Last month was General Conference and we’re
asked to pick a talk given to use in Home Teaching the following month. This
month I thought these two talks got us back to the basics of our beliefs. c/ork
Of the Presidency of the Seventy
Our most fundamental doctrine includes the knowledge that we are
children of a living God. That is why one of His most sacred names is
Father—Heavenly Father. This doctrine has been clearly taught by prophets
through the ages:
·
When tempted by Satan, Moses rebuffed him, saying: “Who art thou?
For behold, I am a son of God.”1
·
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received a vision in
which they saw the Father and the Son, and a heavenly voice declared that the
inhabitants of the worlds “are begotten sons and
daughters unto God.”4
·
In 1995, the 15 living apostles and prophets affirmed: “All
human beings … are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter
of heavenly parents.”5
·
President Thomas S. Monson testified: “We are sons and daughters of a living God. … We cannot sincerely hold this
conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power.”6
This
doctrine is so basic, so oft stated, and so instinctively simple that it can
seem to be ordinary, when in reality it is among the most extraordinary
knowledge we can obtain. A correct understanding of our heavenly heritage is
essential to exaltation. It is foundational to comprehending the glorious plan
of salvation and to nurturing faith in the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus the
Christ, and in His merciful Atonement.7 Further, it provides continual
motivation for us to make and keep our indispensable eternal covenants.
With
few exceptions, everyone participating in this meeting could right now, without
written lyrics or music, sing “I Am a Child of God.”8 This beloved hymn is one of the most
often sung in this Church. But the critical question is, do we really know it? Do we know it in our mind and
in our heart and in our soul? Is our heavenly parentage our first and most
profound identity?
Here
on earth, we identify ourselves in many different ways, including our place of
birth, our nationality, and our language. Some even identify themselves by
their occupation or their hobby. These earthly identities are not wrong unless they supersede or interfere with our
eternal identity—that of being a son or a daughter of God.
When
our youngest child was six years old and in the first grade at school, her
teacher gave the children an in-class writing assignment. It was October, the
month of Halloween, a holiday observed in some parts of the world. While it is
not my favorite holiday, I suppose there may be some innocent and redeeming
aspects of Halloween.
The
teacher passed out a piece of paper to the young students. At the top was a
roughly drawn picture of a mythical witch (I told you this was not my favorite
holiday) standing over a boiling cauldron. The question posed on the page, to
encourage the imaginations of the children and to test their rudimentary
writing skills, was “You have just drunk a cup of the witch’s brew. What
happened to you?” Please know that this story is not being shared as a
recommendation to teachers.
“You
have just drunk a cup of the witch’s brew. What happened to you?” With her best
beginner’s writing, our little one wrote, “I will die and I will be in heaven.
I will like it there. I would love it because it is the best place to be
because you are with your Heavenly Father.” This answer likely surprised her
teacher; however, when our daughter brought the completed assignment home, we
noted that she was given a star, the highest grade.
In
real life, we face actual, not imagined, hardships. There is pain—physical,
emotional, and spiritual. There are heartbreaks when circumstances are very
different from what we had anticipated. There is injustice when we do not seem
to deserve our situation. There are disappointments when someone we trusted
failed us. There are health and financial setbacks that can be disorienting.
There may be times of question when a matter of doctrine or history is beyond
our current understanding.
When
difficult things occur in our lives, what is our immediate response? Is it
confusion or doubt or spiritual withdrawal? Is it a blow to our faith? Do we
blame God or others for our circumstances? Or is our first response to remember
who we are—that we are children of a loving God? Is that coupled with an
absolute trust that He allows some earthly suffering because He knows it will
bless us, like a refiner’s fire, to become like Him and to gain our eternal
inheritance?9
Recently,
I was in a meeting with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. In
teaching the principle that mortal life can be agonizing but our hardships have
eternal purpose—even if we do not understand it at the time—Elder Holland said,
“You can have what you want, or you can have something better.”
Five
months ago, my wife, Diane, and I went to Africa with Elder and Sister David A. Bednar. The sixth and
last country we visited was Liberia. Liberia is a great country with a noble
people and a rich history, but things have not been easy there. Decades of
political instability and civil wars have worsened the plague of poverty. On
top of that, the dreaded Ebola disease killed nearly 5,000 people there during
the latest outbreak. We were the first group of Church leaders from outside the
area to visit Monrovia, the capital city, since the World Health Organization
declared it safe to do so after the Ebola crisis.
On
a very hot and humid Sunday morning, we traveled to a rented meeting facility
in the center of the city. Every available chair was set up, totaling 3,500
seats. The final count of attendees was 4,100. Almost all who came had to
travel by foot or some form of inconvenient public transportation; it was not
easy for the Saints to gather. But they came. Most arrived several hours before
the appointed meeting time. As we entered the hall, the spiritual atmosphere
was electric! The Saints were prepared to be taught.
When
a speaker quoted a scripture, the members would say the verse aloud. It did not
matter—short scripture or long; the entire congregation responded in unison.
Now, we do not necessarily recommend this, but it was certainly impressive that
they could do it. And the choir—they were powerful. With an enthusiastic choir
director and a 14-year-old young man at the keyboard, the members sang with
vigor and strength.
Then
Elder Bednar spoke. This, of course, was the anticipated highlight of the
gathering—to hear an Apostle teach and testify. Clearly with spiritual
direction, partway through his remarks, Elder Bednar stopped and said, “Do you
know ‘How Firm a Foundation’?”
It
seemed that 4,100 voices roared in response, “YES!”
He
then asked, “Do you know verse 7?”
Again
the entire group answered, “YES!”
The
arrangement of the mighty hymn “How Firm a Foundation” sung by the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir for the last 10 years has included verse 7, which was not sung
much previously. Elder Bednar instructed, “Let’s sing verses 1, 2, 3, and 7.”
Without
hesitation, the choir director jumped up and the Aaronic Priesthood–bearing
accompanist immediately began to energetically play the introductory chords.
With a level of conviction I have never felt before in a congregational hymn,
we sang verses 1, 2, and 3. Then the volume and spiritual power was elevated
when 4,100 voices sang the seventh verse and declared:
The soul
that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will
not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul,
though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll
never, no never, I’ll never, no never,
In
one of the most remarkable spiritual events of my life, I was taught a profound
lesson that day. We live in a world that can cause us to forget who we really
are. The more distractions that surround us, the easier it is to treat
casually, then ignore, and then forget our connection with God. The Saints in
Liberia have little materially, and yet they seem to have everything
spiritually. What we witnessed that day in Monrovia was a group of sons and
daughters of God who knew it!
In
today’s world, no matter where we live and no matter what our circumstances
are, it is essential that our preeminent identity is as a child of God. Knowing that will allow our faith to flourish,
will motivate our continual repentance, and will provide the strength to “be
steadfast and immovable” throughout our mortal journey.11 In the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
“Without
Wondering”
cji
5/1/16
Having a
sure knowledge
who I am
– where I came from
what
understanding and love
given by
the Father to each
we’re
his children all of us
every
creed, culture, person
none are
left out of his family
therefore
we’ve a royal birthright
while
many question this idea
still it
is true and thus eternal
partake
of the Scriptures
they
testify to this knowledge
without
wondering we can know!
Copyright © 2016 – cji
