This week is our fourth annual "Worth Week." It's patterned after a wonderful idea shared online by a YW president. She called it "daughter of God week." Anyway, we have a special lesson on Sunday and the girls are each given packets with an item to open each day to remind them that they are daughters of God and are of great worth. This year I taught the lesson and thought I'd share my lesson ideas.
I began by playing "I am His Daughter" by Nicole Sheahan. Here are the lyrics to the chorus:
"
There's so much more to me
He helps me see that I have so much to offer
I am His daughter
He loves me the way I am,
He's my strength when I stand
He is my King, and my Father,
I am His daughter."
Heavenly Father is the happiest being there is. This is something I read recently that I'd never considered before but that felt immediately like truth. He is our Father and he created us to experience joy. (Men are that they might have joy. 2 Nephi 2:25)
He has created so many things to help us feel joy... waterfalls, sunrises and sunsets, beautiful flowers, rainforests, oceans, rivers, deserts, mountains, icebergs...and so many animals...elephants, bears, pandas, monkeys, turtles, dogs, cats, lemurs, tigers, lions, cheetahs, wolves, and on and on. I remember at camp two years ago, one of the missionary couples said that they pictured Heavenly Father thinking, "Oh, I just know Jenny will love this waterfall. I'm going to create it for her." Or "I bet this particular bird will thrill ______ or this flower will help ______ feel loved or this monkey will delight Ella." I don't know for sure that that is how the creation went, but I wouldn't be surprised.(Show pictures of a few beautiful places on Earth, amazing animals...don't these photos help you to feel our Father's love for you? Doesn't it seem possible...perhaps likely...that He created individual plants, animals, sunrises or sunsets or places because He knew it would bring one of His beloved children joy?!)
I don't know all the details of creation...but here's what I do know...each day after the Savior and Michael did the work of creation, God saw it and saw that it was good. We read that in Genesis chapter 1. Then in verse 26 and 27 of Genesis 1, it says, "And God said, Let
us make man in our
image, after our
likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his
own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them."
So then we were created...in His image, after His likeness! We resemble our Heavenly Parents. Then I love this...in verse 31, when everything is created, including US, it states, "
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Not just good, but very good. One of my favorite verses of scriptures comes from Romans 8: verses 16 and 17. It says, 16 The Spirit itself beareth
awitness with our
bspirit, that we are the
cchildren of God:
17 And if children, then heirs;
aheirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
bsuffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together.
* I hope that as I teach today, and especially as you participate in worth week this week...that the Spirit really does bear witness to your spirit that YOU are a child of God. That you are his HEIR...meaning that all that has been promised (which is beyond our ability to even fully comprehend) has been promised to you! You were born to become like Christ. You are meant to return and live with God and feel comfortable in His presence. I hope that during the week you will take some quiet moments to read and ponder the small gifts and notes in your packet. I hope that you will pray for the Spirit to bear witness to you that YOU are a daughter of God. I plan to post links to some beautiful songs that speak of your worth during the week. I hope that you will listen to them and tune out some of the world's noise so that your spirit can be taught by the Holy Spirit and you can come to know and feel of your worth. That is my hope and wish and great desire for you!
As two of our young women shared a month ago in their lesson on grace...and in the words of Brad Wilcox...we aren't here "earning heaven" but learning heaven...learning how to become like our Father and Brother.
When you think of your mom and dad, do you have any of their characteristics? Do you look like them? DO you have any quirky habits like either of them? Do some of the same things make you laugh? upset you? annoy you? excite you? Just as you have inherited characteristics from your mom and dad...you have inherited characteristics from your Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Maybe you smile like Heavenly Mother...maybe you are gentle with animals like they are...maybe you are naturally wise or compassionate or responsible...that is what our YW value of divine nature means...that you have inherited qualities from our Heavenly Parents.
I have shared this quote with you before, but I am going to share it again because I love it and believe it to be true:
President Benson said,“Nothing will surprise us more than when we get to heaven and see the Father and realize how well we know Him and how familiar His face is to us.”
We know Him...and we have a lot in common with Him...and we can develop even more characteristics to become more and more like Him! And while some of the qualities and habits we might develop from our earthly parents might not always be good because none of our parents are perfect...all of the characteristics we develop from Him are GOOD.
About a month ago, I went to see the new Lion King. Lion King is my very favorite Disney movie. I have always loved it...I think because it teaches beautiful eternal truths. So in the movie, Simba learns such important lessons from his dad. For example, Mufasa tells his young son, "Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give." After Mufasa's untimely death, Simba becomes confused and lost for quite some time. He forgets who he is. He wanders, and while he makes good friends, they don't understand who Simba really is or what he was born to do and they lead him further from his true path. Then one day Nala finds Simba and begs him to come home. But ultimately, it is words from his father that give him the courage to become his truest, best self. His father tells him, "Remember who you are." I can't guarantee that I'm quoting this next part exactly perfectly but in the new version he says something close to this: "I am most proud of one thing...having you as my Son...that is forever. I never left you and I never will."
This has had me thinking...don't you think our Father feels the same way about us...that the thing He is most proud of is having us as His daughters? Don't you think if we could hear Him, He would say that He never left us and He never will and that we must remember who we are? I wish we could hear His voice...Hear Him say those words. There will be times when, like Simba, we become lost. Maybe we make mistakes and sin and don't have the spirit with us for a time. Maybe we just become tired and weary and discouraged. Maybe we struggle with anxiety or depression and feel so alone. But I promise that in those times when we feel lost, when we feel all alone, He is there. If we could hear His voice, we would hear Him tell us to remember who we are. To remember that He never left us and He never will.
As I was pondering and praying about what to put in our worth week packets and how to present this lesson (because it isn't exactly a lesson from Come Follow Me, though I did refer to some resources in Come Follow Me). I had a realization. We do have many of His words, given through prophets to us. Now perhaps you are thinking...those words weren't given to ME...they were given to Moses and Abraham and Nephi and people like them. But Nephi taught that we should liken all scriptures unto us that they might be for our profit and learning. And I want to testify that while your earthly assignment, your mission, isn't the same as Nephi's or Moses' or Mary Magdalene's or Esther's, you are just as important to our Heavenly Father and He would say very similar (if not exactly the same) things to you. In fact, on many occasions when I have felt burdened or lonely or discouraged or confused, He has used these words given to others and let me know that they were also written for me...and for you...for each of us. So a big part of what I'm going to do today is share some of what our Heavenly Father has spoken to you!
Listen to these words he spoke to Moses in Moses 1: 6...but when I say, "Moses, my son" I want you to replace Moses' name with your own: "
And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the asimilitude of mine bOnly cBegotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the dSavior, for he is full of egrace and ftruth; but there is gno God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I hknow them all." Think of that...."I have a work for thee, Jenny, my daughter and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten"...I have a work for thee, _____, my daughter... How does that make you feel?
Here are a few of the words he spoke to Abraham: Again replace your name with Abraham's: "
Abraham 3: 22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the
aintelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these
there were many of the
bnoble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast
achosen before thou wast born.
24 And there stood
aone among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and
bwe will make an earth whereon these may
cdwell;
25 And we will
aprove them herewith, to see if they will
bdo all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them:"
Michelle, thou are one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
I've given you each a paper that has several scriptures that are words that the Savior has spoken to others...but they are also meant for you. It also has a few quotes from prophets, apostles and church leaders about you. Will you take a couple of minutes and read through them? I want you to imagine that you can hear your Heavenly Father speaking them to you. Try to picture His loving voice. (In my head, He sounds a lot like my beloved grandfather who was so kind and gentle and an important part of my life.)
Speaking to Joseph Smith...and all those who would follow Him, God said in D&C 84:88, "
And whoso areceiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go bbefore your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my cSpirit shall be in your hearts, and mine dangels round about you, to bear you up."
John 13:34:
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye alove one another; as I have loved you, that ye also blove one another.
Alma 13:3 "3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being acalled and bprepared from the cfoundation of the world according to the dforeknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to echoose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great ffaith, are gcalled with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such."
Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I aformed thee in the belly I bknew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I csanctified thee, and I dordained thee a prophet unto the enations."
D&C 18:10 "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."
Doctrine and Covenants 6: 20 "Behold, thou art Oliver (put your name there!), and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore atreasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and bdiligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my clove."
Doctrine and Covenants 6:33: "aFear not to do bgood, my [daughters], for whatsoever ye csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow dgood ye shall also reap good for your ereward."
Doctrine and Covenants 50:41 "aFear not, little bchildren, for you are mine, and I have covercome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath dgiven me;"
Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-19 "17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are alittle children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;18 And ye cannot
abear all things now; nevertheless, be of good
bcheer, for I will
clead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the
driches of
eeternity are yours.
19 And he who receiveth all things with
athankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an
bhundred fold, yea, more."
Alma 5:16 "I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye
ablessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?"
President Hinckley said, “Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good.“Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth” (“Our Responsibility to Our Young Women,” Ensign, Sept. 1988, 11).
President Hinckley also challenged us: “Live up to the great and magnificent inheritance which the Lord God, your Father in Heaven, has provided for you. Rise above the dust of the world. Know that you are daughters of God, children with a divine birthright. Walk in the sun with your heads high, knowing that you are loved and honored, that you are a part of his kingdom, and that there is for you a great work to be done which cannot be left to others” (“Live Up to Your Inheritance,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 84).
President Benson said, "“In all ages, prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation… For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord. Some individuals will fall away, but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of its Head—even Jesus Christ. While this generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time: God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest… children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly.”
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "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."
President Boyd K. Packer said, "“You are a child of God. He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it. However many generations in your mortal ancestry, no matter what race or people you represent, the pedigree of your spirit can be written on a single line. You are a child of God!”
Do any of these verses or quotes especially touch you? Which one gives you added strength and courage to face the challenges in your life? (Let young women share)
Knowing who we are really changes everything. Experts teach that we have different "love languages"...in other words we have different ways of expressing and feeling love. For me, I am primarily a words of affirmation person. That means I show my love by saying kind things, by using my words to say, "I love you. You are important to me. You are special and here is why." Because of that compliments are kind words from others mean a lot to me. And criticism is especially hard on me. But over the past few years I have worked really hard on strengthening my relationship with my Savior. I have come to know that I really am a daughter of God and that my worth is NOT dependent on whether I complete my to-do list or look pretty or have a spotless house or a million other things that I could (and sometimes do) worry about. And here is what I'm noticing. As I come to really, really know that my worth is not about what I accomplish and my worth is NOT about what others think of me...not what I think of me or what my husband or friends or neighbors or boss or anyone else thinks of me...other's words hold less power over me. Both criticism and compliments. I still love to receive compliments...and I still don't really like criticism. But now when I am criticized I can think more calmly about it and process...is there truth in the criticism and if so is there something I can do to change and improve myself? If so, then I do try to make changes. But if the criticism is unfair, then I just think to myself, "That person does not have an accurate picture of who I am." In the past, I would have taken it in and stewed about it and then thought of 100 other things wrong with me and likely felt really terrible about myself. But the more I know who I am and that others' opinions don't matter, the more I am able to be truly who I am meant to be. It's a process and I still have weak moments when words hold power. But the world and others' words are losing their power over me and that brings a lot more peace. So much more peace. Because despite my many imperfections, I am a daughter of God! And He has promised me SO much!
Then I gave the young women about 5 minutes to write in their journals about their thoughts and feelings.
I bear testimony that these things are true. We are children of God. He knows and loves us.
