A Sheepish Lion

From an interview with Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita of the Seventy; by Linda Davies

If we know who we are, … we can protect others and not lose our way.

“I am a child of God, and He has sent me here” (Children’s Songbook, 2).

One of my favorite stories is the story of Lambert the Sheepish Lion. It became famous in a cartoon some years ago.

Lambert was a lion cub that had lived with a flock of sheep from the time he was born. Because of that, he thought he was a sheep. One spring night Lambert and the flock were sleeping peacefully. Suddenly Lambert heard the scary howl of a wolf in the distance. Because Lambert thought he was a sheep, he began to tremble.

The howl grew louder, and the wolf came closer and began dragging one of the sheep away. Suddenly Lambert felt a strong feeling inside that he had never felt before. Like lightning, he ran toward the wolf to save the sheep!

Just then Lambert realized something. I am not a sheep. I am not the son of a sheep. I am the son of a lion! Lambert thought. When he chased off the wolf and protected the sheep, he knew his true nature.

You are a child of God, and He loves you. Before we were born on earth, each one of us was a beloved spirit son or daughter in our Heavenly Father’s family. But many of us don’t realize this. If we know who we are, we can be like the lion and fight off bad things so that we can protect others and not lose our way.

I am thankful for the wonderful gifts of the gospel and the plan of salvation. I am thankful that we know who we are so we can be strong—just like Lambert.