The Best Life Lesson Came From Johnny Lingo

The "down-low" of Johnny Lingo is all about how we see ourselves.

Mahana is the daughter of Moki and is always in the shadows and hiding because her father and everyone else calls her ugly and worthless and she believes it.

Johnny Lingo (very handsome, very rich, all the women want him) comes to their village to take a wife. Now on this island, the dowry for wives is paid with cows. The married women are bragging about how many cows their husbands paid for their dowry. 3-4 cows is good, 5-6 brings a superior wife.

Johnny Lingo meets with Moki to bargain the dowry for Mahana. Everyone jokes that Moki would be lucky to get the hoofs and tail for Mahana. To everyone's surprise, Johnny Lingo offers 8 cows for Mahana!!!! Very unheard of.

Moki faints and then agrees on the price.

Months later, Moki visits Johnny Lingo and Mahana and he feels cheated after seeing Mahana.

{{cut to Mahana}} She is BEAUTIFUL, ELEGANT, GRACEFUL, OUTGOING.

The moral of the story is: The world, or in this case Mahana's father and whole village, would have us neglect our eternal spirits and have fear and misery fashion our outlook on life and our perception of ourselves

But, due to Johnny Lingo's (Heavenly Father) 8 cow dowry (the Atonement), nurturing and love, Mahana was able to respect her body and spirit, and was finally able to experience joy in this life and perhaps a fulness of joy in the life to come.

May you be able to love yourself as the Lord loves you.

Happy Valentine's Day