Just Some Guy

 I have spent the last month working as a counselor in a youth program for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The program is called FSY, or For the Strength of Youth, and its main focus is to help the youth of the Church to draw nearer to the Savior and to feel an increased sense of belonging. We accomplish this purpose by combining spiritual activities such as classes, discussions, and testimony meetings with fun activities like dances, games, and pizza night. The idea is simple, and although putting it into practice can often be complicated (things do tend to go wrong), the results are amazing. I have seen the youth entrusted in my care grow so much during their time at FSY.

The view from a hike near the University of Colorado Springs

While working an FSY session in Colorado Springs, one of the young men in my group said something that stood out to me. He was sharing his testimony of Jesus Christ during one of our Thursday night testimony meetings. He prefaced his testimony with the words "I'm just some guy." He then went on to share how he had felt the Spirit and knew that Christ was there for him. It was a tender moment followed by many tears from both him and those in the audience. 

Those words, "I'm just some guy", seemed so intriguing to me. In part, because it is true. That young man, and each and everyone of us, really are just one individual among billions of others. We do not stand out that much. Our influence in the world is limited, and our short lives will come and go.

The beauty, however, lies in an understanding of how God perceives us. Although we may be just some guy or girl, we have infinite worth in the eyes of God. We are each a child of God and thus endowed with the potential to become like him. A teacher once taught me that the value of something is determined by the price that someone is willing to pay. Christ performed a great sacrifice, an infinite Atonement for each of us. He paid everything for us. He did it because He loves us deeply and knows who we are and what we can become. In other words, He recognizes our true worth.

To that young man and to every one I want to say that you are so much more than just some guy or girl. As the author C.S. Lewis wrote, "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible Gods and Goddesses to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature, which if you saw now, you would be strongly tempted to worship... There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal."