Remember Who You Are

I was just called to be the YW 1st Counselor and we spoke in church yesterday. My Mom requested that I post my talk, so here it is:

I was asked to speak on the talk "Remember Who You Are" given by Elaine Dalton at the YW General Meeting this year.

When I was a teenager I was a bit of a smart alec and when my parents would say, "Remember who you are". I would recite my name and address. Of course, they meant remember that I am a child of God and that I should act accordingly.

Sister Dalton says, "This is a magnificent time to be on the earth and to be a young woman. Our vision remains the same. It is to be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and to receive the ordinances of the temple. This is our superlative goal!"

As with all goals, especially long term goals like attending the temple and receiving eternal life, we need to take steps in order to accomplish them. In her talk Sister Dalton gives several ways young women can remember who they are. I will cover three of them:

Having a testimony of Jesus Christ, Being Strong and of a Good Courage, and Being the Queen You were Born to Be.

Having a Testimony of Jesus Christ:

A testimony is something that will either increase or decrease, it can't remain the same. We must read, study, ponder, and pray in order to keep our testimonies growing. We can't afford to waver. Without a testimony of our Savior it is hard to keep going when life gets hard, and it will get hard. In Helaman 5:12 it tells us that "it is upon the rock of our redeemer, who is Christ the son of God that we must build our foundation..."

Most of you know that my sister's husband passed away a week ago Friday. He was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer nearly 2 1/2 years ago. This is what she posted on her blog a few weeks ago:

"Just the other night we watched the story of Job, a personal favorite. It was a good story for the kids to hear again; to learn that Job was righteous even through all of his trials, and that God did not give Job his trials because he was wicked, rather God allowed Satan inflict Job with every imaginable difficult thing in order to prove to Satan that Job would continue to be righteous. As we know, Job had patience in his afflictions and eventually was greatly blessed.


I know that at times I have wondered the purpose for some of our trials, beyond being opportunities to prove ourselves. I believe that when we agreed to come to Earth, we agreed to the fact that our mortal bodies would be subject to all kinds of afflictions that go along with being mortal, including sickness and pain, whether brought on by our environment, our own choices, the free agency of others or all of the unknown in-betweens. It is part of the plan. I also believe that God hurts for us, even more than we hurt for ourselves."

Because of her testimony of Christ, my sister knows that God's plan for us is often more than we can understand here on earth. But, she knows there IS a plan for each of us, and that God and Jesus love us and have provided a way for their family, and all of our families, to be together again. This testimony didn't come when she and Travis were sealed in the temple, it didn't come when Travis was diagnosed, it came as she studied, pondered, and prayed as a young woman, and it grows as she continues to do so everyday.

Be Strong and of a Good Courage:

I like to think that I am pretty young, but what reminds me of how old I am is comparing how things were when I was in Jr. High and High School to the way things are now. I am honestly surprised and a little frightened by the things I hear about. There are diverse ways and means that Satan is trying to get you-and not only the youth, but all of us. Sister Dalton says if we can be distracted, discouraged, dismayed or disqualified from being worthy to receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost…Satan wins. We MUST remember that as Sister Dalton says, “We fought with our faith and testimony to defend the plan of God…we brought our faith with us when we came to earth. We knew it would be difficult, and yet we were confident that we could accomplish our divine mission.”

One of my favorite primary songs says this: “Dare to do right, dare to be true, you have a work that no other can do. Do it so wisely, so kindly, so well, angels will hasten the story to tell. Dare to do right, dare to be true, other men’s failures can never save you. Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith, stand like a soldier and fight until death.”

We will all have times when we will face tough decisions, but choosing the right is always right, even when it’s hard. The YW theme this year is Joshua 1:9. “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest.”

Be the Queen you were born to be:

Sister Dalton tells the story of a trip she got to take to see President David O. McKay in his Huntsville home while she was a student at BYU. She took the trip with a small group of students and they were told to wear their Sunday best. As she walked into President McKay’s home she could feel the spirit there. President McKay was wearing a white suit, sitting next to his wife. He had each of the students come forward and tell him about themselves. After he had taken each of them by the hand and listened to them, he took his wife’s hand and said, “Now, Young Women, I would like you to meet my queen.” Sister Dalton says that Emma McKay didn’t have a crown of diamonds, nor was she seated on a throne, but she knew she was a true queen. “Her white hair was her crown and her pure eyes sparkled like jewels. Hers was a beauty that can’t be purchased. It came from years of seeking the best gifts, becoming well educated, seeking knowledge by study and also by faith. It came from years of hard work, of faithfully enduring trials with optimism, trust, strength, and courage. It came from her unwavering devotion to her husband, her family, and the Lord.”

Satan would have you believe that the only beauty that matters is on the outside: The shape of your body, the features of your face, and the clothes you wear. You can be what the world calls “perfect” on the outside, and be sorely lacking on the inside.

In my daughter’s room I have vinyl that says “A true Princess shines from within.” True beauty comes from the inside. Sister Dalton says, “It can’t be painted on, surgically created or purchased. It is the kind of beauty that doesn’t wash off. It is spiritual attractiveness. Deep beauty springs from virtue. It is the beauty of being chaste, and morally clean. It is the beauty you see in the eyes of your mother and grandmother. It is earned through faith, repentance, and honoring covenants… There is nothing more beautiful than a young woman who glows with the light of the spirit, who is confident and courageous because she is virtuous.”

Cherie Call sings a song that says, “It’s what you give that makes you beautiful, it’s how you live that makes your dreams come true.”

In the end, it won’t matter whose hair looked the best, or what brand of clothing you wore, Heavenly Father and Jesus will be our judge, and they look at our inward appearance.

It is so important that each of us remember who we are. We are divine. We were born to be Queens and Kings. We must live worthy to enter the temple and then keep our covenants throughout our life so that we can qualify to return to live with our Heavenly Father.