There was a time in my life that my thinking was a little clouded, every time I went to church I felt that I was constantly being criticized, that no matter how hard I worked all week what I found waiting at church was the disappointment of being imperfect. Since then I have come to understand what was missing. And that is the topic of my talk today.
Yesturday at our Primary activity we made this. (Put on testimony glove) It is a testimony glove and reminds us of the 5 principles that should make up a testimony. (Does anyone have their testimony glove with them today?)
My talk is about the first principle on the testimony glove:
I know that God is our Father in Heaven and He loves us. (me) In other words, I am a Child of God and he loves me. I hope that you all do believe this, that you can say it to yourself and believe it.
The Family Proclamation says, ""All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny."
"You are literally a child of God, "spiritually begotten in the premortal life. As His child, you can be assured that you have divine, eternal potential and that [your Heavenly Father] will help you in your sincere efforts to reach that potential"
The knowledge that Heavenly Father loves us and that we are His children gives us strength, comfort, and hope to live this mortal life.
In the First Epistle of John we read: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
You are important to a loving Father in Heaven! pray always! Your prayers both morning and night will help you come to know that you are a child of God." (Do You Know Who You Are?, Dean R. Burgess, April 2008 General Conference)
The New Testament writings of John tell us so much about love, especially about the love of God for his children. John 4:10-11 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
So the greatest evidence of the love God has for us is the sacrifice of his only son in the flesh, Jesus Christ, so that we would have the atonement to get us back to live with God again someday.
This is a story Elder Wirthlin told at General Conference, as I read it I realized that the way Elder Wirthlin acted in this story is very much like the way Jesus acts for each of us:
"I remember when I was young, there was an older boy who was physically and mentally disabled. He had a speech impediment and walked with difficulty. The boys used to make fun of him. They teased and taunted him until sometimes he would cry.
I can still hear his voice: "You’re not kind to me," he said. And still they would ridicule him, push him, and make jokes about him.
One day I could bear it no longer. Although I was only seven years old, the Lord gave me the courage to stand up to my friends.
"Don’t touch him," I said to them. "Stop teasing him. Be kind. He is a child of God!"
My friends stepped back and turned away."
We can imagine that our Savior Jesus Christ would say these very things for each of us.
Elder Wirthlin went on to say:
"The Lord did not people the earth with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the symphony. All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the whole.
This variety of creation itself is a testament of how the Lord values all His children. He does not esteem one flesh above another, but He "inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; . . . all are alike unto God."3" (Concern for the One, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Aprill 2008 General Conference)
Sometimes the pain we feel in our lives blinds us to our Heavenly Father’s love, from the reality that we are children of God.
"Recognize that if you have feelings that you are not loved by your Father in Heaven, you are being manipulated by Satan. Even when it may seem very difficult to pray, kneel and ask Father in Heaven to give you the capacity to trust Him and to feel His love for you." (Elder Richard G. Scott, April 2008 General Conference)
Recently I’ve added another dimension to my understanding of what being a child of God means. I feel very strongly about the need for work, in the law of the harvest. I still believe that concept is true but now face it in a different way. Recently I’ve had some physical limitations, I can’t accomplish what I once could accomplish. It has been humbling. I placed some of my value as a daughter of God upon what I do physically. Now as I change some of my work from physical to mental labors I remind myself that my worth is based on something far greater than my own abilities.
Sometimes we all misunderstand our worth, thinking that it is based on how many people like us, or what things we have, or our job, or many other things. In reality we were born unable to do anything of ourselves and we were born as a child of God with limitless potential and worth. Sometimes our trials are ways to remind us of that.
From the words of our prophets:
"My dear brothers and sisters, I love you, and I pray for you. Please pray for me. And together we will reap the blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for each one of us. " (Pres Monson, April 2008 G.C.)
"It is not asking too much, is it, to take a few minutes of each day to speak with your Father in Heaven when you know that you are a child of God?"
"If you really know that you are a child of God, you will also know that He expects much of you, His child. He will expect you to follow His teachings and the teachings of His dear Son, Jesus."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "You Are a Child of God," Ensign, May 2003, 117. At primary 125 yr celebration)
So when we remember that we are children of God and he loves us we find the strength to accomplish those things he asks of us without feeling overwhelmed and criticized.
I Am A Child of God