| 
Let them Help
By
Steve and Claudia Goodman
Some
time ago I attended a girls camp that was absolutely unbelievable.
The decorations were ingenious and had obviously required a great
deal of time and expense. They were spectacular! Everything about
the whole camp followed suit. The activities were extremely well
organized and highly creative. The grand finale program was very
polished and deeply moving. The stake leaders had worked so diligently
over such a long period of time that they had bonded deeply to form
lifelong friendships. They worked together to make sure that no
detail escaped their notice.
The
camp was a phenomenal success — truly a masterpiece of commitment
and inspiration. There was only one thing missing: the input of
the young women.
Look
Up to Our Youth
So
often we tend to underestimate the ability of our youth. We want
to make everything perfect for them instead of allowing them to
experiment and grow. I learned that lesson my very first week as
a Young Women president. I was called to serve in a brand new ward
where I didn’t know most of the girls. I decided that for mutual
the first week I would organize an activity myself that they would
all enjoy, since there were no class presidencies called yet. I
spent hours organizing a Car Party, where the girls made cars out
of banana boxes, decorated them, and ran relays that included a
car wash, 4-way stop, and a “drive-in” where we actually watched
a movie and ate popcorn. It was such a clever idea, and everything
went so smoothly!
There
was only one thing missing — the input of the young women. And
I quickly noticed that the girls didn’t think it was nearly as much
fun as I did. Why? Because I hadn’t even considered their ideas.
I hadn’t involved them in any way. I was too busy implementing
my own plan. I learned a priceless lesson that night: Let the
young women do everything they possibly can. If they invest
in the project, they will love it, even if it isn’t as well executed
as I could have done. Besides, even if it flops, they will learn
from it.
Give
Them Wings
When
I was growing up my dad often quoted to me, “A great leader is not
one who can do the work of ten, but one who can find ten people
to do the work.” I wholeheartedly agreed with that concept, but
as I acquired more responsibilities, I discovered how difficult
it was to trust someone else to do things exactly the way I wanted
them done.
I
think one reason the Lord gave us twelve children was so I could
learn to delegate and let them help. Before our first child was
born, I made sure every detail was just the way I wanted it. However,
it is absolutely impossible to do everything yourself if you have
more than two children. And by the time we had our twelfth, I had
learned to almost never do any job myself. I delegated them
all and merely supervised — which was in itself a fulltime job.
Sometimes
we have to trust our youth enough to let them try their wings.
Otherwise they will never learn to fly. One of our daughters wanted
to paint her bedroom yellow. It didn’t really match the décor of
the rest of our house, but after considering the matter, we decided
she should be allowed to have what she wanted. We helped her paint
it yellow, and to our amazement, it looked wonderful! Now it is
one of our favorite rooms, because it is so bright and cheery.
Another
of our daughters is planning the first reunion for our growing family.
Why are we allowing her to plan it instead of us? Frankly, because
she has the desire, interest, and time to do it. Experience has
taught us that if we give her wings, she will fly. We will stay
closely in touch with her, to be sure. But if we allow our children
to be part of the planning, they will support the program — and
they will learn to stand on their own.
Let
Them Fly
On
the morning of April 6th, it suddenly occurred to me
that it would be very memorable to have a birthday party in my seminary
class to celebrate the Savior’s birth and the 75th anniversary
of the organization of the Church. There was only one complication:
Time! How could I throw a celebration together in ten minutes?
Easy! I grabbed a package of balloons from my bedroom drawer and
a spool of red curling ribbon from the craft box on my way out the
door. When I got to seminary I invited four of the girls who were
early to decorate the white boards with colored markers while several
other students blew up balloons, tied them with ribbon, and posted
them around the room.
I
looked around in amazement, realizing that the room was so much
more festive than if I had followed my own inclination to dash to
the store and buy streamers and crepe paper and a sign that said
“Happy Birthday.” The youth had come through again. All they need
is an idea and someone to believe in them, and they can soar to
unbelievable heights.
Carry
On!
It
was my last stake youth committee meeting. I was being released
after working for several years with the Young Women, and I had
very mixed emotions. The main topic of conversation was the upcoming
stake youth conference. Several of the adult leaders had presented
their ideas. Then I watched in amazement as the youth rose to the
occasion and took over the discussion. They voiced their strong
feelings that this year they wanted to do a service project. They
began by talking to the adults, but very quickly turned to each
other, listening to others’ suggestions and making comments. The
spirit of love and cooperation was strong as they worked out their
program together. The leaders voiced their support as the rising
generation took charge of their activity. My heart was filled with
gratitude as I realized that this was the perfect way to leave these
youth I had grown to love so much. They were indeed soaring and
no longer in need of my help, as I watched them rise to the occasion
in beauty and splendor.
Shall the youth of Zion falter
In defending truth and right?
…No!
"True to the faith…
We will ever stand.
May
we do all in our power to strengthen the rising generation, and
then step quietly back and watch as they rise to the full height
of their majesty.
…Holding aloft our colors
We march in the glorious dawn
Oh, youth of the noble birthright,
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2005 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
