Have you ever heard of the term BAE? It is a widely used term by many of our tweens and teens. I am privy to this information because I am a parent of 12-year-old and 15-year-old girls.

The first time I head my daughters use this term, I asked them, “What does BAE mean?” Of course, they rolled their eyes in disgust because I was so out of touch, uncool, etc. Then, they explained BAE stands for Before Anyone Else.

You can refer to a person (using a term of endearment) as your BAE. However, BAE has also been used to refer to favorite things such as, “Coffee is my BAE;” “Chocolate is my BAE.” (You get the picture). I also learned that you can have only ONE BAE.

Then, my daughters asked me, “Mom, who is YOUR BAE?” Without hesitation, I responded, “The Lord is my BAE.” That was the “perfect mother” answer. Honestly, as I reflect upon the scriptures, I ask myself if I’ve truly set my priorities to include the Lord Before Anyone Else?

In the Book of Mormon, Alma 46:12, Moroni clearly lists the order of priorities on the title of liberty:

“And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it — In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children — and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.”

Notice that God is listed Before Anyone and anything Else…

When seeking employment directly out of college, I cried to the Lord for His direction. When I opened the scripture, it quickly opened to the following verse in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Once again, notice the word, “first. “ I can truly say the Lord has always provided for my family and me when we seek His kingdom first.

Specifically, I can testify that through God’s unmerited favor, I always get a little bonus each year after attending GMBA campout. Since we’ve moved to the Southwest, it has become very expensive to travel to GMBA campout on the East Coast. We no longer have the luxury of jumping in the car and driving to camp. However, my husband and I have made this trip our personal priority, and we forego other family vacations. Furthermore, for the past three years, the Lord has given us an increase either while at campout or right when we get home.

The first year, while at campout, I received a call for an additional part-time job as an adjunct professor that supplemented our income for the entire next year.

The second year, the theme of our campout was on the topic of forgiveness. A few years prior, my husband and I had lost a large sum of money to a contractor who did not finish our renovation. During the course of time, the Lord clearly told me to forgive this individual. Upon arriving home from the campout two years ago, we received a message from an agency at which we filed a complaint that the contractor had been working for the past seven years paying off the debt he owed us, and we were entitled to the funds.

Finally, last year, while at campout, I received a call from my administrator that funds were approved to increase my hours, which also gave us extra provision for this past year. In addition, while at campout, my oldest daughter asked for her baptism, which was my greatest blessing, and, to me, amounted to a 100 percent bonus. And those extra hours of work were God’s way of making the bonus amount to 125 percent.

I had not expected any of these blessings, and I did not attend camp saying
“OK, Lord, here I am, now what?” On the contrary, when I place the Lord as my top priority before anyone else, He has blessed me in ways that I could have never expected, and He has truly added the things I need. So I guess I WAS telling the truth to my daughters. The Lord is my BAE because, though I may fail, I know it is always best to put Him before anyone else.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.

3 Comments

  1. Teri-Lyn Tunno

    Really great blog! Thank you for cluing me in on BAE! My nephew is 16 and I have not heard that yet so I might be the cool Aunt who knows. I loved hearing how God has blessed you!! Such a good lesson to remember. May God continue to bless you!

    Reply
  2. Linda Scolaro

    Teri. It is pronounced bay… Just in case. They always roll their eyes when we epically fail at being cool. You will definitely move up the rung on the ladder of cool aunts.?

    Reply
  3. Beth Karroll

    Sister Linda, I read what you wrote & I was moved to tears. Thank you for sharing this.

    Reply

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