Elder Brian K. Taylor
Am I a Child of God?
Elder Taylor spoke to those who might question, "Am I a child of God?"
He quoted Elder Boyd K. Packer in saying, “'The pedigree of your spirit can be written on a single line. You are a child of God!'” (“To Young Women and Men,” Ensign, May 1989, 54).
Elder Taylor described how Satan attempts to make God's children question their divine heritage, and then said, “This great war over divine identity rages fiercely, as Satan’s proliferating arsenal aims to destroy belief in and knowledge of our relationship with God.” He said that, thanks to the scriptures and guidance of living prophets, "we have been blessed with clear vision and understanding of our true identities from the beginning.”
Elder Taylor reaffirmed the words of President Russell M. Nelson, who said during his October 2017 general conference address, “Something powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son.”
Explaining that efforts to seek to know Christ and Heavenly Father lead to knowledge of a divine heritage without question, Elder Taylor said that it is through Christ and His “every word and deed” that each person can come to know the “true nature of God and our relationship with Him.”
Offering comfort to those who might be struggling, Elder Taylor said that each person has a central role in God’s plan.
He said, "I invite each of us to seek God and His Beloved Son. 'Nowhere,' President Nelson said, 'are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon.' Open its pages and learn that God does 'all things for our welfare and happiness,' that He is 'merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness, and that 'all are alike unto [Him]' (2 Nephi 26:33).
“When you feel hurt, lost, scared, upset, sad, hungry, or hopelessly abandoned in ‘life’s extremities’ — open the Book of Mormon, and you will come to know 'God will never desert us, He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so],”
Reassuring words... To mothers, especially young mothers, who often feel overwhelmed and underwater while striving to raise “a sin-resistant generation,” never underestimate your central role in God’s plan. In stressful moments—perhaps when you are chasing little ones and a charred smell from the kitchen informs you that your lovingly prepared dinner is now a burnt offering—know that God sanctifies your most difficult days. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee,” He peacefully reassures. We honor you as you fulfill the hope of Sister Joy D. Jones, who stated, “Our children deserve to understand their divine identity.”
I pray that our grandchildren will come to know for themselves that they are a child of God, and that they do indeed have a divine identity.
