For years I bought into the belief that I should be ashamed of my failures, mistakes and sins. I believed that some things I had done had ruined me forever, that there was no hope, that I was bad and worthless.
My mother told me the story of the goldfish she had when she was first married. She said she watched as one grew bigger and bigger while the other stayed small. One day she stayed to watch while the fish ate. She noticed the big one chasing the small one away from the food. Ah ha! That was what was happening.
The next day she stood perched over the bowl as she sprinkled in the fish food. When she saw the big fish chase away the small fish she tapped him on the head with a teaspoon. I don't know exactly what happened after that but I don't think it was a good outcome for the fish.
Many of us have been taught to believe that God is like my mom up there with a spoon just waiting for us to make a mistake so he can hit us on the head. It's not true.
Instead God is like a parent watching a child learn how to walk. A parent doesn't yell at a child in his first unsteady steps. He encourages and even supports him. This is the God and the Savior that I know. They want us to succeed. They cheer us on and give us unseen support beyond what we imagine.
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