I am a BELOVED daughter of Heavenly Parents!

I love this statement from 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.”

We are BELOVED to our Heavenly Father and Mother. We are loved deeply and completely. Just stop for a minute and let that sink in…..

 The word beloved makes me think of a beautiful statement Heavenly Father also made to Joseph Smith in the sacred grove, “This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!” Christ is the first-born son of our Heavenly Father with a special role as the Savior of the World, but like Him, we too are just as loved by our Heavenly Parents and we too have a special role to play in this world.

So, what does this really mean to us? AND to our families?

First, I will share a little bit about what this means to me.

For many years of my life I have struggled with a burden. I had learned to ignore it and try hard to not let it hold me back or define me. I suppose I had even convinced myself I had overcome it. It was in my past. I had worked hard to become who I am despite it.

However, through a very sweet and important experience I had last year, my Heavenly Father helped me to know that it was time to get rid of this burden. I was surprised and confused. To be honest, I was not even sure what this “burden” was or if it was really that big of a deal. As I learned to better “Hear Him”, I was led to receive professional counseling and to begin the healing process. For the first time I really learned how the power of the atonement can heal us, even from the mistakes of others. During the process, He sat with me and guided me to find the answers I needed. He gave me thoughts, ideas, brought back memories, and held my hand so patiently. He shared a bit of His love with me so that I could feel that love for others I needed to. During all this, I learned of the deep love my Heavenly Father has for me. He KNOWS me. He SEES me. He knew what I needed to be whole in my life, even when I didn’t. He KNOWS my divine potential and He wanted to help me reach it. He has never forgotten me.

Since this experience I have felt such peace and freedom. I feel this invigorating push to become more. I have felt new strength and confidence. I feel like a giant door has opened to me with so much opportunity to explore.

As I have come to understand all this better, I’ve thought a lot about my own family, especially my children. I’ve loved watching my son this year. I see how thoughtful and kind he is. I see how hard he tries to do what is right. He is precise and careful to do his very best. I look at my daughter who is full of positivity. She radiates joy and smiles and love. She is friendly and helps others. I won’t share all my children’s strengths for time’s sake, but do you ever look at your children and begin to see their divine nature? Do you begin to imagine the wonderful things they will do while on this earth? How much more must our Heavenly Father know of their strengths and their potential! I have been thinking a lot about how we can help our children reach their own potential. To see their talents used for good. To watch them grow to become their best selves. To see them fulfill what they came here to do.

I have come to understand this year that the only way I can truly help my children reach their divine potential and eternal destiny is to help them come to their Father in Heaven and to our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have only a small glimpse of who they can become. But, if I can teach them to come closer to their Heavenly Father, He will teach them and guide them.

I love the BYU devotional by Sharon G. Samuelson titled, “Teach the Children”. She talks about how our children “are an heritance of the Lord” and says, “ we also must understand that He shares in the responsibility to love, nurture, teach, protect, and encourage His own most precious possessions; His literal spirit children…. We are really agents of God the Father in providing these precious little ones the very best mortal experiences possible.”

The Family Proclamation has so many wonderful lessons to learn. This is just one of them I hope that I shared concisely: Teach our children to know and seek their Father in Heaven and our brother, Jesus Christ. They will guide them to understand their divine nature and help them achieve their greatest potential here on earth.