He's Crazy About You

                                                      

There is one message that comes from many sources--our parents, our teachers, our friends,  our church leaders, the media, inspirational speakers, and probably in some form, the scriptures. That message is this: you have worth, you are special, you are worthy of good treatment, you don't need other's approval to help you know that you are a good person.

Even though that message has been delivered to me more times than I can count, sometimes I still find it difficult to internalize. I have days when I feel worthless, ordinary, and unliked. Maybe it's a lack of faith or incorrect priorities...but it's something I deal with more often than I'd like to admit.

There is a book my mom used to read to me called "You Are Special" by Max Lucado. I heard the story many times as a child but the meaning didn't really hit me until today around 12:20pm in Relief Society.

In this story, there are people called Wemmicks. The Wemmicks had a practice of putting stickers on each other--grey dots for people who were ugly, clumsy, unpopular, or any other reason the people wanted. Gold stars were for people who were beautiful, funny, talented, or well-liked. One of the Wemmicks was named Punchinello--he was not beautiful, talented, or popular. He was covered with grey dots because the other Wemmicks did not like anything about him. 

One day, Punchinello met a Wemmick named Lucia who did not have any stars or dots on her. He asked her the secret and she told him he needed to go talk to the woodcarver--the one who made all the Wemmicks.

Punchinello went and saw the Woodcarver, Eli. When he met Eli, Punchinello was scared and intimidated--he thought that because of all his grey dots that Eli would be angry at him. However, when Punchinello asked Eli, "How could I matter to you?"

Eli replied: "Because Punchinello... you are mine. That's why you matter to me....The stickers only stick if you let them."

As Punchinello left Eli's cottage that night, one of the Wemmick's grey dots loosened and fell off of Punchinello.

                                                      

The message of this story is simple but very important. 

Of course, God is our "Woodcarver." The stickers are the opinions and labels of people around us. We are all assigned these stickers by people around us--but do we let them stick? 

The more you believe in someone, the more their opinion will stick to you--who do you believe in?

The person who probably thinks more of you than any other person is the one who designed you--he gave you the body you might be hating right now, he knows your weaknesses, how impatient you are, the last stupid thought you had--and he still loves you more than anyone else. He would never label you cruelly or tell you that you are ugly, clumsy, or no fun.

Go have a talk with the Carpenter. It might help a few of your stickers come off.