"I love your hair!"
"Where did you get that dress?"
"Oh my goodness, how do you get your brows like that?"
Trust me, it's flattering, but it sometimes breaks my heart.
We recently had a stake YSA activity where we each had a poster with our name, and we anonymously wrote on each other's posters. The instructions were to write a few words on what we thought about when we pondered that person. This is one of my all time favourite things to do: my primary love language is words of affirmation. I wrote cute little inside jokes and memories with my friends, and if I didn't know the person all that well, I wrote compliments on things I had noticed or words of encouragement. I got to the end and I felt great! I had tried to channel as much love and affection as I could into those short phrases. I couldn't wait to get mine and see what people had written for me!
Make up
Good makeup
Missionary
Them brows though
Makeup
Family history
Love your hair
Makeup always on point
More than half of the comments on my poster were related to my calling (something I'll talk about later) or the way I physically present myself. I'm still not sure how I felt exactly. I'd assumed that everyone else would take the care I did to say something special and nice. Maybe that's really the first thing they thought of when they saw my name? I know that they weren't intended to hurt my feelings, but they did. Just a little.
The next part of our activity was to write a letter to ourselves from the Saviour, letting us know what He would say to us on our posters. I wasn't anticipating it to be so emotional! I felt the Spirit fall on me and I just knew what He needed me to know.
He knows I am so much more than my outward appearance. He sees me not only for who I am now, but who I can be eternally. If anything was going to make me realise it, it was going to be this activity.
So where to from here?
I know the kind of impression I want to make. I want to radiate love, joy and kindness. I want people to never feel shy to say hi, even if that's all they want to say. I want to be confident and smart and welcoming. I want people to see the daughter of God I know I am, and not just what I felt like doing with my hair that day.
I have so many great tools at my disposal! Not only the Gospel, but a whole internet of knowledge to play with. Lucky me!
When I see you Peri I see a beautiful confident young women whom I have always admired for her ability to make everyone feel welcome in her company. Interestingly I've always seen you as someone who doesn't judge others on their looks or age or popularity and I think that is what draws others to you. Nat x
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