Each month, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints provides a lesson for active church members to share with less-active or in-active members and investigators. I decided to go one step further and share my thoughts with anyone who cares to read them. I am Mormon and I am proud of it. You do not have to be Mormon to appreciate the lessons taught. The Book of Mormon is not a replacement for The Bible, it is a supplement and provides clarification where transcription and translation errors may have caused confusion.
This month's message can be found at https://www.lds.org/liahona/2014/04/the-divine-mission-of-jesus-christ-savior-and-redeemer?lang=eng
As I read this month's lesson the song I Know That My Redeemer Lives came to mind. Through Christ's Atonement I have been redeemed. My heart sings to know that Heavenly Father loved me enough to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die so that I may know true happiness and return to my Heavenly Parents one day. Christ died and then rose again. He lives today in the hearts of righteous men and women across the globe.
That's the easy part. The hard part is believing that I am worthy of the love of The Father and the sacrifice of His Son. I could spend hours, days even, listing all my flaws, both real and imagined. And yet, I remain a beloved daughter of God. How is this even possible?
When my work here is done, I will return to my Father's side where I first made the decision to follow Him and grow according to his plan. I know this to be true. And yet, I still doubt my worth.
I love the story that Linda K Burton, Relief Society General President relates " One woman who had been through years of trial and sorrow said through her tears, I have come to realize that I am like an old 20-dollar bill - crumpled, torn, dirty, abused and scarred. But ... I am still worth the full 20 dollars."
I could be that woman. There has been so much pain and misery. In a single heartbeat my fairytale marriage and my entire life shattered. The physical pain I suffer today is nothing compared to the emotional pain I suffered then. If that single pain caused me so much suffering, how much worse was the pain that Jesus suffered in the garden of Gethsemane? How can I ever make it up to Him and Our Father?
By living up to my greatest potential and proving my true worth. I am not perfect. I make mistakes every day. I am still learning. If I stick to the path God has shown us and I hold tight to the iron rod, I will one day return to Heavenly Father. Until that day, I will keep reminding myself that I am a beloved daughter of God.
In fact, God loves me so much that he brought a wonderful man into my life to help me heal from the inside and to teach me how to love and trust again. I am so blessed to have him in my life and overjoyed that I will be able to spend all of Eternity at his side. With a reminder like that, how can I ever doubt my own worth?
No comments:
Post a Comment