It’s amazing the power of self-identity. There are numerous stories about individuals who are captured, tortured and beaten on a daily basis and when they were asked how they got through it, one of the things they always say is that they never lost sight of who they were. It was the one thing that their captors couldn’t take away from them. No matter how many times the captors tried to make their prisoners one of them, the realization of who they were helped them cope with the situation that they found themselves in.
When tragedy, despair, and all the evils of this world surround us and try to take that hope away, we must remember to never forget who we are and whose we are. As we remember and act like children of our Heavenly Father, we will retain the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, and what the purpose of this life is truly about and what He wants us to accomplish in this life.
One of my favorite Disney movies that I like to quote at firesides is the Lion King, specifically when Mufasa came to Simba to remind him of the implications of forgetting who was when he told him “You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me.”
As we lose sight of who we are, we inevitably forget the Father. As we lose track of this we become incorporated into the world around us until at long last we have lost our own self-worth and identity. Always remember that we are children of our Heavenly Father and that we all have a divine worth and destiny. Remember not only who you are but also whose you are. He will come close to you as you come closer unto Him.
One of the problems with youth is that you just have not lived long enough to realize that everything really does work out in the end.
You can argue the same case even for older adults that we still haven’t lived long enough to realize the same truth from an eternal perspective.
We all have so much to offer to the world around us. God has put us here on Earth to do more than just exist. Remember that life is a journey, not a guided tour. You’ll never be who God intended you to be if you are constantly trying guess what others want you to become. Heavenly Father is understanding and aware of all of the struggles we face whether large or small. We need to keep in remembrance not only who we are but also whose we are. As we better realize who we are and our purpose here on our Earth, our knowledge, testimony and love of Heavenly Father and the gospel will continue to grow and we will be ready and able to bless the human race as only we can.
