Every human being has infinite worth because each of us
is a spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Father.
Everyone has value and importance in the eyes of God. Each of us has talents and abilities that can
bless our own lives as well as the lives of others, but some people do not feel
they are valuable and seek to find importance through following the fads and
lifestyles of the world. Each individual
is different from every other member of the human race, but each is of great
worth to Heavenly Father.
In a revelation given to Joseph Smith the
Prophet, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer, at Fayette, New York, in June 1829,
the Lord Jesus Christ defined the worth of each human being: "Remember
the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).
As children of God we have infinite worth. We all are individual and look, sound, and
act differently than anyone else, but we are all important in the sight of
God. Our Heavenly Father has given each
of us a unique and individual combination of strengths and weaknesses.
In another revelation to Joseph Smith the
Prophet, given in Kirtland ,
Ohio
"Wherefore,
beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly
the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;
"For
verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and
keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be
benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they
may consume it upon their lusts.
"And
again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and
always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the
church.
"For
all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every
man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
"To
some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited
thereby" (Doctrine and Covenants
46:8-12).
The Lord then proceeded to list the gifts given
to His children as well as the reasons for those gifts. "To
some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
"To
others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal
life if they continue faithful.
"And
again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of
administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the
Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of
men.
"And
again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations,
whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the Spirit may be given to
every man to profit withal.
"And
again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word
of wisdom.
"To
another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and
to have knowledge.
"And
again, to some it is given to have faith to be healed;
"And
to others it is given to have faith to heal.
"And
again, to some is given the working of miracles;
"And
to others it is given to prophesy;
"And
to others the discerning of spirits,
"And
again, it is given to some to speak with tongues;
"And
to another is given the interpretation of tongues.
"And
all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God"
(Doctrine and Covenants 46:13-26).
There are many gifts that are not mentioned in the
scriptures such as the ability to be cheerful or the ability to be a good
listener. Some people have the gift to
be great basketball players while others have great musical abilities. Some people are excellent photographers while
others paint beautiful pictures. Some
people are gifted with the ability to be great speakers while others have the
ability to be well-organized. Some
people are totally honest while other people are very dependable. The list of gifts can go on and on, but when
taken as a whole, they bestow great blessings to all mankind.
In addition to receiving at least one gift, we
are each given one or more weaknesses.
Moroni, the final prophet in the Book
of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, sought comfort from the Lord
about his weaknesses and was told, "And
if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be
humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before
me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I
make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27).
The Lord gives us weaknesses to keep us humble
and teachable in order that we can become stronger. He desires that we come unto Him and seek
help in overcoming our weaknesses and turning them into strengths. An excellent example of weaknesses becoming
strengths is found in the life of Demosthenes (384?-322 B.C.). Demosthenes was a statesman who lived in Athens , Greece
Demosthenes came from a wealthy family, but his
father died when he was just a boy. He
was raised by three guardians who stole most of his inheritance. Demosthenes studied law and oratory and
brought his guardians to court when he became an adult. He did so well in his lawsuit that he decided
to enter politics. He wanted to become
an orator, but he "had a harsh, unpleasant voice and an awkward
manner" and "suffered from shortness of breath." Legend tells us that he overcame his weakness
in speaking by going to the beach, filling his mouth with pebbles, and shouting
above the noise of the waves. (See World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p.
129).
A story from more modern times was told by Victor
W. Harris ("The Miracle of Jenni," New Era, Mar. 1996, 12-14).
"I remember the first time Jenni walked into
my seminary class and said hi to me. She
had a very difficult time speaking, her words were slurred and hard to understand,
and she limped and hobbled as she tried to make her legs carry her frail body
toward her desk. During Jenni's first
week … in my class, she seemed content to be mostly ignored by her classmates,
who appeared to be struggling to figure out how to interact with her.
"Jenni would try to speak, and very few
students could understand her. … Most of them distanced themselves from her
both physically and socially and, as a result, proceeded to politely ignore
her.
"However, they weren't aware that inside
Jenni's deformed body were a keen mind, a heart of gold, and an indomitable
spirit crying out to be heard, to be understood, to be accepted, and to be
loved. She wouldn't be ignored, politely
or otherwise.
One day Jenni asked her teacher if she could say
something in class and asked for a friend to sit by her at lunch. The class was silent for a long moment, and
then a girl named Treasure volunteered.
"`I'll be your friend, Jenni.' … This … gave Treasure's friend Wendy the
confidence to raise her hand and tell Jenni that she would also be her friend
and sit by her at lunch ever day….
"I noticed as the days turned into weeks
that Treasure and Wendy began to translate Jenni's words when we couldn't
understand her.
"As the students began to see what a
beautiful, intelligent person Jenni was, they began to invite her to activities
[and] help her with her difficulties….
Jenni's classmates helped her realize what a wonderful person she is. [They] included her in their circle of
friends and helped her feel like she belonged; [they] saw through her handicap
to the special needs of her heart - a young woman wanting to be accepted and
understood."
I can almost feel the suspense in that classroom
after Jenni requested a friend. The
class ignored Jenni until she would not allow them to ignore her any
longer. When they got to know her, they
discovered that Jenni had a beautiful spirit in spite of her physical
problems. The class members learned the
importance of looking beyond physical differences to understand the true worth
of each person in the sight of God.
Samuel the Prophet learned this same lesson when he was searching for
the first king of Israel
"But
the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his
stature; because I have refused him: for
the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
If we so desire, we can develop our talents and
share our gifts and accomplish much good.
Elder Gordon B. Hinckley while a member
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:
"The work of the world is not done by intellectual geniuses. It is done by men [and women] of ordinary
capacity who use their abilities in an extraordinary manner" (Ensign, Jan. 1973, 92).
What can we do to discover our gifts and talents
in order to use them to the fullest extend possible in blessing mankind? Many years ago I heard an acquaintance say
that she wanted to sing in the ward choir but couldn't sing. She asked the Lord to help her learn how to
sing. In fact, she asked the Lord to
take the gift of singing from someone who did not appreciate it and to give it
to her. I do not know if this happened;
I do know that she sang beautifully in the ward choir.
There are numerous ways that we can discover our
gifts and talents. One of those ways is
to simply try new skills. One of my
daughters taught herself to knit and crochet and makes beautiful items; she
even writes a blog about her projects.
Her enjoyment of her new skills rekindled my desires to pull out my
knitting needles and start knitting again.
We were both knitting at our recent family reunion, and another daughter
became interested in learning to knit. I
happened to have some extra needles and yarn with me, and we proceeded to teach
her the basic skills of knitting. Before
the reunion was over, we made a trip to a yarn store where she purchased her
own needles and yarn to make a hat for a new baby.
Another way we can develop our talents is to
accept assignments and responsibilities in the Church, the PTA, etc. Through serving we learn many different
skills and develop new friendships.
Still another way is to plead with the Lord in prayer for knowledge. Answers to our prayers may come through
studying the scriptures, receiving our patriarchal blessing, and/or listening
to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, the counsel of parents, the Prophet and
other leaders.
The Lord revealed information to Moses that
indicates where God's priorities are: "For
behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and
eternal life of man" (Pearl
The most important work for God to do is to help
His children obtain immortality and eternal life. This is His primary concern! He gives us gifts and talents to prepare us
to help Him accomplish His work. If we
use our abilities righteously, we can become instruments in the hands of the
Lord and help others to return to His presence.
Simply knowing that we are helping God can increase our sense of worth.
We can help other people to understand better who
they are and how they can contribute to this eternal project. We can share our gifts with them; we can
recognize their gifts and talents, and we can provide opportunities for them to
share their gifts and talents with others.
Elder Marvin J. Ashton, who was a member of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stated:
"As children of God we are somebody. He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if
we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with him. What a great blessing to be created in his
image and know of our true potential in and through him!" (in Ensign, July 1973, 24).
I testify that each person has great worth in the
eyes of God and holds an important role in God's plan for His children. I know that God loves each of His children
and has a special plan for each of us to help us return to Him and have eternal
joy. I encourage each of my readers to
recognize your own worth as a child of God as well as the great worth of others
in the sight of God.
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