$\"\"$ <\/a><\/div>\n

A few months ago, I happened upon Reilly in my bathroom.\u00a0 She was scrubbing her face with a great deal of concentration.\u00a0 She appeared extremely frustrated and on the verge of tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cReilly,\u201d I interrupted gently, \u201cwhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just can\u2019t get these dots off my face!\u201d<\/i> she bemoaned.<\/p>\n

I looked at her for a few moments, a little take aback.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you mean your freckles?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.<\/p>\n

She nodded glumly as a single tear slowly ran down her cheek.<\/p>\n

I took her into my arms and told her how much I loved her freckles.\u00a0 How they made her so very special and beautiful.<\/p>\n

She was not convinced.\u00a0 In her mind, these markings were flaws, imperfections that she wanted to rid herself of as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

My heart broke for her.\u00a0 I wanted nothing more than to show her how lovely she was through my eyes.\u00a0 To teach her that often in life it is our unique differences that add beauty and depth to the world.<\/p>\n

It was a lesson I needed myself.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve done a lot of thinking about the different paths our lives can take.\u00a0 No two journeys are the same.\u00a0 Often we may find ourselves in places we never wanted to be.\u00a0 It may be through our own weakness, or perhaps through no fault of our own\u2013 but we assess our seemingly unappealing situation and cry out in frustration and despair.\u00a0 I have done this in my own life again and again.<\/p>\n

But as I watched my beautiful daughter look at herself with regret, I had a bit of a paradigm shift.<\/p>\n

Perhaps all the bumpy roads and lonely avenues I walked in my past were not something to furiously scratch out of existence.\u00a0 Certainly I have had regrets, and there are mistakes I have made that I would not repeat again in a million years if the opportunity presented itself.\u00a0 But the simple fact of the matter is that those choices have been made.\u00a0 And while the cleansing power of the Atonement makes us whole, and our sins are forgiven and forgotten of God, the power to choose differently is not an option.\u00a0 We cannot go back and erase our past.\u00a0 The consequences of our actions remain.<\/p>\n

However, I\u2019ve discovered that as we learn from mistakes made, Christ can turn even our most glaring weaknesses into something beautiful.<\/p>\n

In his epistle to the Romans, Paul taught that \u201call things work together for good to them that love God.\u201d\u00a0 (Romans 8:28<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Also in the Book of Mormon, the Lord explained through the prophet Ether that \u201cmy grace is sufficient for all men that humbleth themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.\u201d\u00a0 (Ether 12:27<\/a>)<\/p>\n

If we can take our mistakes and bring them to the altar of the Lord, He can transform them into something remarkable.\u00a0 Our life experiences\u2013 even the not-so-great ones\u2013 can bring a deeper understanding and depth to our lives.\u00a0 We move forward with greater empathy for others, a deepened humility, and unshakeable conviction of our absolute dependence on our Savior.\u00a0 The sins are washed away, but the wisdom we acquired will never disappear.\u00a0 The freckles that we may wish to scrub away have actually become a thing of beauty.<\/p>\n

So perhaps when we look back on past regrets with dismay over choices made, we should instead remember how the Lord looks on us after all has been repented of and forgiven.<\/p>\n

He wipes away the tears and whispers of our infinite worth.
\nHe longs to show us how we look through his eyes.<\/p>\n

Beautiful, unique children of God.
\nFreckles and all.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"