To Be Sensitive

A few semesters ago, I was working in my church's primary program. This meant that I got to work with two sweet toddler age girls. Both were adorable and they were easy both to love and learn from-the same could be said of their parents. One Sunday, one of the little girls Father bore his testimony in church. One of the things he said was that now that him and his wife had just had their second baby, their daughter was so sweet and attentive to him as an older sibling. He mentioned that she was, and always had been extremely sensitive to the needs of her new brother, and her parents. If the baby cried cried, she was next to him in a second touching his hand, looking worried and calling in her few words to her parents. If her Mom was tired or stressed, she could tell and would try to bring her blankets and stuff. Again, the word he kept using was that she was 'sensitive'.

I guess the reason this hit me so much is because I have been called sensitive on a number of different occasions-and usually I think the word carries a negative connotation. I think the stereotype this word carries is that of being 'easily offended.' This little girl's Dad reminded me that this isn't the case. To be sensitive means to be feeling-to have an awareness of other people's needs in many situations, and to truly care about that and try to meet those needs. It means to be in touch with ones own feelings enough to think about how your actions and words affect others-and to try to make that a positive thing. Its true that in being sensitive you have to make sure that you don't take things to much to heart-I know that sometimes I am guilty of taking things to seriously. For example, I know that when it comes to politics I cannot take a joke and usually engage in a serious discussion because I feel like it to quickly goes from the casual conversation to the confrontational argument; it usually ends in hurt feelings and misunderstandings. People tell me I'm to sensitive, and that it doesn't always have to be this way-but typically experience has taught me otherwise, be that in schooling, with friends, but especially with extended family. I don't understand why anyone would like to make a joke or start a conversation that would intentionally bait another person or at most likely hurt someone, or lead to risen tempers. To me, it is the opposite of sensitive-because sensitivity requires us to look at how our words affect others for the better, not for whose words or point can shut the other person up the best. Don't get me wrong-I believe that the freedom of speech is one of the best and most important things that our country has and it is important and to be protected. But another thing that our country is known for, or at least should be, is our willingess to allow other people to believe what they choose and to respect each other for it-I believe that we should all be more sensitive to that. Just because something CAN be said, does not be it SHOULD be.

Again, walking the line between being too sensitive and Christlike sensitive is important and sometimes difficult. But it can be done. True, we need not to be quick to offense and I can and will work on thats. But at least for my part, I am going to try to be more sensitive like this little girl. I am going to try to be better about looking to the needs of those around me, whether those are spoken or unspoken. I am going to try to think before I speak or act, and to do all that I can to make sure everyone knows that they are loved and important, and not hurt by my words or actions. I am going to continue to say I love you to people who maybe don't expect it, or don't hear it that often, because I do love them, whether I know them well or not and because everyone needs to hear it sometimes. I am going to try to be more sensitive to the Spirit of the Lord as we whispers to me what I can do and how I can help. Because you typically can't be sensitive when your shouting out what you think or what you need, instead of being still and listening to what others say-I know.

So I will no longer apologize for being too sensitive. I will just try to make sure that it is the RIGHT kind of sensitive, as this sweet girl and her amazing family was in that ward.