Sunday, July 10, 2011

Unchanging Lullaby

As a child, my mom would often sing as she rocked us kids to sleep.  I remember her doing so with me and my younger siblings, and I see her even now do so with her grandchildren.  She would sing peace to our souls as we slumbered, snuggled safely in her arms.  And it is neat to see that even though the rocking chair has changed, as has the baby sitting in it, the songs and words are always the same.

One of the many tunes she would sing to us was the primary song, "I Know My Heavenly Father Loves Me."  It became one of my favorites, and whenever I would hear it I would be reminded of my mother.  And although my mother may not have been an opera singer or a concert musician, there is something about that song and hearing her sing it that I love.

This afternoon I was feeling a little down.  Some people don't like what I am or the choices I have made in my life.  They think I am making mistakes or wasting my time, and they like to tell me so frequently.  It isn't that my choices are bad; it's just that they are MY choices, and these people don't like that my choices are different than their choices.  And it hurts.

To make myself feel a little better, I went into the other room to play the piano.  Someone had left a sheet of music there and I began playing it softly.  The familiar melody soon plucked at my heart, as it was the music to the same song that my mother sang to me all those years ago--the same song that she still sings.

Right then the Spirit, much like my mother in the past, sang peace to my soul.  I could feel the power of truth in the words of the music as the half-forgotten lyrics flooded my mind.  And I decided that it doesn't matter what other people think.  It doesn't matter if they agree with what I do or with what I am.  It may still sting, but I don't need to care about their opinions of me or of my decisions.  All that matters is what I think of myself and what Heavenly Father sees when He looks at me.  He will support me and care for me.  He will help me and guide me, regardless of what road or path I take. He loves me.  I KNOW He loves me.  I am His daughter.  And no matter what others may say, THAT is never going to change.

3 comments:

Eliza said...

Heavenly Father DOES indeed love you and always will. This was a sweet post and made me happy that I spent the extra 30 minutes singing lullabies to my kids last night at bedtime.

Melinda said...

It has taken me years to come to the conclusion you came to in one afternoon. I sometimes still struggle in not seeking others' approval of my choices, but have to remember that the most important thing is that I am happy with what I do. Thanks for sharing your experience!

The Willeyes said...

Jill-I love this post SOOO much! Thank you :)