Daily Archives: October 18, 2018

My daughter with Down Syndrome loves to sing.  She sings with the radio, TV shows, at church and in choirs both at church and in school.  Sometimes she even has the right tune, notes and words.  I think she loves to sing so much that sometimes the correct words or tune get in the way of expressing herself.  She truly takes joy in singing.  We are fortunate that people around her accept her singing the way it is.  She’s always welcomed into the choirs she sings in and even though her school choir teacher consistently produces  award-winning choirs, and I’m sure he cringes sometimes at her lack of blending.  At church you can hear her sometimes singing in the choir standing out on not quite the right note but the choir directors always express how much they love having her sing with them.  She especially loves to sing church music and when she sings, she sings it with her whole heart.  I think that when God hears her singing He hears her love of it, sees her joy in it and takes great pleasure in seeing one of His daughters enjoying something so thoroughly.  I think her offering is acceptable to Him even though it is not even close to being perfect.  This thought gives me hope that in the many things I’m not great at, not close to being perfect in or just sometimes lousy at doing that God sees my efforts with love and acceptance. Sometimes my efforts are pretty feeble too and I fall short of my expectations and His. Then I have to pick myself up and try harder to do and be better. Sometimes the things I fall short on are the same things I have been falling short on for years.  It’s taken me a while but I have figured out that as long as I’m honestly trying I’m doing okay.  Efforts don’t have to be perfect to be good. God loves me even with all of my imperfections and I don’t have to do things perfectly for Him to accept me. Yes, He wants me to improve and to consistently work at being better but I think I am harder on myself than He is on me.  When I don’t measure up I often beat myself up with negative self-talk.  Sometimes I tell myself that I will never get better, that I will never conquer a certain problem, and this negative self-talk is actually what keeps me from rising up and doing better.  I need to remember my daughter and her love of singing and to remember that God takes joy in my efforts even though they are not perfect.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/happiness-your-heritage?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/believe-love-do?lang=eng