Sunday, February 26, 2012

Love is Spoken Here

I mentioned on Facebook that last week my little Faith started to notice other kids in the congregation at church. This week, she was the star of the show. I was called to be the ward choir director (big shocker) and one of my sopranos has three little girls.  As soon as my husband walked back into the chapel after making copies for me, they flocked around him. She studied them, cooed at them, and smiled...they couldn't get enough of each other.

After choir practice was over, they obediently went to a pew to sit with their mom and dad. We ended up sitting in the pew across from them and they continued to make funny faces at our little princess...I must say, she was most pleased with the attention.  I picked up the diva and took her to her adoring fans so that they could hold her. They were over the moon! I sat and chatted with their mom, who applauded my willingness to let her little girls hold my baby, she said as a first time mom she wouldn't have dared. I passed Faith along between the three little girls, and finally took her back to the pew and took my seat when it was clear that sacrament meeting was about to begin.

A young father sat behind us. I don't know him, but I do know that his wife was home today with their youngest, at least, that is what I gathered from conversations I'd heard. Sitting with him was his oldest- a little girl who couldn't have been more than four or five.  She didn't notice Faith at first, but Faith noticed her. She looked over my shoulder and gave her the old "I'm adorable, play with me!" smile.

Much to her father's chagrin (or so it seemed) she noticed the little diva (of course she did...that smile is electric, magic, and hypnotizing!) She exclaimed, "Oh look dad, look at the little baby!" Of course, by that point, noting the father's slight exasperation, I turned the princess around and proceeded to feed her, but this little girl wouldn't give up...and neither would Faith. After her bottle, she wriggled and wriggled and I finally had to put her over my shoulder again.

The little girl came closer, her dad started to get worked up, but I turned over my shoulder and gave him the "its okay, she isn't bothering me" look.  The little girl asked her name, I whispered it and her dad relayed the message, because the little girl hadn't heard. She giggled and said, "That's a funny name." I couldn't help but laugh. You could tell the poor guy was mortified! He whispered, "No, its not a funny name, its a pretty name. Its Faith, its a good name." The little girl continued to giggle for a bit, but then moved forward again and started to hug my back as she stroked Faith's little hand. Faith smiled and cooed softly.  Her dad was again, slightly mortified, "You don't have to hug everyone, back off a bit." I turned and acknowledged that she was fine.

For the next ten minutes or so the little girl stroked Faith's hand, hair, and shoulders and kept whispering, "I love you baby, I love you so much!" She finally asked if it was okay for her to kiss the baby.  I picked Faith up a little higher and let the little girl kiss her forehead.  She smiled and kept telling Faith how much she loved her...finally, she sat back and started to draw and be quiet and Faith went down for her nap.

I honestly, didn't listen to a thing the speakers had to say today...which is slightly sad because it was ward conference and our stake president was speaking along with our bishop...I just sat and dwelt on a single thought. "I love you baby, I love you so much."  I dwelt on the three little girls who eagerly took my baby into their arms to snuggle her...

We are told in the bible to be as a little child and come to Christ...maybe this is part of what that means.  These four little girls are the best example I have seen in a while of Christlike love...they had no expectations, they just wanted to smile, give hugs, and be near to a little person that still has that link to the other side and our Savior. They gave their love without being asked, they gave it wholeheartedly, and freely- and the funny thing is, that the parents were the ones trying to hold them back...

I get that there are social "norms" that must be observed, and kids need to learn personal boundaries- but maybe if we could take a lesson from these little girls, maybe if we could just love one another purely based on the fact that we are all children of God, that we all have our own personal and private connection to heaven and our father in heaven, maybe then- just maybe- this world would be the kind of world that Christ had hoped we would create using the gospel principles He taught.

I'm not sure this thought process makes sense to anyone but me, but I am so grateful for these four little girls who couldn't get enough of my baby. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother to such a loving little girl who couldn't have loved the attention more, and couldn't have been more loving in return. I learned so much today- I have often pondered the invitation to try to be as a little child and then come to Christ, and I think they taught me a part of how we do that. We do that by loving everyone around us in spite of flaws, differences, or what we may deem as their mistakes.  We should give our love freely in spite of religion, creed, or belief system ,because that is what a little child does, because that is what Christ does. They have faith enough to see the good in everyone in spite of how they may be different.

Lately I have been struggling a lot. It seems like I try to be loving, or understanding and it gets thrown back in my face by people who don't want to offer me the same courtesy.  It gets really hard to do this when some people's idea of tolerance is that I should agree with everything they say and do and admit that I am wrong to believe some of the things that I do.  This is not tolerance. Tolerance is accepting someone in spite of your differences, tolerance is saying that its okay to agree to disagree.  I've been faced a lot over the last week with this very dilemma- to the point that I've wondered why I even try any more.

Sadly, it seems we live in a world focused on hate...it seems like all anyone can do is focus on the things that make them different and the people that ridicule them for those differences. We forget that, in spite of hate, there is LOVE...so much love, if we would just open our hearts and minds to it...

Maybe if we did people would think a little more before saying offensive things when they find themselves offended...lest we forget that the Law of Moses came to an end with Christ- we shouldn't allow ourselves to have that "eye for an eye" mentality...What purpose does it serve? Does it undo anything? and really...Does it make anyone feel any better?...When we say mean or offensive things about any group of people, and they return the favor all that ends up happening is more hurt and offense...nothing is solved and true tolerance can never be reached, because there is always hate and indifference in the way of the love...because THAT is all that people focused on revenge can see...they don't truly see those that love them trying to at least help them understand a point of view so they can respectfully agree to disagree.

Well, after my own private sacrament lesson today, all I can say is I love you, and I will continue to love every single one of you because that is what Christ asked us to do...because that is how a little child would love...maybe I am just opening myself to disappointment or pain- but there is already too much hate and indifference in the world...I think I will continue to love, with hopes that I'm cool enough to start a new trend...

you can join me if you'd like...

Hugs and Loves until next time darlings.



1 comment:

Lisa said...

Quite the lesson! Loved it!