I remember a couple years ago at our Richardson family reunion, my little niece Ashley was just 2 and learning to talk. She followed her mother Jasmin around saying "I ant ooo." Which translates as "I want you." Her older sister Shayanne said the same thing to me (except in original English, not Ash-talk) this year at our family reunion. She kept wanting me to hold her and would look at me sweetly and say, "Aunt Sarah, I want you." You can't resist that.
This morning I was thinking about want vs. need, but not the usual premise. The leaders of the Church counsel us to judge our temporal wants and needs and choose wisely in spending our resources. However, I think when it comes to spiritual things, "want" is more effective. When a child tells you he needs you, you know your responsibility and respond automatically. It is lovely to be needed. But when a child looks at you and says "I want you," it is a completely different emotion. To be wanted fills your heart because that person chooses you.
I think of how often I've told Heavenly Father, "I need you," and He responds instantly with His peace and reassurance. However, the times that I tell Him, "I want you," are the sweetest moments of my life. I feel His love fill my heart, my body, my soul. It is an experience beyond words; God's love is real and it changes you. I'm determined to tell my Father more frequently that I choose Him, I want Him and I love Him.
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