Petty Things and the Love of God

As a lot of people know, I have started working at "Brighton LDS Girls Camp" and this will be my 3rd year working up there.

This week was amazing. I absolutely love working at Brighton Camp. Someone at camp this week said that the difference between camp and being in the Valley, is that you learn to not think about or care about the Petty things in life. And I believe that yes, that is definitely true about camp, because all you concentrate on is the Lord's work, and building his kingdom. In the past summers, I've honestly felt like I was living in Zion, because everyone works for the same thing: Love each other, and work to build his kingdom. It is wonderful! No one cares what other's think about them, because no one will judge you. You act as crazy as you possibly can imagine and you are completely comfortable with yourself and everything around you. Nothing can stunt your growth. That is what I learned this week at camp: Forget the Petty things, because the things of God are so much more important, and he will always provide a way for things to work out... why? Because of His immense love for us.

I was talking to my sister on Friday as I drove back from the Canyon to Provo. She's actually in Jordan right now for an Internship, and she told me about an experience she is going through right now.

She was with some returned missionaries when a man asked them how we, (Mormons) define God. The Returned Missionary proceeded to tell him that we believe that we are literally children of God. To most people this comes as quite a surprise, and my sister proceeded to tell me that this man was almost offended, because "how could you be equal to God?" which to me totally makes sense from an outside perspective... God is all powerful, omniscient and omni-present.. so why could we compare ourselves to and say we can become like God? But that's the miracle behind it... because it is true. Yes, it takes faith, but nothing good (knowledge in this case) comes without a little work, right? We really are children of God, and when someone understands that, then truly they can start to begin to comprehend his immense and whole-perfect love for us, His children.

The cute part about the story, is that my sister told me that she's been working at a center for 14-18 year old girls who have been raped. Some of these girls are pregnant, some of them already have their babies and just hold them with them, but all of them, she basically told me, hate their lives. She said some of them are so miserable, they'll lay on the floor for 4 hours at a time doing nothing in their despair. They feel like they are nothing. They feel like the have zero worth, and that not a single person cares about them. What is most touching about this, is that she told me that when she goes and see them 3 times a week, the moment she walks into the room, they run towards her and surround her in a circle, almost suffocating her with the closeness of their bodies....... because she makes them feel good. Because she pays attention to them, and asks them questions, or compliments them in the simplest way. "Oh you look pretty today" or other small things like that. She told me that it really breaks her heart because if only they knew that they DID have worth, that God truly and sincerely loves every single one of them with a fullness of Love.. that even though they have had terrible things happen to them (not because they did anything wrong or because God doesn't love them, but only because of the free agency of others) she wishes they knew that God still loves them with an unbreakable love.

Oh, if I could have one wish, it would be to let every single person on the planet come to understand of God's great individual love for that person. I know He loves us, and I know he's listening and watching. Through my own personal experiences and watching God's hand in others lives, I know that if it matters to you, it matters to God. No matter how small or menial the thing you care about may be to another person, no matter if you're the ONLY person on the planet who cares....... if it matters to you, it matters to God; and that is the truth.