Ears to Hear: What God Wants His Daughters to Know

 

The impression to write about this has come to me many times over the last few weeks.  I think, because I needed to be reminded myself, the Spirit has touched my heart more than once, in more than one place, with these thoughts and impressions:   As women, as daughters of God, we need to know who we are – that each of us, no matter our age, or stage of life, is important, we belong, we matter, that we each have something to contribute, and most importantly, that we are loved, so very loved, by our Father in Heaven.

The first time I felt this impression come to me, was while I was sitting in Stake Conference a few weeks ago.  As I sat there waiting for the meeting to start, I saw several sisters around me.  There were sister missionaries greeting people at the door, single sisters sitting alone, young mothers trying to quiet crying babies, middle-aged mothers chatting with their teenagers, single mothers, widows – both old and young, and aged, elderly women, their eyes shining with wisdom that comes from having lived and experienced life.  As I looked around at these women, I felt an overwhelming sense of love for them.  I felt an overwhelming sense of Heavenly Father’s love for them, and in that moment, it was as if He said to me: “They need to know.”

The second time I felt this impression was about one week later as I sat in the temple.  There were about fifteen sisters in the session I attended, all of them elderly.  I sat next to a sweet sister who moved slowly.  Every now and then she would look at me and smile.  I wondered what she was thinking.  Did she feel inadequate? Did she feel like she had nothing left to offer?  Did she look at me and wonder what I thought of her?  Or if I even thought of her?  Again, it was as if Heavenly Father said to me:  “She needs to know.”

The impression came to me again that same day in the temple as I sat praying in the Celestial room.  I was praying for myself.  I was praying for strength and to have faith in myself and in God’s plan for my life.   As I was praying, the thought came again, but this time it was much more personal and much stronger:  “You need to know.”

In the temple I attend, just as you open the door to re-enter the women’s dressing room, there is a life-size painting of a woman from the Bible by LDS artist, Elspeth Young.   The first time I saw it, I stood there with two other women, mesmerized by the beauty and spirit of this painting.  We stood together and discussed who we thought it might be and what it meant.  We felt the spirit powerfully as we talked about it and the one thing we each felt was that this woman was a woman of God.  A faithful daughter who knew who she was and what her purpose was.  A woman who followed the Savior.  We could feel it.  We knew it.  It is no coincidence that this painting is placed in that particular spot, being the first thing the sisters see as they prepare to leave the temple of God.  It stands as a reminder of who THEY are – women of God, daughters of God – and what their purpose is.

As I’ve received these impressions and prayed to be guided in what I share, thoughts have come to me about why Heavenly Father not only wants, but needs His daughters to know who we are.   This is not a new message.  This is something we have been taught and hear about often, but when we understand what it means to be a daughter of God, we will feel His divine love for us and it changes everything.

We are bombarded with messages through television, magazines, movies, advertisements, blogs, and especially social media, telling us how we should look, what we should wear, what we should eat, how our houses should be decorated, what workouts or fitness programs we should be doing, what kind of makeup we should buy, and what our family should look like.  The list goes on and on.  Then there are the so-called “experts” telling us what will make us happy, what will bring success and love into our lives, or what will make us feel better about ourselves and more fulfilled.  I even came across a blog telling women that their success, power, happiness, and even their divinity, comes from their sexuality.  With so many mixed messages and different ideologies, it is easy to get caught up and confused.  We can easily forget where the true source of beauty, happiness, power, success, peace, fulfillment, and divinity comes from.  Speaking to the young women of the Church, former Young Women General President, Elaine S. Dalton said,

“Young women, look into the mirror of eternity. Remember who you are! See yourself as our Heavenly Father sees you. You are elect. You are of noble birth. Don’t compromise your divine inheritance. You were born to be a queen. Develop deep beauty. There is no more beautiful sight than a young woman who glows with the light of the Spirit, who is confident and courageous because she is virtuous.” [I]

This applies to each of us.  Knowing who we are gives us confidence.  It gives us direction and purpose.  It helps us in those times when we start to forget and begin to feel inferior or inadequate.  Satan would have us believe the lies the world tells us about women and make us doubt ourselves, but as Sister Dalton has said, when we understand “who we are and whose we are” [II], it gives us the strength to resist those lies and have faith in ourselves and our abilities.  When we know who we are it gives us opportunities to share our light with others.  The Lord wants us to bless, and serve, and lift His children.  He wants us to share our unique, individual talents and gifts, given to us by Him, with others.  He wants us to be strong so we can strengthen others.  He wants us to be the women of God, the daughters of God that we are.  He wants us to set out on the path that He has prepared for us and walk it confidently.

As mothers and leaders of young women, we need to teach our daughters and the girls we lead, where their worth comes from.  It does not come from worldly ideas and messages.  It comes from within and from a Heavenly Father who loves them infinitely.  As they develop a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father and their Savior, they will feel their worth and know who they are.  They will have the strength to discern truth and be confident in their choices.  As women, as sisters, we need to remind each other, because we can so easily forget.  We need to lift and encourage and support each other.  We are all daughters of God.   “We need to love each other more and love each other better.” Bonnie L. Oscarson

I am blessed to be surrounded by wonderful women in my life.  I asked a few of them what it means to them to know that they are a daughter of God.  This is what they shared with me:

“Each week for the past few years, I’ve written weekly to my missionary children.  I always write something like this: “Remember who you are, where you came from, and who’s cheering for your success.”  My hope is that as they go out into the world, they will remember they’re an important part of our family, that they come from a strong place of gospel peace and joy, and that they know without doubt that we support and pray for them.  I think the same is true for us as children of a loving Heavenly Father.  If we remember who we are, where we came from, and who’s behind supporting us, how can we not go forward with faith and courage?  Knowing we’re children of God gives us limitless possibilities!” ~ Shari T.

“I thought of the stripling warriors and their angel mothers who did not doubt and taught their sons not to doubt.  I have an angel mother who does not doubt that I am a child of a loving Heavenly Father and she has taught me to not doubt that I am a child of a loving God.” ~ Becky T.

“In Romans 8:16-17, we read, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”  “I put my hand on my heart, quote this scripture, and the spirit always instantly bears witness to me that I am a beloved daughter of God.  I do this once a day or sometimes once every 10 minutes depending on my day.  I promise the spirit will bear witness to your spirit that you are a beloved daughter of God.  If you pause at any moment and ask a loving Heavenly Father if you are indeed His daughter, He will confirm it to you instantly.” ~ Heidi P.

“I remember singing as a small child in Primary, “I Am a Child of God.”  I remember singing those words and just KNOWING that they were true.  Then as a teenager, my dad would always say to me when I walked out the door, “remember who you are” and I always knew that he didn’t just mean that I was his daughter but also a daughter of my Heavenly Father.  I believe that our spirits long for us to remember the truth about who we really are.” ~ CarolLynn G.

I love each individual perspective and testimony of these women who know their worth and know that they are daughters of God.

On the day I was in the the temple and had the prompting that I needed to share this message, the impression to remember who I am came so strongly to me.  I felt God’s love for me, reminding me of what I have always known – that I am a “daughter of my Heavenly Father who loves me.” [III]  I know this is something that He wants all of His daughters to know.  He wants us to know that we have a divine heritage.  He wants us to know that our lives have meaning and purpose.  He wants us to trust in His plan for our lives and have confidence in who we are.  He wants us to know that we have a Savior, who provides a way for us to find peace and happiness in this life.  He gave His life willingly, out of love for each of us, because He knows our worth.  “The world’s greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ.” James E. Talmage.

“Remember, you are daughters of our Heavenly Father. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to show you the way to live, so that you could return to Him someday. I testify that as you draw close to the Savior, His infinite Atonement makes it possible for you to repent, to change, to be pure, and to receive His image in your countenance. His Atonement will enable you to be strong and courageous as you continue to raise your banner for virtue.  “Behold, … thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.” “Walk in the paths of virtue. … Lay aside the things of [the] world. … Cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made. … Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive.” – Elaine S. Dalton [IV]

This is what God, our Heavenly Father, wants His daughters to know.