YW Lesson Who am I, and who can I become?
We are beloved spirit daughters of heavenly parents, and, as such, we have a
divine nature and destiny. By divine design, we have unique gifts and talents
that will help us fulfill our destiny as daughters of God. Knowing who we are
gives our lives purpose and helps us make the right decisions. ~Come Follow Me Curriculum
Pres. Uchtdorf: Your True
Identity
“Women of God can never be like women of the world. The
world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are
enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women
who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and
fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more
goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough
popularity; we need more purity.”
~Margaret Nadauld
The Family Proclamation:
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.
Notes from Pres. Nelson’s talk on True Millennials:
Link to the whole talk
“You are a chosen generation,
fore-determined by God to do a remarkable work — to help prepare the people of
this world for the Second Coming of the Lord.”
“The term ‘millennial’ is perfect for
you if that term reminds you of who you really are and what your purpose in
life really is,” President Nelson said. “A ‘true millennial’ is one who was
taught and did teach the gospel of Jesus Christ premortally, and who made
covenants with Heavenly Father there about courageous things — even morally
courageous things — you would do while here on earth.”
First,
“learn who you really are.”
Second,
expect and prepare to accomplish the impossible.
“Because
you are covenant-keeping sons and daughters of God, living in the latter part
of the latter days, the Lord will ask you to do difficult things. You can count
on it.”
Recognizing
that being asked to do something that seems far beyond one’s capacity can be
unnerving, President Nelson encouraged listeners to accept challenging tasks
and become an instrument in the Lord’s hands.
“The Lord is able to do His own work, and I was privileged
to watch the unfolding of one miracle after another — always, and only, after I
had brought my best thinking, my most courageous efforts, and my most fervent
prayers to the task,” he said.
“As a ‘true millennial’ whom the Lord can count on, you will
make history too!” he said. “You will be asked to accept challenging
assignments and become an instrument in the Lord’s hands. And, He will enable
you to accomplish the impossible.”
Third,
“true millennials” learn how to access the power of heaven.
Recognizing that some may be struggling with questions,
President Nelson said it is up to an individual to learn how to qualify for and
receive answers.
“Where can you start?” he asked. “Begin by spending more
time in holy places.”
Just as the apostles seek, ponder,
pray, study and wrestle when faced with difficult questions, so does each
person as he or she seeks answers to his or her own questions.
Give the Lord a generous portion of your time.
Fourth,
President Nelson spoke of the need to “follow the prophets.”
“Prophets see ahead,” he said. “They see the harrowing
dangers the adversary has placed, or will yet place, in our path. Prophets also
foresee the grand possibilities and privileges awaiting those who listen with
the intent to obey. …
“You may not always understand every declaration of a living
prophet,” he said. “But when you know a prophet is a prophet, you can approach
the Lord in humility and faith and ask for your own witness about whatever His
prophet has proclaimed.”
Other thoughts about divine potential:
Don’t give the Lord the crumbs of your time.- something I heard from a YW leader at a training
Be loyal to the royal within you.
There are two important days in your life: The day you were born and the day you found
out why.
“My dear friends, you are a royal
generation. You were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special
purpose. Not just a few of you, but all of you. There are things for each of
you to do that no one else can do as well as you. … If you will let Him, I
testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of
life and inspire you to know your special purpose here” (H. Burke
Peterson, “Your Life Has a Purpose,” New Era, May 1979, p. 5)
“You
are not just ordinary young men and young women. You are choice spirits, many
of you having been held back in reserve for almost 6,000 years to come forth in
this day, at this time when the temptations, responsibilities, and
opportunities are the very greatest. …
“… We
pray that you will be prepared for the reins of leadership. …
“… I
pray that you—the young and rising generation—will keep your bodies and minds
clean, free from the contaminations of the world, that you will be fit and pure
vessels to bear off the kingdom of God triumphant in preparation for the second
coming of our Savior” (Ezra Taft Benson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1977,
pp. 43, 46–47; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, pp. 30, 32).
“You, our youth of today, are among the
most illustrious spirits to be born into mortality in any age of the world. …
Be prepared to become leaders in that glorious millennial day when Christ
himself will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Harold B. Lee, Happiness
through Faith in Jesus Christ [family home evening manual, 1977–78],
pp. 34, 39).
If you ever question that spark of
divinity within you, kneel in prayer and ask Heavenly Father, “Am I really Thy
daughter, and dost Thou love me?” Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “One of
the sweetest messages the Spirit will relay is how the Lord feels about
you.” Rosemary Wixon
My deep desire is to clarify how we in
the presiding councils of the Church feel about the sisters of this Church, how
our Heavenly Father feels about His daughters, and what He expects of them. My
dear sisters, we believe in you. We believe in and are counting on your
goodness and your strength, your propensity for virtue and valor, your kindness
and courage, your strength and resilience. We believe in your mission as women
of God. We realize that you are the emotional (and sometimes spiritual) glue
that holds families and often ward families together. We believe that the
Church simply will not accomplish what it must without your faith and
faithfulness, your innate tendency to put the well-being of others ahead of
your own, and your spiritual strength and tenacity. And we believe that God’s
plan is for you to become queens and to receive the highest blessings any woman
can receive in time or eternity. On the other hand, Satan’s plan is to get you
so preoccupied with the world’s glitzy lie about women that you completely miss
what you have come here to do and to become. Remember, he wants us to “be
miserable like unto himself” (2
Ne. 2:27). Never lose your precious identity by
doing anything that would jeopardize the promised eternal future your Heavenly
Father has provided for you.
M. Russell Ballard, Women of Righteousness, April 2002
“The whole design of the gospel is to lead us onward and
upward to greater achievement, even, eventually, to godhood” (“Don’t
Drop the Ball,” Ensign or Liahona,
Nov. 1994, 48).
The Young Women Theme:
We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who
loves us, and we love Him.
We will “stand as
witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (
Mosiah 18:9)
as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:
Faith •
Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good
Works • Integrity • and Virtue
We believe as we come to accept and act upon
these values,
we will be prepared to strengthen
home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the
temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.
