As the great Uncle Sam would say, “We need you!” Heavenly Father needs each of us, as children of Divinity, to build His Kingdom here on earth! It isn’t that He thinks it would be nice to have your help, he literally needs you! There are certain people that only you will be able to influence. The children that you will one day raise will need your Christ-like example to learn what real happiness is all about. Those who are sad and have their hands hanging low will need you specifically to help raise them to higher ground. If you think that this doesn’t include you, think again. Let me explain why:
As a Mormon, or more properly known as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have a firm testimony that every person walking this earth is a child of God. Since God is literally the Heavenly King, we are literally princes and princesses that are awaiting all of the blessings that come from being heirs of this Divinely royal line (if we are faithful to His commandments). For some reason, the world teaches us that we can have fame, glory, and riches if we become self-centered, entirely concerned about “how am I going to succeed?” But these are blatant lies. The way to true happiness, glory, and eternal riches only comes from losing ourselves in the work of God–having the attitude of “how am I going to help others succeed?” To serve God doesn’t mean we have to go serve in some isolated mountain, reading scriptures all day, everyday. But we do have to be “anxiously engaged in a good cause” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27), by serving and lifting others towards the light of Christ.
If you feel like you aren’t in a position to help others because you are not as Christ-like as you would like to be, remember that you can change. You can become all that you were created to be–heirs to the throne of God, through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He suffered the Atonement (feeling the pains, sicknesses, temptations, and effects of sin) so that we can be made pure and clean.
I invite you to learn more about your divine mission–how you are meant to build the Kingdom of God. You can do so by meeting with Mormon missionaries. They can also teach you about how to use the power of the Atonement to become completely clean from the effects of sin. These missionaries are called and set apart, by the power of God, to be representatives of Jesus Christ to teach His holy word.
If you have felt inspired to do something about what you have read, don’t only think about doing it, but recall with me the words of a Mormon apostle, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who has said, “somewhere between the hearing, the writing of a reminder on our smartphone, and the actual doing, our “do it” switch gets rotated to the “later” position… let’s make sure to set our “do it” switch always to the “now” position!” (“Your Potential, Your Privilege,” Ensign, May 2011). And always remember the words in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
This article was written by Ashley Bell, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Additional Resources:
How can I feel God’s love in my life?
Read the full message by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf titled “You Matter to Him”
Read the full message by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland titled “Sanctify Yourselves”
