Lesson: Individual Worth

Thanks to Charity for reminding us that we came to earth not to find our self-worth but bringing with us our self-worth. We love you Charity and so appreciate your heartfelt teaching.

The worth of a soul
is it's capacity to become like God.

Much of Charity's lesson was taken from a BYU speech, by Sheri Dew,  You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory.

You were born to lead

You have been told countless times that you are a chosen generation reserved for the latter part of the latter days. Just two months ago, in general conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley said once again: "You are the best generation we have ever had" ("An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World," Ensign, November 2003, 84). It's akin to being chosen to run the last leg of a relay, where the coach always positions his strongest runner.

You were recommended to help run the last leg of the relay that began with Adam and Eve because your premortal spiritual valor indicated you would have the courage and the determination to face the world at its worst, to do combat with the evil one during his heyday, and, in spite of it all, to be fearless in building the kingdom of God.

You simply must understand this, because you were born to lead by virtue of who you are, the covenants you have made, and the fact that you are here now in the 11th hour.

It takes courage, and determination to do that. And God has trusted us with the tasks of building the kingdom. We must recognize and realize our potential.

The simple fact is that our Father did not recommend Eve or Moses or Nephi or countless other magnificent exemplars for this dispensation—He recommended you and me.

Do you think God would have left the last days to chance by sending men and women He couldn't count on?

A common theme of patriarchal blessings given to men and women your age is that you were sent now because our Father's most trustworthy children would be needed in the final, decisive battle for righteousness.

That is who you are, and it is who you have always been.

God wants a powerful people

If God wants a powerful people who can withstand the wiles of the devil--and He does--and if we were born to lead in these latter days--and we were--then we need to understand how God makes His power available to us and how we gain access to that power.

 1. There is power in the word of God. 

Alma and the sons of Mosiah learned that the preaching of the word--meaning the gospel of Jesus Christ--has a "more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than . . . anything else" (Alma 31:5). There is power in the word to heal our wounded souls (see Jacob 2:8), to help us overcome temptation (see 1 Nephi 11:25), to prompt us to repent (see Jarom 1:12), to humble us (see Alma 32:14), to help us overcome the natural man (see Mosiah 3:19), to bring about a mighty change in our hearts (see Alma 5:13), and to lead us to Christ.

President Boyd K. Packer taught: True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. ["Little Children," Ensign, November 1986, 17]

In other words, the word of God can transform us.

Do you realize that the scriptures contain the answer to every life dilemma? 

A casual understanding of the gospel will not sustain you through the days ahead, which is why it is imperative that you immerse yourself in the word of God. 

2. There is power in the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The gift of the Holy Ghost is a gift of power.

The Holy Ghost inspires and heals, guides and warns, enhances our natural capacities, inspires charity and humility, makes us smarter than we are, strengthens us during trials, testifies of the Father and the Son, and shows us "all things" that we should do (2 Nephi 32:5).

No wonder President Hinckley has said: "There is no greater blessing that can come into our lives than . . . the companionship of the Holy Spirit" (Boston Massachusetts Regional Conference, priesthood leadership session, 22 April 1995; quoted in TGBH, 259).

Because the Holy Ghost will show us everything we should do, it only makes sense to learn how He communicates—or to learn the language of revelation.

Our challenge is not getting the Lord to speak to us; our challenge is understanding what He has to say (see D&C 6:14).

3. There is power in the Priesthood.

There is power in ordinances. All who are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost are eligible to speak the words of Christ and qualify for eternal life. Those who are endowed with power in the house of the Lord need never face the adversary alone. Couples worthy to be sealed at an altar in that holy house are gifted with power.

The power of the priesthood heals, protects, and inoculates every righteous man and woman against the powers of darkness. 

...Priesthood power safeguards us from the world, binds heaven and earth, subdues the adversary, blesses and heals, and enables us to triumph over mortality. Every ordinance of the Melchizedek Priesthood helps prepare us to live in the presence of God.

I am deeply grateful for the power of the priesthood and the gift of having full access to this power, which when used righteously is the only true power on earth.

 4. There is power in the House of the Lord.

In the temple we learn how to deal with Satan, how to live in the world without letting it stain us, how to fulfill our foreordained missions, and how to come into the presence of God. The best place to learn about the temple is in the temple. Our kept covenants will eventually save us. And that is power!

5. There is power in the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

He taught me that He not only paid the price for sin but compensated for all of the pain we experience in life. He taught me that because of His Atonement, we have access to His grace, or enabling power--power that frees us from sin; power to be healed emotionally, physically, and spiritually; power to "loose the bands of death" (Alma 7:12); power to turn weakness into strength (see Ether 12:27); and power to receive salvation through faith on His name (see Mosiah 3:19).

It is because of the Atonement that, if we build our foundation on Christ, the devil can have no power over us (see Helaman 5:12).

Rise to your potential

You were born to lead as mothers and fathers, because nowhere is righteous leadership more crucial than in the family. You were born to lead as priesthood and auxiliary leaders; as heads of communities, companies, and even nations. You were born to lead as men and women willing "to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places," because that's what a true leader does (Mosiah 18:9; emphasis added).

You were born to lead, and, in the words of Isaiah, you were born for glory (see Isaiah 62:2–3).

Barbara B. Smith, on our individual worth:

No woman was ever quite like you.

The Lord made only one, without carbons.

You are not repeated and not repeatable.

No one else can do what the Lord sent you to do.

The value of what you have to contribute will come through
the expression of your own personality,
that particular spark of the divine that make you unique,
setting you off from every other living creature.

The mark you leave on the world, on the hearts and minds
of others is as distinct as your thumb print.

~ Sister Barbara B. Smith

[Read more from Sheri Dew's book God Wants a Powerful People or borrow the book from me. Very inspiring and motivating. e]