Love yourself the way God loves you

I smiled at my little nephew, heart swelling with pride. There he was on the school stage, tie askew, singing “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” loudly and badly. He didn’t know the hand motions. He got carried away and sang the closing note for too long. And at one point he accidentally flopped his hand into the person next to him while getting too into the music. It was awful, and I was so proud. I was proud because he was fearless and bold and doing his best. And even beyond that, I was proud simply because I loved him. He could have shyly sung with his lips barely parted, and I would have felt the same kind of love.