"For worthy friends . . ."

I'm sure you've heard people say things like, "He knows me better than I know myself" about a best friend, spouse, parent, or sibling.  I've never really liked that statement that much, because in my opinion there is only One who truly knows us better than we know ourselves.  However, recently I've realized that I have several friends to whom that cliche can be justly attributed.  I'm starting to understand now that it isn't so much that they actually know me better, but that they remember me--they remember who I am in God's eyes.  They see me for my goodness and for my potential, forgiving me of my weaknesses and faults.

To quote myself from an April 2009 blog post, "[. . .] Others, especially my Father in Heaven and my Savior, Jesus Christ, see me in a better light than I often see myself.  It's like I'm always looking at myself in fluorescent lighting, highlighting all my imperfections, while They see me in perfect, glorious sunlight."

Whenever I see myself through the lens of my own insecurities and doubts, I obscure my own view of my potential.  I'm not going to deny that my friends see those insecurities, but they won't see them as roadblocks to my worth.  I am grateful for friends who refuse to know anything other than the best version of me, even when I can't seem to acknowledge that my best self could ever exist.