'You’re amazing!'

The 14-year-old girl’s voice rang out in the clear autumn air as her little brother ran by.

We were at a middle school cross country meet, and her little brother was running alone, well behind the leading pack of runners. “Great job! Looking Good! Woot woot,” his family called, clapping and cheering as he passed. He grinned at them as he ran by, a winner in his family’s eyes. A winner in his own eyes.

As for my eyes? Filled with tears. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that family—one who sees and loves all of you, every time they look at you? I cheered as my own solo runner went by. “You’re ama-a-azing!” I called. And we cheered and clapped too.

We can love while we help. We can love while we correct. We can love while we patiently wait for our family members to come around and get it together. We can encourage and lift. We don’t have to take sides. We don’t have to find a villain.

Back in the 1960’s when no one had heard of home schooling, my mother tutored one of my siblings in the mornings and then drove them to school right in time for morning recess. Her child needed some help with learning, and she sought and implemented recommendations from distant clinics.

I learned two key things from my mother’s actions. First, I learned to read before attending kindergarten, since I watched the fun games my mother played with my sibling. Second, the principals and superintendents respected my mom throughout my school years. Not because she demanded services, but because she brought solutions and suggestions. She cooperated, rather than demanded. Her results were incredible.

When hard things are happening, we don’t have to understand everything about them.

We don’t have to pigeon-hole the players into roles of “good” and “bad.” We do have to choose what is helpful and kind. We can love even while we disagree.

An unlikely friendship has developed between two national church leaders: NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Russell M. Nelson, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They wrote, “During our collaborations, we quickly felt deep respect for one another, even referring to ourselves as ‘brothers from another mother.’ Our common bond as followers of Jesus Christ and as religious leaders gave us a natural foundation from which to build a friendship as well as an opportunity to better appreciate each other’s unique perspective and experience.

“Some might think us unlikely collaborators, but our respective organizations have connected in a significant way. Not as black or white, not as Baptists or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but as children of God who are working to bring hope, happiness, and love to all of God’s children. Respect and cooperation have yielded the sweet fruit of reconciliation, admiration, service, and genuine love.”

When dealing with problems, we can take cues from the good earth. Early this summer I over-fertilized the plants in my greenhouse for several weeks. When the tomato leaves changed color, I reviewed the fertilizer instructions and was horrified to realize how much I had over-fertilized. I read online that I could flush the soil with water to reduce the concentration of fertilizer, and I did.

I knew that plants are resilient, and I counted on them to be just that. You can guess the ending. They responded to the cure in their soil. They produced many tomatoes this summer.

Since they were plants, they couldn’t call me names, blame me, or pigeon-hole me as a loser or villain. Instead, they just responded to the better circumstances and in their resilient way, they grew and produced their God-given bounty.

Maybe we can be a little more like the Good Earth. In the face of adversity, we can show resilience and move forward.

Moving forward is what Jesus is all about. He gives us the power to leave the past behind and keep our face forward. The past can include our own mistakes or the mistreatment of others. Our future can include love, inclusion, compassion, and understanding. Jesus, the Great Mediator, gives us all of it: an unfettered path forward, peace with the past, and love for our neighbors.

Beth Wright loves being a mom, and now she loves being a grandma. She tries to follow Jesus Christ, and worships at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.