Tonight was a really cool night. I had the opportunity to meet a man named Brad. Brad lives alone with two horses and a cat named Panther. He is almost 60, and he has been through a lot. He served in the Marines and did a lot of things that he regrets. He has this mindset that because of the things he's done, no one loves him or cares about him. He has been an alcoholic since he was twelve, and as of two days ago, he quit drinking...cold turkey. I could tell that he had it tough and that his body was having a really hard time. But he is determined to never drink again, and I can tell he means it.
It was really touching to hear Brad deny that people loved him. In our brief conversation, there was a point where he looked at me with sad eyes and said "You probably think I'm just a big wuss." But he is the farthest thing from a wuss I think I have ever seen. No matter what me or the other two Sister Missionaries said, he denied that people would ever love him. He told us over and over again how nobody could care about him because of the things he had done, that no one could understand.
Listen up. I don't care what you think people will think of you. No matter what you've done, no matter where you've been. People are drawn to you! They are accepting and kind and wonderful and you just have to let them in! Remember that nobody is perfect, that other people have flaws and have made mistakes too! And the only perfect person to ever walk this earth knows exactly what you're going through and is always there to help you through it, whatever it is.
"I can see that you've been through a lot and that you're going through a lot. But the fact that you are willing to overcome this and that you are going to overcome this is what is important."
-Yours truly
Rely on the Savior, the One who knows how it feels, and you can overcome anything.
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