Life Weapon #1

“Perhaps the most important things for us to see clearly are who God is and who we really are — sons and daughters of heavenly parents, with a ‘divine nature and eternal destiny.’”1

This is it. This is the game changer. The earlier our children can figure out who God is and who they really are, the more their goals and actions line up with eternal values and the less intense parenting needs to happen.

I have a daughter who could be described as an artistic introvert. As a child, she would draw and read and create for hours. Once a month we would clean out the corners of her bedroom, taking grocery bags full of GARBAGE out of the premises. Well, what was garbage to a de-cluttering mother was items of potential creative greatness in the eyes of this elementary student. Who knew you could sculpt objects out of gum wrappers, for instance?

School was very painful for this child. Friendship did not come easily and was difficult to maintain. Recess was spent wandering or reading, alone. As a person who loves people and social interaction, this was extremely painful for me to watch. How I loved this gentle child! Why were people overlooking her goodness?

Round about the Age of Great Confusion (13-years-old, of course), this child was attending a church gathering of girls ages 12 to 18. Highlighted in the meeting was a program that sent seekers to their scriptures to learn more about faith, their identity and worth, agency, service, integrity and virtue. In that meeting my daughter felt a spiritual impression that that program was for her.

She was hooked. Experiences that were usually spread out over six years were completed in less than ten months. Priceless scriptural gems like Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;” and Moses 1:6 “…I have a work for thee, Moses, my son;” began to open her eyes to not only who she was but who she has always been and what she was supposed to be doing. Whereas looking at the ground and not speaking in groups was once the norm, she began to make and maintain eye contact and to participate in group discussions.

Large social gatherings and even striking up a conversation with a new classmate are still difficult for this child, but those are ‘skills to acquire’ on her personal goal chart. She knows who God is and is confident and comfortable in her personal relationship with her Father in Heaven and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

Did I do that? Umm….no. The changes that happened for this beautiful girl came from time in her scriptures, from experiences of being taught by the Holy Ghost, and from moments of personal prayer where no one was around, especially her doting mother. The changes came gradually with Heavenly help.

I have another daughter who is an extrovert that loves people. It seems that everything she touches turns to gold, everything she tries she does well. How does the knowledge of who God is and who you really are help this child? Quite simply, it helps her maintain perspective.

She recognizes that all talents are gifts from God that are to be used to forward His work. She can clearly see and has experienced that the applaud of the world is fleeting and can change to boos as soon as you turn your back. But validation from God doesn’t change.

She also understands that just as she is His beloved daughter, so she is surrounded by His sons and daughters every day. Because of her own personal witness from the Holy Ghost, she can see that “all human beings are sons and daughters of a loving Father in Heaven”2 and should be treated as such. That has made a big difference in her daily interactions.

Where did she acquire such an understanding? Again, time in her scriptures, from experiences of being taught by the Holy Ghost, and from moments of personal prayer where no one was around, especially her doting mother. The changes came gradually with Heavenly help.

You need to understand that I believe that the heavens are open. I believe that God communicates to His children through the scriptures, through the Holy Ghost, and through modern day prophets. I have experienced such personal revelation, or divine communication, and have seen it happen in my children’s lives AS THEY SEEK IT as well. How else would they come to know who God is unless He reveals it to them? How else would they come to understand their place in this world as His child without Him explaining it to them?