A Reminder of His Love

"The Stickers only stick if you let them" 

*I know the message I am sharing today is like one I have shared before, and I will talk about a song I have shared, and a story book I have shared, but I feel I need to share this experience at this time.*

Today I want to share something that happened to me yesterday night. First, you should know how I have been feeling about school starting. Normally I am fine with school starting and I look forward to another year of learning, but for some reason this year that is not the case. (Which is weird to me because I am going to be a Senior and I expected to be so excited.) This year I have been feeling very overwhelmed with the idea of school, feeling very inadequate for things to come this year, and feeling very worried about my last year of high school. I am unsure as to why I am feeling this way about school this year of all years. None the less I have been worried and so I have been praying a lot for comfort and guidance to know what to do and how to make friends. I have been feeling so alone in the friend category, and so lost. I feel as if I have no where to turn a lot of the time. I have had many of long nights thinking about why this is and why I am not surrounded by friends like most kids my age. I kept wondering if something was wrong with me, and that was why people didn't want to be my friend. Well this brings me to last night and my experience.

Last night, I was talking with my dad and helping him prepare for a talk he was asked to give today in Sacrament meeting. He was looking for a story, like a fairy tale, to share. I was helping him brainstorm and find stories, when suddenly a story popped into my head. I couldn't remember the name of the story, but I knew what it was about and what the book looked like so I ran down to our library and started looking. I found it rather quick and started flipping through the pages. As I looked through the pages I found writing on the front title page. It said: it was for me from my Young Women's leaders for our Christmas present a few years ago. I had forgotten that they all had written me a message in the book so I took the time to read them quickly. I was reminded that the book was about how even though we are all different we all special in our own unique way, and how important it is that we don't let what others think of us make us feel better or worse than others. I decided to read the book. This is what I read from "You are Special" by: Max Lucado*  (Click here to read )

The words: "All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special." Even when Punchinello asked "Me, special? Why? I can't walk fast, I can't jump. My paint is peeling. Why do I matter to you?" Eli still replied "Because you're mine. That's why you matter to me." Then a few paragraphs later Eli says "Remember, you are special because I made you. And I don't make mistakes."
These are the words that touched my heart. As I read these words tears were brought to my eyes. I was reminded that just as Eli made Punchinello, Heavenly Father made me. And even though I am far from perfect, and I have many "dots" I need not worry because the "dots" from others judgement means nothing to my Heavenly Father and they don't need to mean anything to me either; they don't have to "stick." That even though I am not the best athlete or the star student, or the most popular kid, or the kid with the nicest car and most money, I am still special. That just as Eli knows Punchinello is special because he made him, Heavenly Father knows I am special because He made me. And Heavenly Father doesn't make mistakes.

This process of thought kept me thinking as I walked down to my room. As I walked I thought of a scripture that I turn to in my hard times. -Why this scripture didn't come to me earlier I don't know.- The scripture I thought of was: 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7. This reads: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  I thought to myself: "I don't need to be scared to go back to school because Heavenly Father will be there with me the whole way. Through my friend problems, through the hardships of high school, through the hard work and homework, He will be there through it all. He will bless me with love for others, and with a sound mind. I will be able to do hard things."

When I walked into my room I saw the lyrics of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" hanging on my wall. I started to sing the song to myself. As I sang 2 verses stood out to me. (Click here to listen to the song. )
Verse 2:

"He lives to grant me rich supply.

He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.

He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart."

And Verse 4:

"He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

Verse 2 really hit me hard. The words: "He lives to silence all my fears, He lives to wipe away my tears, He lives to calm my troubled heart, He lives all blessings to impart" are exactly what I needed to hear. He lives, and He lives to be my best friend, to wipe away my tears, take away my fears, bless me with comfort when I am scared, calm my troubled heart, and He lives to save me. He will not leave me. He knows that I cannot do it alone, and as soon as I recognized that I can't and don't have to do it alone; that is when He let me know that He was listening to my prayers, and He has not forgotten me. But rather He was waiting for me to truly come unto Him and do my part to find an answer rather than sit and wait for a miracle. He reminded me that He will answer my prayers in His time. And if I trust in Him: everything will be okay. It is only when I recognize that He is the Father and I am the child that I will truly find answers to my prayers. 

I know that Heavenly Father has a time table for each of us and it may not be what we think our time table is. As I have said many times before: we see in terms of today and tomorrow, Heavenly Father sees in terms of Forever and all Eternity. He knows what and when is the best time, we do not. We must recognize Him as the Father and us as His Children if we are to truly learn and become like Him. We must remember that He loves us and He knows what He is doing. We MUST remember that what others think of us does not matter. All that matters is what Heavenly Father thinks of us. We do not need to walk around with "dots" holding us down. If we remember that what others think is nothing compared to the Love God has for us the "stickers won't stick." We are Sons and Daughters of a loving and eternal Father in Heaven and He doesn't want us to judge others, and He doesn't want the judgement of others to hold us down. He wants to remember ALWAYS that we are His literal children and He loves us infinitely. I know this is true. I pray that as you go to school this year that you don't hand out "dots" and that you don't let "stickers ("good" or bad) stick". I pray you remember WHO you are and WHOSE you are. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, 

Amen 

Love, 

Samantha   

*I do not own the rights to this book, all rights are Max Lucado's.