I was asked to speak in church today on the subject, "I am a child of God" and want to journal the talk and experience here:
Years ago, I had the awesome responsibility and opportunity to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the beautiful people within the Northern Part of the Antofagasta Chilean Mission, right smack dab in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth.
During that unforgettable and sacred time there in Chile, my companions and I would always start each discussion with these same 4 main points:
1. We believe in God.
2. God is perfect.
God is perfect, all-wise, and all powerful. He is also merciful, kind, and just. We all can have faith in Him and love Him with all our hearts.
3 3. God is our Father in Heaven.
We are His children. We are created in his image.
4. God has a plan for us.
We would then explain
As our Father, God loves us. He wants us to progress and be happy. He wants us to become more like him. He prepared a plan that will bring us joy, in this life and eternal life with him.
Why did we always start off with those 4 main points?
Why did Joseph Smith in 1842 choose the opening words of the 13 Articles of Faith to be: “We believe in God the Eternal Father?”
Why in 1995 did the apostles and prophets affirm: “ALL human beings…are created in the image of God. Each is a BELOVED spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents.”
Let’s make this even more personal. Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here?
Or better yet, Why Jesus Christ? Why did he have to come down and atone for each and every single one of us? Why do YOU need Him? Why do YOU pray in His name?
Why was this earth even created?
It comes down to 6 simple words: I am a Child of God. To know that you are a child of Deity, that God is literally your Father which dwells in the heavens brings answers to each and every of those questions, and so many more.
So why is it important to know who we are?
According to Elder Donald L. Hallstrom in the 2016 April General Conference, “A correct understanding of our heavenly heritage is essential to exaltation. It is foundational to comprehending the glorious plan of salvation and to nurturing faith in the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus the Christ, and in His merciful Atonement.7 “
How can each of us experience that power of understanding our divine identity?
I truly believe as Elder Taylor stated in the April 2018 General Conference, “It begins by seeking to know God, our Father.”
Let me share a very personal and real example.
Growing up I was a Daddy’s girl. I idolized him in every possible way a daughter could. I knew he truly loved me unconditionally, no matter what, and I was a pretty rambunctious little girl. I remember the feeling of never wanting to disappoint my dad but only wanting to make him proud. Looking back, I am so grateful that he recognized my adoration and the powerful opportunity that it allowed him to teach me about God. I remember regularly my dad pointing me to my Heavenly Father and teaching me of Him.
(Fathers do you know what a powerful influence you can be on your children? Be worth of that role and that title!).
Oftentimes growing up my dad would say such things as, “Winnie, your Father who is in Heaven loves you even more than I can, which is hard for me to even comprehend.” Or “Winnie, if it were up to me I would take this whole thing from you but He who knows you better than I do and loves you more than I, knows what is best so I have to have faith in His will.” It was through those loving words and others, along with his constant Christ-like example that I was able to build, as a child, my first little testimony and understanding of God.
As I matured and entered high school my prayers became much more meaningful. I knew Heavenly Father was there and listening. It was also during this time that I started to really liken the scriptures unto myself. I started to realize that Book of Mormon was as Alma said to his son Helaman in Alma 37: a type of Liahona that spoke directly and personally to me and spoke differently to me each time I read it. I began to yearn and desire like I had never done before to become closer to Him and my Savior, to not only know about them but to have a personal relationship with each of them. The more I read and pondered the scriptures and exercised my faith through prayer the more those words sank deep into my heart and soul. I found myself like Ether. Wrestling. I started to realize I was “undone” as Isaiah so beautifully put it in 2 Nephi 16:5 and didn’t want to be.
It was then that I really started to plead in humble, sincere prayer for my Savior to be able to clean me. It was through that “wrestle” if you will, that my life completely changed. I came to know one sacred night, not just believe, that my personal loving merciful Heavenly Father really listens, answers prayers, sits on a throne with angels round about Him. I learned in that moment that there is nothing more I want in this life than to return to His presents and be held by Him again. I was able to taste of His goodness and know what the scriptures mean when they say, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” My life has never been the same since!
It is truly life changing. Nothing is like it. No joy comes even close….but let me add two important warnings:
1st.Satan will do ALL he can to thwart your attempts in coming to know Him because there is power in doing so. There is a power in knowing you are of Nobility.
President Thomas S. Monson said:
“We are sons and daughters of a living God…We cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power.”
We see this strength and power after Moses talked face-to-face with the Lord and learned who he really is. Following that experience Satan, tempting him to worship him, calls him a “son of man.” Moses was not fooled, nor deceived. His reply to Satan is classic, “Who art thou? For behold I am the Son of God.”
2nd Satan will also try to make you forget your worth in God’s eyes. When I first was given the topic, “I am a child of God” I immediately opened my Gospel Library app on my phone and typed in child of God. One of the things that came up was the definition of fear. Curious, I opened the link and read the definition given. Have you read the it before? I hadn’t and some things really struck me.
Fear
Care should be taken to distinguish between two different uses of this word. The “fear of the Lord” is frequently spoken of as part of man’s duty (Ps. 111:10; Eccl. 12:13; Isa. 11:2–3; Luke 1:50); it is also described as “godly fear” (Heb. 12:28). In such passages fear is equivalent to reverence, awe, worship, and is therefore an essential part of the attitude of mind in which we ought to stand toward the All-holy God. On the other hand fear is spoken of as something unworthy of a child of God, something that “perfect love casteth out” (1 Jn. 4:18). The first effect of Adam’s sin was that he was afraid (Gen. 3:10). Sin destroys that feeling of confidence God’s child should feel in a loving Father and produces instead a feeling of shame and guilt. Ever since the Fall, God has been teaching men not to fear, but with penitence to ask forgiveness in full confidence of receiving it.
What impressed me most were those last 6 words, “In full confidence of receiving it.” Do not let Satan trick you in thinking your worth has anything to do with your worthiness. Your individual worth has NOTHING to do with worthiness! You are His child! He allowed Christ to die for you, it is done and paid for He only wants you to come to him in sincere prayer. I have learned that truth more fully since I have become a mother. It doesn’t matter what any of my three little boys do I will always love them unconditionally. If I, who am so imperfect, can have the type of love, then I for sure know that my all-wise, all-knowing Father in Heaven also loves completely and unconditionally.
Like Moses, do we know who we are? Like Ether, have we wrestled to know personally our Father in Heaven? Have we given up our sins to know Him who knows us best, loves us the most and only wants what is best for us? Have we felt His pure UNCONDITIONAL love? And if so, what are we doing to strengthen that relationship?
Remember, it is only by having a sincere desire, exercising our faith with consistent and fervent pray, scripture study and obedience to the commandments that we will gain AND maintain our own personal witness and knowledge that we are sons and daughters of God. If we do these things, we will understand why Brigham Young once said, “When you….see our Father you will see a being with whom you have long been acquainted, he will receive you into his arms, and you will be ready to fall into his embrace and kiss him.”
This IS my greatest desire. He lives! He loves! You are His! In the Sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen
What an awesome experience it was to prepare this talk. I spent the week really praying and studying but nothting came. I started to really plead with Heavenly Father that the words he would have me speak to our ward would come. Then the night before it felt as though the Heavens opened and I wrote down the examples and quotes I felt were what needed to be said.
When I was sitting on the stand I noticed that the first speakers took almost 20 minutes to share her thoughts. Then when her husband got up to speak, and was 10 minutes in to his talk I started to panic. I prayed hard that I would be able to share the beauiful message I felt needed to be shared. He continued to speak. I started to tell Heavenly Father that I was so grateful for the amazing spirit I felt while preparing and that if it wasn's His will I talk today that I was at least grateful for the thought, feelings, and love I felt while preparing. The bishopric member got up with less than 10 minutes left of our Sacrament meeting. I vowed I would just bare my testimony. As I placed my talk on the pulpit I noticed there was just 7 minutes. I turned to Brother Thorton and asked him how many minutes he needed for the song and prayer. He said to me to give my talk. I looked at the clock quickly and turned to him and said there isn't enough time I will just bare my testimony. He rebuked me and told me to give my entire talk. So I turned to the congregation and gave the above talk. It came out of my mouth so powerfully. I felt the Spirit literally flow through me and I had to grasp onto the pulpet to keep my balance. I saw light (Not sure how to discribe it) penetrate the room. I saw some of our member's faces staring straitght into my eyes and "saw" a "light" coming out of them. I felt the truthfulness of the words I spoke. I listened to my own voice as the Spirit took over and I spoke boldly the words above. I kept saying to myself, "Not so loud!" but there was nothing I couldd do to change it. I knew God wanted all those present to know and feel they are children of His. I felt so humbled and honored that He would allow me to testify of these truths. When I ended we were over by not quite 10 minutes. I worried people would be frustrated but no one said a word. As a matter of fact, Brother Thornton told me, right after the closing prayer, that he felt the Spirit tell him I needed to give my entire talk. Wow, did the Spirit witness to me again the above message is true. Then our bishop came over to me and asked to speak to me directly after the meeting. I went and helped Shay get the boys ready to get to their class and then quickly went to find him. I had Thomas in arms and Bishop Peterson invited me into the Clerk's Office. He then thanked me for my talk and said to me that "I want you to know that message was from Heavenly Father. What I said is exactly what I wanted the Ward members to hear and know this entire month and you summed it all up in one talk. That talk wasn't from you but from God." I quickly told him I was very much aware and thanked him for his complement. He then told me well done and I left the room. Never have I had an experience like that. As I think on it I find that I am not flattered that the Bishop said those words to me for I already knew and was saddened he wouldn't know that I already did. That is OK, I know God allowed me to be an instrument in His hands and I could not wish for anything more than that. I am posting here because no one reads my blogs anymore and I want it to be documented and not lost. I want my kids to know that above words are true and that was are really His!
No comments:
Post a Comment