Most sermons I have heard don’t stay with me for extended periods of time. One sermon has remained with me for many years. It was stated by a new priest who was presenting his first sermon. He came to the front of the church, looked around at everyone, took a deep breath and said, "Have you ever wondered why lilies are so beautiful?" He remained silent for what seemed like an eternity and then he said, "Because they don't try to be roses." With that he went and sat down.

You could tell by the reactions and some of the parking lot talks after church some people didn't "get it" because they only focused on lilies and roses as flowers. Others thought it was a lesson asking each one of us to see the beauty in all people. Still others felt it was a call to remove jealously from our lives. It certainly appeared like the majority of attendees were able to "take away" something positive from the little sermon.

Over the years this little sermon has taken on new meanings to me. Meanings not to replace old lessons learned but as new lessons applicable to the experiences I have had since I heard the simple sermon.

Today I realize that no matter how beautiful lilies and roses are, there are some people who will never like them. The same is true with people. Not everyone will like us. This realization presented another lesson from the little sermon. "Be true to yourself" is the lesson that keeps coming to mind. How many times in our lives have we lived beyond our means because we desired to be in the right club or organization? How many times have we put up a false image of ourselves because we thought it would get us something we desired? How many times have we not mingled with others because we just didn’t like how they looked? Most of us can remember a time we did one or all of these things.

This is the time of year when many of us should take a moment and really think about who we are as individuals, the families that love us, and the friends that we have and realize that all these people believe we are not so bad just being who we are. Maybe we don’t have to try so hard to impress others. Maybe we should let down our guard and just be who we are. Maybe we should let down our guard and allow others to get to know the real ‘me.”

In order for us to be "true to ourselves" we must remove the negativity from our lives. We start by removing any negative personal view of ourselves we take on due to our perception of how others view us. Being true to ourselves includes allowing ourselves to let go of being so concerned about what others think about us.

The lesson for today is that we don't have to look like a Brad Pit or an Angelina Jolie in order to be accepted. We don’t even have to be a lily or a rose. Believe it or not there are people who don't like the way Brad and Angelina look either. Be true to yourself and those around you and you will find that we don’t have to be a lily or a rose because even dandelions are beautiful. If you don't believe it just ask any kid who picks one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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