Divine Potential

In Young Womens, yesterday, we had a great lesson on Divine Potential and finding joy where we are at NOW.

Pres. Kathleen Newman shared an ugly duckling story about herself and some early grade school pictures where she looked like a boy and told us that she actually  got escorted out of a couple of female bathrooms in the 70's.

The pics were great!?!?!

I was reminded of my own short hair, ugly duckling pics.   The bangs are especially awesome...and the medallion.  I was definitely "hip" in  my own way.

Pres. Deiter Uchtdorff shared this:

"The Ugly Duckling

One of the most beloved storytellers of all time was the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. In one of his stories, “The Ugly Duckling,” a mother duck discovers that one of her newly hatched chicks is unusually large and very ugly. At first the mother wonders if she has hatched a turkey egg, but the ugly child can swim as well as her other children. And so she comes to the conclusion that the poor thing is simply abnormal and disfigured.

The other ducklings, however, cannot leave the ugly child alone. They punish him mercilessly, pecking at him and teasing him and making him miserable. Finally, the ugly duckling decides it would be better for everyone if he left his family, and he runs away. During the bitter cold of his first winter on his own, the poor duckling nearly freezes to death, but somehow he survives. In spite of his privations, he feels himself getting stronger, and he loves spreading his wings and taking flight even though he’s alone.

Then one day he sees flying overhead a flock of majestic birds, white as snow, graceful in their movements, with beautiful long necks and wide, elegant wings. Oh, what glorious and happy creatures! The ugly duckling longs to fly with them. He is afraid that they might kill him because he is so ugly. But then he decides that would be better than being pecked at by the other animals forever or freezing to death in the winter. And so he takes flight and follows them to a beautiful lake where they settle onto the water.

As he lands, the ugly duckling looks into the water and sees the reflection of a magnificent swan. Gradually, unable to believe it at first, the ugly duckling realizes that the reflection is his own! To his surprise the other swans welcome him, and they even agree that he is the most beautiful, most majestic of all the swans. At last he has discovered who he really is.

Like this young swan, most of us have felt at one time or another that we don’t quite fit in. Much of the confusion we experience in this life comes from simply not understanding who we are. Too many go about their lives thinking they are of little worth when, in reality, they are elegant and eternal creatures of infinite value with potential beyond imagination."

NOW I'm not saying I am a beautiful Swan.... but I do like to think I have come a long way baby, and having the gospel of Jesus Christ as my compass and anchor has certainly helped. It's fun to look back at where I was and see the change and growth.  40 years of perspective has a lot to do with it.   I am a child of God....not an ugly duckling.