Second Class Citizens

Several people that I love have told me that they feel like second class citizens in Heaven. There are various reasons:
I'm single.
I don't have kids.
My kids lie.
My kids have chosen not to remain active.
My kids are so crazy they don't listen and I don't get anything out of church.
My calling isolates me from everyone.
I don't have any friends.
I feel depressed all the time.

The list goes on and on. I've felt various feeling of these at times and my heart breaks whenever I hear that for whatever reason someone feels like they are Second Class in the church and in Heaven. Their feelings are real, and I wish they weren't.*

I was studying in Preach My Gospel about a month ago and I came across the Christlike attributes. I was thinking about the Hope and Faith sections. There are two that I realized solved these feelings for me. I hope they help others.
I feel confident that God loves me.
I firmly believe that someday I will dwell with God and become like Him.

Knowing these two statements are true and applying them into my life made me realize that I'm not a second class citizen. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ don't see me that way. They love me more than I can ever comprehend. Having faith to trust in that love allows me to go about trying my absolute best and they will make up the rest. Do I make tons of mistakes--Yes. I do. Many of you know this. But I have faith that through the atonement that I can become like God. And God is not a second class citizen in Heaven. Therefore, I am not a second class citizen. Is it hard, yes. Is it totally worth it. Yes.

One other thought that I have--having faith in the power of the atonement means that it works for everyone. When you know this, and can feel it's power it's a lot easier to help others and understand that they are doing their best too.





*I will never tell anyone that what they are feeling isn't real. I confided in someone that I was feeling depressed and stressed and they told me that I didn't know the meaning of depressed. Depressed for me was normal for everyone else. Funny, yes. Unkind--totally. Depressed means lowered states of emotion, my depressed may not look like someone else's but by golly! It's still depression.