Your Infinite Worth

To my daughter,

               As you continue to get older, you’ll find that one of the hardest things to do is fear God more than man. This doesn’t mean that you are afraid of your Father in Heaven; rather, you must care more about what He thinks of you than what others’ opinions are of you. When Joseph Smith first started translating the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris was his scribe and they made it through 116 pages. At that point, Martin was under a lot of pressure from his wife, and he wanted to prove to her that what he was doing was good and of God. He asked Joseph if he could take the manuscript pages to show her. Joseph asked the Lord, and He said no. Martin begged Joseph and so he asked again, and the Lord said no again. When Martin persisted, Joseph asked a third time and the Lord said he could take it under certain conditions. So Joseph let Martin take the pages back to New York from Pennsylvania, but Martin did not follow those conditions and he lost the pages. This was a huge blow to Joseph especially, and the Lord for a time took away his gift to translate. He said this in a revelation: “You should not have feared man more than God.” Joseph had been more afraid of what Martin thought of him than what the Lord thought of him, and that had led to his not accepting the Lord’s answer originally. The Savior continued, “You should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:7-8). In other words, the Lord was assuring Joseph that He will always stand by him if he will focus on doing what the Lord wants instead of pleasing man. I know that this is a true principle for us as well—if we will put the Lord first in our lives and work to please Him instead of those around us, He will stand by us and help us in all our struggles.

               As you start a new school year I hope you will remember that what God thinks of you is of far more worth than what your peers or teachers think of you. Sister Kearon said this, “Learning to find, feel, and understand our individual worth regardless of what other people might think or say about us is critical to our lifelong emotional and spiritual wellbeing. When we permit others’ words, actions, or opinions of us dictate how we feel about ourselves, we become fragile victims, never knowing when someone’s approval of us will turn to disdain. Likewise, if we base our worth solely on our achievements, our performance, or our visible perceived gifts, we set ourselves up for failure and disappointment as soon as we don’t measure up and come out on top. You know this, but those of you who struggle with it need to hear it often and be reassured of your infinite worth, which is entirely unconnected to your attainments but intrinsically linked to your relationship with God. What does infinite mean? Unlimited, boundless, without end. Each of you is of unlimited, boundless, endless worth. To whom? To the person who metaphorically calls you names on the playground? No. You are of unlimited, boundless, endless worth to your Father in Heaven, the One who knows you best, no matter what anyone else might think or say about you. Just let the beauty and stillness of that truth weigh on your soul for a moment. You are ‘precious in [His] sight.’” I know that you are indeed of infinite worth and that your Father in Heaven loves you perfectly. Strive to please Him and do what He wants you to do, and you won’t need to worry at all about what others think of you. 

Love,

Dad