Applying the Old Testament to Your Life
Finding Self-Worth in My Identity as a Child of God
We may question the love of the Lord and wonder if He knows us, but I assure you, He does!
Photograph from Unsplash
When I was a teenager, I thought that my worth was tied up in how I looked, the grades I got, and the number of things I was good at. Though I had heard a million times that God loves all His children, I had a hard time feeling like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ had personal love for me and knew my struggles.
In my head, I could recognize the many blessings I had received as evidence of God’s love. But my heart was blocked up by my worries of fitting in and gaining the approval of my peers. That disconnect between my head and my heart often led me to wonder how I could ever feel God’s love in my heart.
There are many people in the world, both in and out of the Church, who may not feel that God loves them and knows them. The Lord asks us, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you” (Malachi 3:7). In order to return to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we must believe that They love us and want us to return to Them.
We Are Not Alone in Feeling Alone
We are not the first generation to feel alone and struggle to recognize God’s love. Malachi 1:2 says, “I have loved you, saith the Lord.” But the children of Israel had a hard time recognizing God’s love for them. “The Israelites, who had suffered generations of affliction and captivity, asked the Lord, ‘Wherein hast thou loved us?’ (Malachi 1:2).”1
In times of trial and hardship, or even when our faith is faltering, it can be difficult to recognize the love of God. We may struggle to see clearly and therefore feel abandoned, unloved, forgotten, or just completely alone in our struggles. Though we do not face the same trials as the children of Israel in Old Testament times, we may feel as they did. We may question the love of God and wonder if He knows us, but I assure you, He does!
Heavenly Father loves us and knows us because we are His sons and daughters.
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.”2
He affirms our divine heritage and destiny through His servants, both past and present.
Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Heavenly Father is the perfect Father. Though we do not know everything about our Heavenly Father, we know that He is perfect, and therefore loves us perfectly.
President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) said: “You are a child of God. He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it.”3
There is no plainer way to say it: we are sons and daughters of a loving, living God. Nothing can change that. That is where we must find our worth. The world will change and tell us that we are not good enough, but Heavenly Father will always love us. He will always love you.
Seek to Know Him
Because He loves us, He also has wonderful things in store for us as we seek and follow Him.
Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Quorum of the Seventy has said: “How can each of us experience the power of understanding our divine identity? It begins by seeking to know God, our Father.”4
To those who question the love of the Lord or find it difficult to trust in Him: keep going. Continue going to church, praying, and reading the scriptures. Counsel with your church leaders and read the words of the prophets. The Lord will make His love known to you as you seek and come to know Him.
I have come to personally understand Elder Taylor’s words: “As we follow the examples of the Savior and the Prophet Joseph in earnestly seeking God, we will come to understand in a very real way … that our Father knows us by name, that we are His children.”5
Though I still struggle and face challenges, I have come to know and feel for myself that Heavenly Father knows me personally and that He loves me. Sometimes I still get trapped in seeking praise from the world, but I know that the Lord’s love is constant and unchanging. With that knowledge, I can step away from the opinions of the world and move forward in faith that the Lord will guide me in my path back to Him.