I Am Grateful for Me!

In Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, one of the speakers told a story about a testimony that he heard from a young child. The child gave a typical testimony for someone his age telling everyone that he was thankful for the church, for Jesus, for his family, for his primary teachers and then he said something very unusual. He said, " And I am thankful for Me!" The speaker then went on to ask how often we really appreciate who we are as individuals.

This really got me thinking. How often do we really think about ourselves in that way? I am always so grateful for all of the blessings that I have in my life. My family, friends, health, the gospel, the Lord and all that God has given me, but I don't think that I have really thought to myself, "I am grateful for ME!" I know that I am a daughter of God, and I know that every single person on this earth is a child of God, but do I really think of myself, and respect myself in that way? Sometimes I think that we are so hard on ourselves that we often forget to appreciate all that we are and to see how far we have come. I always feel so sad if my children belittle themselves or are too hard on themselves and yet I don't often realize that I do the exact same thing to myself. I am sure that our Heavenly Father feels the same way and wishes that we would take a good look at ourselves and be grateful for who we are. He created us and loves us despite the many imperfections that we have. He knows our potential, and loves us as we struggle along that path to perfection. Maybe we should look at ourselves the way he looks at us. And, if we are able to be more accepting of ourselves, then it seems like it would be easier to be accepting of everyone else around us.

I AM grateful for Me!!!! I'm grateful that I am me! It is hard to put into words why I am grateful for me, but hopefully the more that I think on this statement, the easier it will become. Right now, I am grateful that I am stronger than I think that I am, otherwise I would probably be insane right now. I'm grateful that the challenges in my life have made me stronger and not weaker. There! I did it! Maybe I'll have something else to add to the list tomorrow!!!