Session 1

Learning Outcomes: This workshop session can help learners (1) prioritize their eternal identities as children of God, children of the covenant, and disciples of Jesus Christ and (2) understand that they get to choose the blessings that Heavenly Father and His Son have offered them.

Possible Learning Activities

What does Heavenly Father want young adults to know?

Consider beginning the lesson by showing the following images and explanation:

On May 15, 2022, thousands of young adults from around the world gathered in person and via technology to listen to the Lord’s prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, share a message that was just for them.

• What is it about a prophet’s counsel that is different from anybody else’s?

Explain that in his message, President Nelson shared important truths that can significantly impact our lives, both now and throughout eternity. Encourage students as they study to pay attention to and record any promptings from the Holy Ghost that can teach them what the Lord wants them to know and do.

Watch together “Choices for Eternity” from time code 8:08 to 11:25. Invite students to listen carefully to what the Lord’s prophet wants them to know and understand. Consider also inviting students to locate “Choices For Eternity” in Gospel Library so they can follow along and mark what stands out to them.

Provide an opportunity for students to share what stood out to them or touched their hearts, as well as any questions they may have.

• Why do you think that “Choices for Eternity” is an appropriate title for his remarks?

You might point out that President Nelson used a form of the word choose six times in the statement they just heard.

• What did you learn from President Nelson’s words about the importance of our choices in eternity?

Write on the board or display the following:

1. Know the truth about who you are.

2. Know the truth about what Heavenly Father and His Son have offered you.

3. Know the truth related to your conversion.

Emphasize the word truth on the board by underlining it. Explain that the Lord expects His prophets to teach truth always, especially when the world is confused or has gone astray. These three truths from God that the prophet shared counter the philosophies of the world. In this session, we will focus on the first two.

Know the truth about who you are

Display the following statement by President Nelson and ask students to ponder why this would be the first thing the Lord would want them to understand:

I believe that if the Lord were speaking to you directly tonight, the first thing He would make sure you understand is your true identity. …

… Who are you?

First and foremost, you are a child of God.

Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

• Why do you think this would be the first thing the Lord would want you to understand?

Write “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ” on the board. To help students deepen their understanding of these three identities, invite each student to select one and search Gospel Library for scriptures or prophetic statements that help them better understand it. Provide time for students to share what they found. As they share, write the reference to the scripture or quote under the appropriate header. Students may wish to record these lists for future study.

Child of God

To help students better understand their identity as children of God, read or display the following statement or have students locate it in “Choices for Eternity” in Gospel Library. Invite students to look for what President Nelson hopes is imprinted upon their hearts:

My dear friends, you are literally spirit children of God. You have sung this truth since you learned the words to “I Am a Child of God.” But is that eternal truth imprinted upon your heart? Has this truth rescued you when confronted with temptation?

I fear that you may have heard this truth so often that it sounds more like a slogan than divine truth. And yet, the way you think about who you really are affects almost every decision you will ever make.

• Why do you think remembering your identity as a child of God affects almost every decision you will ever make?

• What do you think it looks like for a person to have this truth imprinted upon their heart as compared to it just being a slogan?

Provide an opportunity for students to assess how deeply this truth is imprinted upon their hearts by inviting them to ponder the following two questions:

• How often does this truth affect the decisions you make on a daily basis?

• How has this truth rescued you when confronted with temptation?

If it would be helpful, you might also consider sharing scriptural examples of this truth being imprinted on peoples’ hearts (for example, Moses 1:4–21; Acts 17:23–28).

Other Identifiers

Invite students to create a list of at least 10 words or labels that could be used to describe themselves (for example, son, daughter, student, athlete, employee, sports fan, nationality, hometown, and so on). Then have students share their lists with a small group.

Explain that President Nelson indicated that “labels can be fun and indicate your support for any number of positive things.”

Invite students to put their lists of labels in prioritized order, with “1” being the most important to them. After doing so, they could share with the members of their group their prioritized lists and what their reasoning was for why they ordered them the way they did.

Display the following statement or have students find it in “Choices for Eternity” in Gospel Library. Invite students to notice the labels President Nelson gives himself and how he prioritizes them:

If I were to rank in order of importance the designations that could be applied to me, I would say: First, I am a child of God—a son of God—then a son of the covenant, then a disciple of Jesus Christ and a devoted member of His restored Church.

Next would come my honored titles as a husband and father, then Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

All other labels that have applied to me—such as a medical doctor, surgeon, researcher, professor, lieutenant, captain, PhD, American, and so forth—would fall somewhere down the list.

Display the following questions and invite students to discuss them in their groups:

• Does anything stand out to you or raise a question about how President Nelson prioritized his labels/identifiers?

• What is the danger of getting the order wrong? For example, what if President Nelson placed “professor” ahead of “disciple of Jesus Christ”?

President Nelson described some of the negative consequences labels can have. Watch together “Choices for Eternity” from time code 15:25 to 18:31. Invite students to identify any words or phrases that describe the negative consequences that labels can have. Students could follow along with President Nelson’s words in Gospel Library and mark what stands out to them.

After listening to this statement, invite students to discuss the following question in their groups:

• What did you learn about labels from President Nelson’s words? What are some of the dangers that can come from labeling?

Following this discussion, watch together “Choices for Eternity” from time code 18:32 to 19:48. Invite students to listen for what President Nelson teaches about managing the various labels, designations, and identifiers we may have. Students could follow along with President Nelson’s words in Gospel Library and mark what stands out to them.

• How can prioritizing labels such as “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ” help protect against the dangers of labeling that President Nelson warned us about?

Point out that elevating our three most “enduring” and “basic designations” as our top three does not mean that President Nelson is asking us to lose all other identities. He is instead counseling us to make sure we don’t let them displace, replace, or take priority over our most important ones.

• What are some ways Satan is currently trying to get you and your peers to displace, replace, or de-prioritize your identity as a child of God, child of the covenant, and disciple of Jesus Christ?

Consider carefully how your students respond to the previous question. Be careful that the discussion does not become contentious. Make sure it is focused on the Lord, His doctrine, and our efforts to prioritize our most important identities.

If students bring up examples of feeling pressure to displace, replace, or de-prioritize their “three enduring designations” as a result of atheism, mocking, or ridicule, you might consider reading together scripture passages about Korihor (see Alma 30:12–53) or Lehi’s vision (see 1 Nephi 8:21–34).

Know the truth about what Heavenly Father and His Son have offered you.

To engage students in this portion of President Nelson’s talk, consider creating a case study like the following:

Tom is an active Latter-day Saint. He has grown up in the Church, currently holds a calling, and fulfills his ministering assignment. However, recently he has been struggling to feel happy and fulfilled. Tom was passed over for a promotion at work. He thought he was the obvious choice, and not getting it has hurt his confidence. Along with this, Tom was recently not invited to a weekend trip with his group of friends, and he’s noticing fewer and fewer responses to his social media posts. As he has thought about these experiences and how they have affected him, Tom has started to realize that for most of his life, he has based his sense of worth and value on other people’s opinions of him.

Invite students to discuss with their partner what they think Tom may not fully understand or believe. After some discussion, watch together “Choices for Eternity” from time code 20:49 to 25:03. Invite students to look for teachings from President Nelson that could help someone like Tom. Students could also follow along with President Nelson’s words in their personal copies of the talk or in Gospel Library so they can mark what stands out to them.

Rather than studying this whole section of President Nelson’s talk, you could study the following portions instead. Students could find this portion of the talk and read it from there as well:

In all of eternity, no one will ever know you or care about you more than [God] does. No one will ever be closer to you than He is. … He demonstrated His ultimate love when He sent His Only Begotten Son to die for you. …

Jesus Christ is the only enduring source of hope, peace, and joy for you. Satan can never replicate any of these. And Satan will never help you.

… God will do everything He can, short of violating your agency, to help you not miss out on the greatest blessings in all eternity.

Consider asking some of the following questions to help deepen the discussion:

• What did President Nelson teach that could be helpful for someone like Tom?

• What other challenges faced by young adults could President Nelson’s teachings help overcome?

Remind students of President Nelson’s teachings from the beginning of his talk regarding the importance of our choices determining our future. You could have them read again the following paragraphs:

My purpose tonight is to make sure that your eyes are wide open to the truth that this life really is the time when you get to decide what kind of life you want to live forever. Now is your time “to prepare to meet God” [see Alma 12:24; 34:32]. …

Every righteous choice that you make here will pay huge dividends now. But righteous choices in mortality will pay unimaginable dividends eternally. If you choose to make covenants with God and are faithful to those covenants, you have the promise of “glory added upon [your head] for ever and ever” [Abraham 3:26].

These truths ought to prompt your ultimate sense of fomo—or fear of missing out. You have the potential to reach the celestial kingdom. The ultimate fomo would be missing out on the celestial kingdom, settling for a lesser kingdom because here on earth you chose only to live the laws of a lesser kingdom.

• Based on what President Nelson has said, why are the choices we make now so important?

As part of your discussion of the previous question, it may be helpful to point out that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want all of us to return to Them (see 2 Nephi 26:33) and have provided the way for us to experience the blessings of eternal life. We can only receive these blessings by making the choice to live the celestial laws Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have established. Truly, choices for eternity are ours to make.

Conclusion

Consider inviting students to ponder how remembering these teachings from President Nelson could impact their lives and the situations they are facing. The following statement by President Nelson and accompanying questions can help students review what they have learned and felt and make a plan for how they will incorporate it into their lives.

So who are you? First and foremost, you are a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence.

• What did you learn from President Nelson’s message that you want to remember?

• What did you feel about yourself or about God as you studied today?

• What will you do to embrace the truths President Nelson felt inspired to teach?

Consider sharing your testimony about what we have learned from President Nelson’s talk so far. Invite students to prayerfully consider who they feel needs to understand the truths President Nelson teaches in this talk and how they can invite them to the next session.