If God our Father believes that each soul is great and precious in his sight, how then it must be important for us to think and act the same about others including ourselves.
The world we live in is influenced so much by images we see in the media it can be very easy to get caught in the trap of what makes a person truly beautiful inside and out.
A soul is our physical body joined together with our spirits, we are spirit Children of a loving Father who out of the dust created our mortal bodies to house our spirits. The body is a Temple a sacred tabernacle for our spirit to gain earthly experiences.
When I was younger I remember feeling like I was not as pretty as other girls, I wore glasses, had braces, and wore special shoes to help my feet. I did not seem to match the images that I saw on TV or in magazines, or the others around me. It took quit awhile for me to figure out that I was just fine as I was. That I had qualities that were unique that were given just for me. I noticed I had great skin, and my eyes were pretty, I had a great head a hair, long legs, and nice hands with long fingernails(before I had kids).
I'm sure I am not the only one who struggled trying to understand who I was and how important I was to my Heavenly Father
In an article entitled Truth, Lies, and Your Self Worth, there are some great quotes from our Apostles
Lie: Your worth comes from how you compare to others.
"As a teenager, you’re probably well aware of how you compare to your peers. You want to fit in and be your best, which often means you want to be like someone else. When someone seems better at something than you, you may feel like you’re not good enough and that you need to be better in order to be accepted. One problem with this lie is that by tying your self-worth to other people, you’re often comparing another person’s strength to one of your weaknesses (see President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, “Forget Me Not,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 120). This can also lead to envy and pride, especially if you put down other people to try and make yourself appear better."
I loved the part about comparing another person strength against one of your weaknesses.
If we spend so much of our time trying to be something we are not, we are wasting the precious time we have been given, to strengthen our very own personal strengths and weaknesses.
It is so gratifying to see something in yourself and know that you can improve, and make changes that will make you who our Heavenly Father has designed you to be.
I know this person who struggled with depression and anxieties, they kept him away from the Lord for a time, I have had the privilege of watching his transformation, from a shy and quite person to a very determined person. He uses exercise and healthy lifestyle to overcome some of his challenges, and now he inspires others to make those changes. Such a difference when we can learn from someone either from a strength or a weakness that they posses, but it ultimately is our choice to make those necessary changes in ourselves because we know we can do it, and through prayer and dedication we can make those changes.
Here is the truth statement
"Truth: Everyone has different gifts. You can feel good about yourself and be grateful no matter what your talents are.
The Lord wants you to be yourself, not someone else. He knows that you and everyone on this earth have strengths and weaknesses. Comparing yourself to someone else doesn’t help you be better. Of course, it’s important to improve yourself and to make goals, but they should be based on doing your best, not someone else’s.
If you want to feel better about yourself, try being grateful for what you have. “Comparing blessings is almost certain to drive out joy,” says Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “We cannot be grateful and envious at the same time. If we truly want to have the Spirit of the Lord and experience joy and happiness, we should rejoice in our blessings and be grateful” (“Rejoice!” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 30)."
https://www.lds.org/new-era/2014/01/truth-lies-and-your-self-worth?lang=eng
Gratitude is essential for happiness, without it we are always searching but never satisfied. Having a grateful heart and mindset gives you so much appreciation for the beauties that surround around us. You notice all that God has made for you to appreciate. When I go running I love to look around and see all that is before me, it adds to my drive to improve myself by surrounding my self in places that I know were made by my creator.
Being grateful for our bodies is so important and takes more effort on our part, to look at ourselves and see that we are beautiful regardless of our age or our genetic make up. It is true that some are blessed with a pretty face, some with a plain face, some are tall, short, more on the thick side or naturally thin.,
True beauty radiates from within and pours out in our speech and attitude, it is seen in the eyes of the grateful.
Our Heavenly Father wants us to take care of our bodies and treat them like the temples that they are.
They need occasional repairs, and constant maintenance. Our Father has given us agency to use freely at our own will to make those decisions. I am so grateful that I can do that for myself.
I decided that as my fifties were looming closer that it was time for change, I felt the promptings that I have not been good to myself over the last several years, not taking time out for me, bad eating habits, very little exercise. All of that leads to stinkin thinkin as a good friend of mine says. So I set a goal for myself, a three year plan to make positive changes that will improve myself.
I am almost through year two and what a difference a goal makes, when you put your mind to it. I have changed so many things, but they all started out with small goals and have lead to bigger goals. But the best part is that I felt like I was being supported through each goal and being strengthened along the way. Now my journey is not for everyone, it is tailored just for me. Everyone can choose to change at their own pace in their own way. The point is there is always room for improvement and challenges to help stretch us and make those lifestyle changes that lead to a more confident and more self aware of what we really are capable of .
I love the following quote, I get a lot of great quotes from the addiction recovery class we lead.
Lifelong improvement
“I still feel to urge upon the Latter-day Saints the necessity of a close application of the principles of the Gospel in our lives, conduct and words and all that we do; and it requires the whole man, the whole life to be devoted to improvement in order to come to knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1954], 11)."
To be our whole selves requires effort and work, but we are a work in progress, so the long road is the road best traveled, always focused ahead, don't spend time looking behind you, because the race is ahead of you.
Another great quote from Step 7
"The Lord did not begin such a revolutionary change of our entire character until we allowed Him to do so. Step 7 was our decision. We had to humble ourselves deliberately. We had to surrender every particle of self-sufficient pride and admit that our efforts to save ourselves had been insufficient. We had to feel and live the truth King Benjamin taught—that we are all beggars before God and have no hope of salvation by our own efforts but only through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 2:21; 4:19–20)."
I have learned that he wants me to know that I matter to him, that I am his daughter and he wants me to learn, grow and make improvements in my character that will allow me to be more like him. But I also know that it will be a life long journey.
One more quote by Ezra Taft Benson
"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (“Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” Ensign, Dec. 1988, 4)."
My testimony of the worth of a soul is strong because I am a soul that matters to my creator, and the amazing people I have been blessed to love and serve. I will rejoice in the day that I stand before him with my Savior by my side and kneel before him and present myself as a daughter to her Father.
Gratitude is essential for happiness, without it we are always searching but never satisfied. Having a grateful heart and mindset gives you so much appreciation for the beauties that surround around us. You notice all that God has made for you to appreciate. When I go running I love to look around and see all that is before me, it adds to my drive to improve myself by surrounding my self in places that I know were made by my creator.
Being grateful for our bodies is so important and takes more effort on our part, to look at ourselves and see that we are beautiful regardless of our age or our genetic make up. It is true that some are blessed with a pretty face, some with a plain face, some are tall, short, more on the thick side or naturally thin.,
True beauty radiates from within and pours out in our speech and attitude, it is seen in the eyes of the grateful.
Our Heavenly Father wants us to take care of our bodies and treat them like the temples that they are.
They need occasional repairs, and constant maintenance. Our Father has given us agency to use freely at our own will to make those decisions. I am so grateful that I can do that for myself.
I decided that as my fifties were looming closer that it was time for change, I felt the promptings that I have not been good to myself over the last several years, not taking time out for me, bad eating habits, very little exercise. All of that leads to stinkin thinkin as a good friend of mine says. So I set a goal for myself, a three year plan to make positive changes that will improve myself.
I am almost through year two and what a difference a goal makes, when you put your mind to it. I have changed so many things, but they all started out with small goals and have lead to bigger goals. But the best part is that I felt like I was being supported through each goal and being strengthened along the way. Now my journey is not for everyone, it is tailored just for me. Everyone can choose to change at their own pace in their own way. The point is there is always room for improvement and challenges to help stretch us and make those lifestyle changes that lead to a more confident and more self aware of what we really are capable of .
I love the following quote, I get a lot of great quotes from the addiction recovery class we lead.
Lifelong improvement
“I still feel to urge upon the Latter-day Saints the necessity of a close application of the principles of the Gospel in our lives, conduct and words and all that we do; and it requires the whole man, the whole life to be devoted to improvement in order to come to knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1954], 11)."
To be our whole selves requires effort and work, but we are a work in progress, so the long road is the road best traveled, always focused ahead, don't spend time looking behind you, because the race is ahead of you.
Another great quote from Step 7
"The Lord did not begin such a revolutionary change of our entire character until we allowed Him to do so. Step 7 was our decision. We had to humble ourselves deliberately. We had to surrender every particle of self-sufficient pride and admit that our efforts to save ourselves had been insufficient. We had to feel and live the truth King Benjamin taught—that we are all beggars before God and have no hope of salvation by our own efforts but only through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 2:21; 4:19–20)."
I have learned that he wants me to know that I matter to him, that I am his daughter and he wants me to learn, grow and make improvements in my character that will allow me to be more like him. But I also know that it will be a life long journey.
One more quote by Ezra Taft Benson
"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (“Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” Ensign, Dec. 1988, 4)."
My testimony of the worth of a soul is strong because I am a soul that matters to my creator, and the amazing people I have been blessed to love and serve. I will rejoice in the day that I stand before him with my Savior by my side and kneel before him and present myself as a daughter to her Father.
