My husband, Brad, walked through the door and I was in tears. It had been a long hard day, with two toddlers– 2 and 3 years old, and 2 foster infants– 6 and 9 months old. But it was my sweet daughter that had been the most trying for me that day.
***
In church, we are taught that we are children of God from a very young age. We are not only taught it, we recite it, we sing it. It is in our homes, our classes at church, our families and even in our communities.
We are children of God, daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, and we each have worth.
That was hard to understand–that each of us has worth–when at the age of eight I watched as my mother was refused service in our local grocery store because of her ethnicity.
That experience made me unsure, but the lesson my parents taught me was invaluable. They showed me what Christ-like love and understanding was. They taught me what it is to turn the other cheek, and what true worth means.
Worth.
With all I had seen and experienced myself growing up, I understood that my parents knew that they were literal children of God. Because of their foundation in this knowledge, they were able to see others as children of God. To love them with that unconditional love their Heavenly Father had given them. And because of this, they taught me the worth within each and every individual.
For “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (Doctrine & Covenants 18:10)
If we could understand our own divine worth– that we are not only children of God but literal daughters of Heavenly Father and that His love for us is infinite and eternal– then peace could replace anger, understanding could replace judgment, and love could replace fear. Then He would be able to use us to be true instruments in His hands.
I have no doubt that women of God are needed today more than ever before. We need to understand our divine nature as daughters of God and take our places as we stand apart from the world and shine His light.
This is not all; I believe with all my heart as women rise to the divinity within, they will be able to change the world for righteousness in a way that has never been done in the history of the world.
“and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (KJV Bible, Esther 4:14)
There is no accident placed on earth, no mistake made. God knows every sparrow and leaf, every blade of grass and sand of the sea, and He knows each of us individually. He placed each of us precisely at this time and in this moment to fulfill our divine potential.
“The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well.” (Neal A. Maxwell, That My Family Should Partake (1974), 86.)
My husband and I journeyed through years of infertility. We had miscarriages, and a failed adoption of a child we had in our home from the time he/she was one week old to one year old. We have been blessed with two beautiful children, one boy, one girl, both adopted from birth. Our daughter has multiple physical and mental special needs, but physically looks “normal”.
***
That day, when Brad, walked through the door and I was in tears. It had been a long hard day. But it was my sweet daughter that had been the most trying for me that day. I questioned her ability in this life and my worth as her mother.
Brad offered me a priesthood blessing.
In our church, I am blessed to have a husband who can offer me a blessing from my Heavenly Father just for me through the power of the priesthood. These blessings may be for healing the sick, encouragement and guidance, and especially for comfort and counsel, which is what I needed that day.
In that blessing, he said:
“…though her body and mind may not ever be able to function to its fullest capacity here on earth, her spirit within her is perfect.”
These words will stay with me forever. And they are the words that taught me about every person we will ever meet in this mortal life. Imperfect bodies housing perfect spirits. An essence of the perfect divinity within us all.
I believe in the sacred role of wife and mother, but more than that I believe in the sacred, infinite potential of a daughter of God.
I am grateful to know who I am and Whose I am. And because of that knowledge, I am grateful to be able to live each day of my life loving others and lifting them so they may see their potential and that perfect divinity within them.
I am so grateful to know that I am a beloved spirit daughter of God and to know my life has meaning, purpose, and direction because of this sacred knowledge. (Relief Society Declaration)
We are all children of God. All daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. And we all have worth.
Your invitation: Take some time to pray to know how God feels about you. Write the thoughts and feelings down as you receive answers to your prayer through your day or week.
Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
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