Individual Worth

For me I've always known I was a daughter of our Heavenly Father and that He loved me, but I don't think it was until very recently that I felt without a doubt in my mind that He is mindful of me and my desire to KNOW and feel that He loves me.

Growing up I had little to no self-esteem. I remember specifically a Fireside I attended where the speaker was speaking about likeing ourselves. I remember sitting there and thinking 'I don't like myself and don't know why anyone would like me'. I was between 12-13 and just didn't know how to feel that love from anyone, let alone Heavenly Father.

It took me years to get out of my negative thinking and attitude, to start thinking positive and looking at myself as a daughter of Heavenly Father who is worth everything to Him and is deserving of everything good and righteous in life. I think as women, we are very hard on ourselves. We have the desire to be good and righteous and when we feel we aren't we tend to feel we are failing. This so not true!

President Gordon B Hinckley said, “Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good.

“Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth.”

I grew up in the church, but as I said above didn't always have the best attitude about myself and my Individual Worth. I attended church, but not all the activities, not camp EVER (I was an indoor girl), I attended 2 Youth Conferences which I loved and started to get the importance of the Church and Young Womens. I've now been serving in the Young Women's Program since 1999, first as Camp Director for three years, (I know..indoor girl)Heavenly Father gave me a second chance to learn of His love for me and the importance of the YW program and why camp in an important part of my Individual Worth. I then served as Laurel advisor to two wonderful YW who I learned so much from. From then I served in Primary for a couple of years, then when we moved I was called as YW 1st counselor, then YW Pres.
All along the way of these callings, I KNEW without a doubt that once again Heavenly Father was giving me a chance to get it right and to learn the importance of my own Individual Worth. With my latest calling in YW's, I have been soooooo humbled. I've never felt the love of my Heavenly Father as I did when I was asked to serve in this calling. I literally have felt His arms around me and hearing him say "You are so loved." There is NO DOUBT in my mind that Heavenly Father needs me and loves me. I don't know how much I can help these girls, but I hope that I can share with them what I have learned and that they will know of Heavenly Father's unconditional love for them. I learn more from them than they will ever learn from me.

One last quote from Pres. Hinckley "Never forget that you came to earth as a child of the divine Father, with something of divinity in your very makeup. The Lord did not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it. He bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain experience—positive, wonderful, purposeful experience—that will lead to life eternal. He has given you this glorious Church, His Church, to guide you and direct you, to give you opportunity for growth and experience, to teach you and lead you and encourage you, to bless you with eternal marriage, to seal upon you a covenant between you and Him that will make of you His chosen daughter, one upon whom He may look with love and with a desire to help (from Ensign, May 2001, 95–96)."
I know that "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us and we love Him". I thankful to know that Heavenly Father knows of my fears, my weaknesses, my problems, my heart and my love for Him and my desires to be with Him again.

You ARE WORTH everything to Him.