Perspective

Picture a t-shirt. It's purple with lovely pink and blue flowers, green leaves and a hummingbird. I was given it as a gift and it became one of my best shirts to wear when I wanted to look nice. As I recently got it out of the dryer and folded it, I realized that I'm going to have to change my category for it. I have had it for a couple of decades. The neckline is fraying, there is a small hole in the belly area, and the once vibrant colors are fading. I will now wear it for exercising and working.
Sometimes we assign someone or something a category at a certain point in our life and forget that maybe it's time to change our perspective. I remember having not-too-pleasant thoughts about my mother when I was younger. I disagreed with her on so many fronts, I just didn't see how I could have an eternal relationship with her or even desire to spend eternity with her. As I prayed to find peace about how to unconditionally love my mother, and her eccentricities, I received an answer that has caused me to see so many things with a different perspective. I needed to "allow her to change". For all of us, change comes a little at a time and sometimes takes awhile. It's fun for young children to have someone they haven't seen in a long time comment on how "grown up" they look. Or it's nice when someone has been exercising and dieting to have someone who hasn't seen them in awhile compliment them on how good they're looking. We don't always clearly see our own changes- good ones or bad ones. We can be startled to see a picture or video of ourselves from decades earlier and compare it to what we see in the mirror today. What we can't see is our character.
I want to be a pleasant, helpful, forgiving person. I try to emulate what I learn about the nature of Jesus Christ. I know I have a long way to go. There are people in my life that have chosen that same journey. We are all advancing at different rates. Sometimes we may plateau for awhile or even backslide a little bit. But I like to know that a loving Heavenly Father and a self-sacrificing Elder Brother look at my potential, my eternal worth. They may shake their heads occasionally as they see me do something foolish or even destructive, but they continue to cheer me on. I want to keep adjusting my perspective so I can maintain a focus that allows people, including myself, to change. My skin may be sagging and wrinkling and my energy fading, but I still have value. In fact, I'm even more comfortable now than when I was younger. I don't have to be showy for special occasions.
So I try to be willing to see others with a fresh perspective occasionally so I can allow them to change as I hope they will allow me to do. I just hope we can be working at being a better version of ourselves, not just worn out.