I was asked to speak in church today. I spoke about our identity as children of God. Here is my talk.
Good morning. My name is Katherine DeMartini Barrus. My husband, Kent, and I have been in the ward for 21 years. I have two children, Brandt and Izzy. I'm the oldest of five children, an aunt to many nieces and nephews, a banker by profession, but more of an art lover, a PBS fan, a biker, a friend, and some other things I’ll mention during my talk.
Of late, I have been thinking a lot about identity. Our daughter, Izzy, has just turned 16 and in very appropriate fashion for someone her age, is working to find herself and figure out who she really is. Many people of all ages are doing the same. I currently serve at the second counselor in the YW presidency and work with the youngest class of girls who I call the Yummy Waffles. Each week we meet, we are reminded of who we are as we jointly recite the young women’s theme. Today, my thoughts are going to be centered on the first sentence of the young women’s theme which contains profound truths applicable to all of us, even if we aren’t young women. Elder Renlund spoke about the young women’s theme in April 2022’s General Conference, and I am going to share some of his thoughts too.
The young women’s theme begins “I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents, with a diving nature and eternal destiny.” This statement contains four important truths.
First: We are beloved children. The young men’s theme begins similarly. “I am a beloved son of God.” Elder Renlund said, “Nothing you do—or do not do—can change that. God loves you because you are His spirit daughter [or son]. Sometimes we may not feel His love, but it is always there. God’s love is perfect.3 Our ability to sense that love is not.”
In the midst of my big challenges, I have found I often doubt God’s awareness of me and what’s happening in my life. I get frustrated when things aren’t going like I had hoped and prayed they would. And when I am not being my best self, I question whether God really can love me the way I am. However, the separation I feel is driven by me, not by God. Romans 8:35, 38-39 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Elder Uchtdorf, in a conference talk from 2009 titled “The Love of God,” asks “Why does Heavenly Father Love Us?” He answers:
Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you.
God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.
He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.
What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.
I am a precious, cherished child of God, and you are too.
The second truth is that we have heavenly parents, a father and a mother. This doctrine is a unique belief among Latter-day Saints. President Oaks explained, “Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.” We have very little information about Mother in Heaven, and Elder Renlund cautions about spiritual speculation in relation to our Heavenly Mother. But even without knowing a lot about heavenly mother, knowing I have one gives me courage, faith, and hope that I can become like Her. I have the potential to be a goddess. The seed of godhood is in me, and in you too.
The third truth in the opening sentence is that we have “a divine nature.” Elder Renlund said, “This is intrinsic to who we are. It is spiritually “genetic,” inherited from our heavenly parents,16 and requires no effort on our part. This is our most important identity, regardless of how else we choose to identify ourselves. Understanding this profound truth is important for everyone but especially for individuals belonging to groups who have been historically marginalized, oppressed, or subjugated. Remember that your most important identity relates to your divine nature as a child of God.”
Some synonyms for divine are godlike, heavenly, celestial, more than human, sacred, excellent in a superhuman degree, extraordinarily good or great. That’s the nature of our souls. Aren’t those wonderful words?
I attended a youth leadership training meeting last year and Tamara Runia had us do an activity. We all raised an arm so our hands were in the air and she said, “This is your divine nature. Elevated and worthy of God’s love.” With her other hand she said, “This is how we feel about ourselves, and that hand position fluctuates depending on our obedience, our efforts, our repentance.” Sometimes we feel better about ourselves than at other times, but our divine nature never changes.
The fourth truth is that we have an “eternal destiny.” I loved Elder Patrick Kearon’s talk in April’s conference. He spoke of God’s intent to bring us home, of his “fabulous” plan to have us return to Him.
Our loving Father oversaw the Creation of this very earth for the express purpose of providing an opportunity for you and for me to have the stretching and refining experiences of mortality, the chance to use our God-given moral agency to choose Him, to learn and grow, to make mistakes, to repent, to love God and our neighbour, and to one day return home to Him.
He sent His precious Beloved Son to this fallen world to live the full range of the human experience, to provide an example for the rest of His children to follow, and to atone and redeem. Christ’s great atoning gift removes every roadblock of physical and spiritual death that would separate us from our eternal home.
Everything about the Father’s plan for His beloved children is designed to bring everyone home.
What do God’s messengers, His prophets, call this plan in Restoration scripture? They call it the plan of redemption, the plan of mercy, the great plan of happiness, and the plan of salvation, which is unto all, “through the blood of mine Only Begotten.”
The intent of the Father’s great plan of happiness is your happiness, right here, right now, and in the eternities. It is not to prevent your happiness and cause you instead worry and fear.
The intent of the Father’s plan of redemption is in fact your redemption, your being rescued through the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, freed from the captivity of sin and death. It is not to leave you as you are.
The intent of the Father’s plan of mercy is to extend mercy as you turn back to Him and honour your covenant of fidelity to Him. It is not to deny mercy and inflict pain and sorrow.
The intent of the Father’s plan of salvation is in fact your salvation in the celestial kingdom of glory as you receive “the testimony of Jesus” and offer your whole soul to Him. It is not to keep you out.
Both Elder Kearon and Elder Renlund point out that our return to God’s presence requires us to make choices that will qualify us to be there. We cannot openly rebel against God and Jesus Christ and expect our path to lead to them. Elder Renlund said, “To expect His blessings while not following the eternal laws upon which they are predicated is midguided, like thinking we can touch a hot stove and ‘decide’ not to be burned.” We must make and keep sacred covenants. We must repent, be clean, have faith in Christ, and change our hearts.
Does this mean we have to sacrifice who we are or be someone different than our true selves? I don’t think so. As we look to define ourselves and to find our place in the world, looking to Christ will help us become our true selves. The 2024 Youth Theme is “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Being a disciple of Christ means we strive to become like Him. We act and serve as he did, we are obedient to our Father’s commandments as He was. We are his representatives on the Earth as we minister to others. Alma asked “Have ye received [Christ’s] image in your countenance?” Whoever we are, whatever our struggles, inviting Christ to be a part of our lives, and remembering who we really are, children of God, will help us return to our Heavenly Father and receive all his blessings, blessings which are so tremendous we can’t even imagine how fabulous they will be.
I know I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and eternal destiny. I know Christ lived and atoned for me and you so that we can return to our heavenly home. He is the good shepherd and I want to be part of his fold. I know we are led by a living prophet who speaks in God’s name. I know obedience to God’s commandments will bring blessings. I know that I am a better person, a better me, because of Christ.
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