Our souls are not naturally quiet. If we’re honest, most of us carry a deep, daily ache for affirmation—a needy internal clamor that whispers (or shouts), “Look over here! See me! Approve of me! Tell me I matter.” I was reminded of this recently when a friend told me about her 3-year-old daughter. One evening, the little girl came downstairs in a new dress. Then again. And again. Each time with the same unspoken question in her eyes: Do you see me now? Am I lovely? Do I matter?
