The Worth of Souls is Great

To my daughter, 

                This week in our Come, Follow Me reading we find one of the most famous verses in the Doctrine and Covenants, and one that I hope you will always remember: “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10). Elder Uchtdorf spoke about this principle many years ago in a talk titled You Matter to Him. After quoting this verse he said, “And while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, ‘What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?’ God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind. In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.” Recently as we have taken walks in the evening you have mentioned the beauty of the stars, and indeed it is incredible to think of the magnitude of God’s creations. Each of those stars is in reality enormous, and one estimate suggests that “the number of stars within range of our telescopes is 10 times greater than all the grains of sand on the world’s beaches and deserts.” It is impossible to fathom. And yet, despite the incredible magnitude of God’s creations, each of us individually is of great worth to God. Elder Uchtdorf continued, “This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation—worlds without end—within our grasp. And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it.” I hope that you will feel that you personally are indeed of great worth to God because you are.

                One of the most important ways that you will come to feel that this is true is through reading the word of God found in the scriptures. You can consider the scriptures as letters from your Heavenly Father to you, and if you read with real intent, you will feel His voice speaking to you. In this same section of the Doctrine and Covenants the Savior said this: “And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it. These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man; For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them; Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:33-36). I know that there is a power found in reading the scriptures that helps us to draw close to our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ and feel of their love for us. I know that reading the scriptures is very important to guide you in in your life, and I urge you to find time to read each day to hear the voice of the Lord. As you do this, you will feel their love for you. Elder Uchtdorf summarized his message this way: “Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with perfect love. God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him.” 

Love,

Dad