This last week has been a heavy one for me. Between work, decisions I'm trying to make, and the responsibilities I feel as a husband and father, I've had a lot weighing on my mind. I think sometimes I get so caught up in trying to figure everything out and making sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing that I wear myself out in the process.
The strange thing is, I know how blessed I am. I can see the Lord's hand in my life in so many ways. I know He's watching over my family, and I have a tremendous amount of confidence in Heavenly Father and the direction He's helping me go. I really do. But knowing all of that doesn't mean I don't have days where the weight of everything gets to me.
Last night, my wife could tell I'd been having a hard time. And in the middle of everything, she said something so simple that I don't think she even realizes how much it meant to me.
She said, "You're the most incredible person I know."
I've thought about those words a lot since then.
There are really only two opinions about who I am that carry that kind of weight with me. One is Heavenly Father's, and the other is my wife's. I care about how she sees me. I care about what she thinks of the man I'm becoming, the husband I am, and the father I'm trying to be.
And hearing her say those words, so naturally and without any sort of buildup, did something to me. I felt like she could see all the things I was trying to do, even the things I was struggling with. She saw me, and she loved what she saw.
I can't really explain how much energy that gave me. I went from feeling weighed down by everything I needed to do to feeling like I could take on the world. I wanted to work harder, love better, and be everything she already believed I could be. It settled something in me that I'd been carrying around all week.
I've been thinking about the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 18:10, where the Lord tells us, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."
I believe that. I believe Heavenly Father knows us individually, knows what we're capable of, and sees so much more in us than we often recognize in ourselves. I love the words in Isaiah 43:4, "Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee."
There's something beautiful about knowing that the Lord sees us that way. And I think one of the greatest things we can do for another person is help them recognize some of that same worth in themselves.
My wife did that for me with one sentence.
Now I find myself thinking about my own children, my wife, and the other people I love. I wonder how often I've recognized something wonderful in someone and just assumed they already knew it. I want to be better at saying those things. I want my kids to know how incredible I think they are, especially on the days when they're disappointed in themselves or struggling to figure out who they're becoming. I want my wife to hear the things I admire about her, too.
Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
I think I understand that scripture a little better today.
That's really where this song came from. I wanted to capture what it felt like to have someone I love remind me of the good she sees in me. And I wanted to turn those words around so that someone else hearing this song might feel a little of what I felt.
Because I believe every one of us has incredible worth to our Heavenly Father. Every one of us has gifts, goodness, and potential that He knows far better than we do. Sometimes we need someone who loves us to help us see it.
I'm grateful my wife did that for me. I'm grateful Heavenly Father gave me someone who sees me that way, and I'm grateful for the reminder of how much good a few sincere words can do.
I hope this song gives somebody else that same feeling. And I hope it reminds me to say what I see in the people I love a whole lot more often.
