged the question, "Why do they do it? Why do they sacrifice their time and talents and, in many cases, their sleep to serve in these positions when they receive no payment and sometimes no gratitude?" His conclusion was that they love the Savior, and they know that when they serve these kids, they are serving God.
This got me thinking about what a blessing it is to me when people serve my children. It's one of the greatest services another person can do on my behalf. When you serve my children, you are serving me.
In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught this truth - that when we serve others, we are serving God. We are His instruments. We are what He has to work with!
If I feel so blessed when people love and care for my children, how grateful is our God when we love and serve His children? And how important is it that we serve the mean one, the awkward one, the annoying one, or the ungrateful one? My kids have been all of those things (and continue to be those things), and they have been loved anyway. That's likely when they need it the most.
Sometimes I have a hard time recognizing others as children of God, but it's something I'm always working on. I want my children to be loved and cared for in the same way Heavenly Father wants His children to be loved and cared for. When I look at things through a parental lens, it always helps me understand God’s plan more fully.
No comments:
Post a Comment