Do You still love me?

​Do you still love me?  Even when I make mistakes, even when I do things that are not nice, even when I can’t do something…?  Will you still love me?  Children wonder about this question.  Sometimes they fear the answer.
 
This past week at York Academy of Discovery, we read the story – Mama Do You Love Me by Barbara M. Joose.  The little girl in the story wonders if her mama loves her even when she makes mistakes and even when she does some “naughty” things.  Her mama reassures her that sometimes mama gets angry, but mama still loves her.” 
 
With young children mistakes happen regularly.  So it is with our program too.  Nearly every day the kids make mistakes.  I make them nearly every day also.  We are learning that everyone makes mistakes, and we are learning that in most cases we can fix those mistakes.  Even though mistakes are being made, we still care about each other and love each other.
 
A few days after we read the story it just so happened that one of the children spilled part of her lunch onto the floor.  I assured her that everyone spills, and I will clean it up.  The little girl wanted to fix it, so she got up to help me.  I told her to just sit still for a minute…but before I was able to finish the sentence, she got up and accidentally stepped on top of the spill.  Now we needed to clean both the floor and the bottom of her shoe.  The look on her face; she was surprised and sad at the same time.  I could tell how bad she felt, so I gently told her to stay still and I would get some paper towels to clean the bottom of her shoe:  “Stay still or your shoe will leave more footprints to be cleaned.  Our little sweetie stood very still while I went to get some soapy paper towels and a few wipes. 
 
As I was gathering the necessary cleaning items, the little girl said in a somewhat quiet and fearful voice, “Teacher, do you still love me?” 
 
I stopped what I was doing and looked directly at her softly saying, “Yes, I still love you.  It was an accident.  I still love you when you spill.” 
 
A big smile came over our little one’s face.  She looked at the others and said, “It’s just like the book!  She still loves me!  Teacher still loves me!” 
 
Yes indeed, the teacher still loves you!  I couldn’t help but reflect on our Savior.  Many times, I have asked my “Teacher”, my Lord, if he still loves me, wondering like a little child how He could possibly love someone who makes so many mistakes and is so inadequate at carrying out His will.  And then I hear a gentle, whispering voice in my ear, “How I love you child!  You are mine!’
 
My Teacher Loves Me,
 
BEcky