Think of yourself as a child for a moment. How does it make you feel? If you’re like me, you probably find it pretty humbling. You may remember wondering about lots of things, fearing some things – maybe feeling really small or helpless in a great big world. I’m often so hard on my grown-up self, but seeing myself as that young and needy little girl gives me compassion and understanding for her. All the ways I’ve pressured myself to earn recognition, to be a stellar mother and wife, to get over my daily struggles – they all melt away for a moment, and I catch a glimpse of myself before the world and its expectations started weighing me down. Before I was told who I was supposed to be – I was just me being the me that God created. Sure, I got lost sometimes, made mistakes, didn’t have answers, and did a lot more dreaming than doing. Somehow, as I grew up, those things stopped being okay in my eyes. But our heavenly Father? That’s just how He sees us – as precious children. He sees right through all our attempts at self-help and self-promotion and knows how needy we really are. Just as Jesus called the little children to Him, He looks at us through eyes of compassion and understanding as He offers us all we could ever need. Opening our hearts to this takes time -- it seems too good to be true. But just a simple, “Help me, Jesus,” prayer is a little step in the right direction. Next time you’re feeling extra hard on yourself, imagine yourself as one of those little ones -- held and cherished by God. Remember that He doesn't expect you to have it all together. Imagine Jesus saying, "Dear One, you can stop trying to be enough. I love you just as you are."