Discovering the Divinity Within: GC 1

Surprise to me, soccer practice ended two weeks earlier than I thought it was going to. Which means we now have two more evenings open to just be home!

Eric and I played a game with the two oldest boys last night and we talked a little about a conference talk I read yesterday.

This was the first conference talk of the October General Conference given at the Women's session. I loved this talk when I listened to it in the chapel of the Stake Center (what a way to start conference!), and reading it was no different.

Rosemary M. Wixom started by saying "Life is a gift. God has a plan for each one of us, and our individual purpose began long before we came to this earth."

I believe that is true. There is a purpose and a mission for each of us. Our purpose and mission will help us grow and learn and allow us to do the work of the Lord and help others. It is our privilege to figure out what our loving Heavenly Father needs us to do. Understanding our divine nature is key.

Sister Wixom quoted Elaine Cannon when she said "There are two important days in a women's life: The day she is born and the day she finds out why."

She goes on to say that we know why--to help build His Kingdom and prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. "With every breath we take, we strive to follow Him. The divine nature within each of us is refined and magnified by the effort we make to draw nearer to our Father and His Son."

She reminds us to "take our validation vertically from Him, not horizontally from the world around us or from those on Facebook or Instagram." It doesn't matter how many "likes" or comments we get or followers we have. We need to remember that we are children of God. If we ever question that, she challenges us to "kneel in prayer and ask Heavenly Father, "Am I really Thy daughter [or Son], and dost Thou love me?" The answer will come.

Once we know who we are, we can ask "Therefore what? . . . What will I do to live my life as a child of God? How can I develop the divine nature that is within me?" Such important questions to reflect on often and take inventory of our lives!    

She goes on to say "President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said,'God sent you here to prepare for a future greater than anything you can imagine.' That future, a day at a time, comes alive when you do more than just exist; it comes alive when you live your life to fill the measure of your creation. This invites the Lord into your life, and you begin to let His will become yours." A day at a time, do more than just exist, but live your life. And you can when you align your will with His.

Two more quotes I couldn't ignore:

"I am so glad I have a family, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost who can be my companions whenever things with friends go wrong."

"Once we begin to see the divinity in ourselves, we can see it in others."