Inception- the Idea I Would Plant

“Ye are the Children of light,

And the children of the day;

We are not of the night,

Nor of darkness.”

1 Thessalonians 5:5

A few years ago, my daughter, Sadie, had a best friend.  Anna was a little wisp of a girl, with big eyes and pale blond hair.  The two were inseparable. Though they shared many things, mostly their love of animals, their home lives were very different.

I got to know Anna's mother, Beth, because of our daughter's friendship.  I wouldn't say we were close, but we were friends.  A hard life and tough decisions had taken their tole on Beth.  Though younger than me, she looked older.  She was missing a couple teeth, and the others were yellowed from years of smoking.  Lines creased her face and her hair was thin.  We were opposites, but I liked her.  I remember well the day she told me they were losing their house.  She had such a sadness in her eyes.  It broke my heart.  A week later, Sadie spent the day with Anna as they packed the moving truck.  I brought cupcakes, a feeble effort at best.  I just didn't know what to do.  I said goodbye, knowing we would probably not see each other again.

That night, I laid in bed, my mind not able to let go of the events of the day.  I worried about Beth and her family.  I thought a lot about her life and what had brought her to where she was now.  She was a member of my church, but hadn't gone since she was a child. Religion was no longer a part of her life. I wondered if she still knew that she was a child of God.  Did that idea ever cross her mind?  As I wondered if she knew how her Heavenly Father sees her, I had an image come to my mind.  It was Beth dressed in a flowing white dress.  Her hair was full and shiny, her skin smooth and youthful.  She smiled brightly and her eyes sparkled.  I cried as I thought of her through His eyes and wished I could have shared this with her.  Could it have changed how she looked at herself?

Then, I saw my children, each one dressed in radiant white, their potential shining brighter than the sun.  It isn't difficult imagining them so.

If I had the power of 'inception', this is the idea that I would plant in my childrens' minds.  That they are children of a Heavenly King. Royalty. That they are gifted beyond measure.  I would have them understand that their potential is limitless.  They would know that they are intelligent, and talented and kind. I would bury the seed deep that would make them see that the world is wrong when it says they are anything less than brilliant.   I want them to recognize that though life is hard, (will be so very hard), they are strong and capable and brave.  And as children of Heavenly Father, they are entitled to His help.  That He is only a breath away, if they will but ask.

The idea that I would plant is the image of them as their Father sees them.  Standing tall and steadfast, eyes bright, a vision of their own future possibilities before them.  I would have them know that they are divine, not only in His eyes, but also in mine.