Our Identity as Children of God

“I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny. 

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him. I seek and act upon personal revelation and minister to others in His holy name.

I will stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places.

As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day. With faith, I will strengthen my home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, and receive the ordinances and blessings of the holy temple.”

Some of you may recognize this as the Young Women’s theme. Every other week, as we meet on Sunday, we stand to recite it. I hope the girls understand that this is much more important that just one more thing to memorize and recite.

In his April 2022 General Conference talk, Elder Dale G. Renlund broke down the Young Women’s them and explained how throughout it, we are taught important truths about our divine identity as sons and daughters of God.

This is something I struggled with when I was a young woman. I was a weird kid who turned into an awkward teenager, and those that know me, even some that don’t, can see that the awkwardness never really went away. I was picked on and teased by my peers. I couldn’t see where my place was in this world. Then, I was asked to give a talk for Young Women in Excellence or another similar event about our identity as spiritual daughters of God, our divine nature. I remember being so excited when talking to my dad about this topic and realizing that I did have a place. I was meant to come to earth and had something to contribute. My existence was not a mistake or something that just happened by chance. I had made the most important decision I could make prior to my birth. I chose to fight on the side of Jesus Christ, to be born into a world where I would have the agency to make my own choices as I learned the way back to my Heavenly Father. How did I know I made this choice? I was here, on this earth, living that reality. I may be awkward and weird and not know how to do simple things like casually walk away when the conversation is over, but I am still a daughter of God who loves me, and I hope to continually be known as someone who will fight on the side of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you are not a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, you may be wondering what the Young Women’s theme and a story of be being that age has to do with you. Elder Renlund addressed this when he said, “The profound doctrine taught in the Young Women theme is important for Young Women, but it is also applicable to all, including those of us who are not young women…Understanding this profound truth is important for everyone but especially for individuals belonging to groups who have been historically marginalized, oppressed, or subjugated. Remember that your most important identity relates to your divine nature as a child of God.”

There was a time after the “light bulb moment” I had as a teenager with my dad when I questioned my divine identity as a daughter of God again. I was married to a man who continually put me down, telling me that I was not worth much, pointing out my flaws continually. After a while, I began to believe him. I could only imagine now that, as I prayed to my Heavenly Father asking for forgiveness these “flaws,” He was saddened by the lack of self-worth I had at that point. The Lord does not want us to speak to each other in this manner. He teaches us to speak to each other as Christ would.  In his 1988 talk “Christlike Communication,” Elder L. Lionel Kendrick of the Frist Quorum of the Seventy said, “…we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can be strengthened or shattered by the message and manner we communicate…Christlike communications are expressions of love rather than loudness. They are intended to be helpful rather than hurtful. They tend to bind us together rather than drive us apart. They tend to build us rather than belittle.” We should seek out those who build us up and help us feel our divine worth, and we should do the same for others.

Thankfully, the Lord sent me my wonderful husband to show me that I was important and had value. It wasn’t until a few years after marrying Chad that I could once again see that I had worth. As I have slowly healed from the effects of my first marriage, I have learned some things about myself and my divine identity, and I continue to learn these things. I believe that the Lord tried to show me this while I was still married to my first husband through experiences I had in the temple, but I was unable to recognize it at the time. Recognizing that this happens, Elder Renlund said, “…you are a beloved daughter. Nothing you do – or don’t do – can change that. God Loves you because you are His spirit daughter. God’s love is perfect. Our ability to sense that love is not.” This means our Heavenly Father will always be there for us because He loves us and will pour out that love even when we struggle to feel it simply because we are His children.

How do we know we are spirit sons and daughters of God? What could my dad have possibly told me, for probably the millionth time, as I came to the realizations previously spoken of? It is all available to us through the scriptures, General Conference talks, and other official declarations. In the Old Testament, Genesis 1:27 it says, “So God created man in his own image…male and female created he them.” In the Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:12-13, we read, “…Satan came tempting him saying: Moses, son of man, worship me. And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am the son of God…” In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, we are told, “All human beings – male and female – are created in the image of God. Each a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.” 

Elder Boyd K. Packer said in his April 1989 talk, “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…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!”

My final example is the children’s song we all know and love. A song I sang to my babies as I rocked them to sleep: “I am a Child of God” where we learn simple truths such as He sent us to our earthly home, He knows our needs, there are blessings He has in store for us, and He gave us people to lead us, guide us, walk beside us, and help us find our way back to Him.

A simple search on the Church’s website will show you more evidence that you are a son or daughter of God with “a divine nature and eternal destiny.”

I challenge you to seek out these truths especially if you are struggling like I was as a teenager and again as a young mother. If you need help, ask. There are many who are willing to help. Of course, whether or not you choose to ask someone in person, you can always ask Heavenly Father. He wants to help you! He wants you to know your worth as His child. He loves you!