Military Members
Lesson 1: Who am I, and who can I become?

Lesson 1

Who am I, and who can I become?

We are sons and daughters of Heavenly Father, created in His image, with the potential to become like Him. By divine design, we have unique gifts and talents that will help us fulfill our responsibilities and our potential. Knowing who we are gives our lives purpose and helps us make the right decisions.

Male soldier

As a teacher, prepare yourself spiritually

How does knowing you are a son or daughter of God influence your thoughts and actions? What are some of the gifts and talents God has given you? How can you use them to bless the service members you teach?

How can you help the service members recognize their divine potential? How can this understanding help them make good decisions? What are some of the unique gifts and talents that the service members you teach have? How can you encourage them to use these gifts and talents to bless others?

Prayerfully study the following scriptures and resources. Other resources may be included later in the outline as well. What do you feel inspired to share with the service members?

2:3
6:31

Begin the learning experience

Use the following idea or think of your own to introduce this week’s lesson:

  • Write the following questions on the board: What do I know about Heavenly Father? What does my knowledge of Heavenly Father teach me about who I am and who I can become? How does this knowledge affect my thoughts and actions? Give the service members time to ponder these questions, and then invite them to share their answers.

Learn Together

Choose from these ideas or think of your own to help service members understand their identity and potential.

  • Invite the service members to search Moses 1:4–7 and identify what Moses learned about himself. Invite them to search verse 12 to find what Satan did to contradict what Moses learned. What are some situations the service members face in which the knowledge of their divine nature and potential would be helpful? Ask the service members to look for what they learn from this story about themselves, Heavenly Father, the Savior, and the adversary. Read together verses 13–22. Consider showing the video “I Am a Son of God” as a part of this discussion.

  • Invite service members to watch the video “Our True Identity” (or read some of the following scriptures: 1 John 3:1–3; D&C 84:37–38; D&C 88:107; D&C 132:20) and write down a statement that they find meaningful. Ask them to share what they wrote and explain why they wrote it. What do they learn from this video or these scriptures about who they are and who they can become? How can this knowledge affect the choices they make? As part of this discussion, consider sharing the following statement from President Gordon B. Hinckley: “The whole design of the gospel is to lead us onward and upward to greater achievement, even, eventually, to godhood” (“Don’t Drop the Ball,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 48).

  • Read together the story about the man on a cruise ship in President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk “Your Potential, Your Privilege.” Ask how this story relates to service members. How does it relate to us as sons and daughters of God? Assign each service member to read about one of President Uchtdorf’s three suggestions for living up to our potential. Organize service members into groups that include individuals who read different sections of the talk, and ask them to share with one another what they learned about living up to their potential.

Ask the service members to share what they learned today. What feelings or impressions do they have? Do they understand who they are and who they can become? Do they have any additional questions? Would it be worthwhile to spend more time on this topic?

Invite to act

Invite the service members to think of one way they will use their gifts and talents to bless Heavenly Father’s children.