T's Weekly Thought: THAT is a lie

Happy Day Everyone!    Hope you are all doing terrific!

This last weekend something happened that I guess I always knew would happen -but never wanted......and no matter how much I've thought about it - nothing could prepare me to hear it.

My son, Carter had spent the night out with a friend - while he was at some friends - some more friends (people that Carter didn't know) joined in to play.  There was a soccer game and Carter accidentally hit the shin of one of the older/unfamiliar boys.  Well -this boy decided to just go off!  He called him names - bad names. Names that have to do with the color of his skin.  Names he had never heard before.  Names I have always dreaded he - or any of my children would be called......that somehow Topher or I would have to explain.

The next day, Carter's friend's mom pulled me aside to tell me about it and how sorry she was.  I calmly listened.........

As we got in the car - we all talked about the incident.  About the names.  About the words.  I asked Carter what he thought.  He said that he told the boy that it didn't matter what he thought.   They were lies - and that he just must feel bad about himself to say such horrible things to somebody else..........

HECK YES!!!!!!

Carter was right on. 

It was a wonderful teaching moment.  A wonderful moment to remind ALL of my kids that the only true thing about us is what God says about us.......and God said everything not just by his words - but by His life and by His death. 

SO.......why can't we all do that? If I could just bottle up what Carter said and sell it and somehow that would make everyone feel better - WOW - I'd be rich.  Because every single one of us at some point or another listens to lies that other people say about us.  People call us fat or ugly or poor or stupid - or not good enough - or not fast enough or not smart enough or popular enough - and the list goes on and on and on and you want to know something TRUE??

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS A LIE.

And I think when we believe them - it absolutely breaks our Savior's heart because you are so LOVED and so PERFECT and so GOOD that YOU, yes YOU were worth dying for.

In the Psalms it says that we were perfectly and wonderfully made.  Every single last one of us.  Of course we were.  I mean.........you really think God "forgot" something??  I can just hear it now - "OH SHOOT!  I just put Tova in her mommy's belly but I forgot to give her the perfect body and a perfect smile and dang it!!! I meant to give her really blonde hair - not brown! And gosh darn it - I left some of her brain out - she was meant to be WAAAY smarter than I made her....." 

Something tells me......that just didn't happen.  It didn't happen because God got it right.

God got YOU right.

And so if and WHEN someone comes along with a big fat LIE that YOU or parts of you are a mistake.......you need to remember something - and this is really really important......here it is:

What someone negatively or unkindly thinks or says about you says WAAAAAY more about them then it ever does about you.  Period.

And here's why......God calls us to love.  And God calls us to not judge.  And God calls us to be US- in spite of others - or what they think about US and who God made us to be.

Be you.  Be the person God created you to be.  Be PROUD of that.  And embrace the fact that ANYONE who tells you that THAT person that God created isn't "right" or good or somehow "wrong".........well, THAT is a lie and it says way more about that person than it does you.

You were created in the image of God.  Period.

I love you.  Always will.

T