Visiting Teaching Message with Printable - March 2011

Last week, I was out to lunch with a bunch of my girl friends when one of them started to cry. “I’m so sick of coming out of church feeling like a big, fat, giant failure!” she said.

When she gained her composure, she said that lately she has come home from church deflated. She feels like she's not a good enough mother. She feels like she's failing as a church member. She feels like surely there has to be something wrong with her marriage because her husband is getting on her nerves all the time.

She admitted that she doesn’t pray every day to know who needs her - she just prays to MAKE IT through the day without killing someone.

Truthfully, I was sort of surprised because I thought I was the only one who ever felt like that.

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In the Visiting Teaching Message this month, Under the Priesthood and after the Pattern of the Priesthood, I was drawn to a particular paragraph and then two scriptures, particularly as my thoughts centered on my friend and how I could better comfort her.

“We operate in the manner of the priesthood—which means that we seek, receive and act on revelation; . . . caring for individuals one by one.”

“. . . thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.” - D&C 25:3
“Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.” D&C 121:45

Virtue is more than avoiding immoral thoughts and actions. So much more. When we lead a virtuous life, we will be doing what is right, and avoiding that which is wrong. We will lead others with a moral excellence, never looking down on them, but always trying to lift. When we live a Virtuous life we are a power and force for righteousness. And the blessing? Our confidence shall wax strong.

That is the part of the scripture that I want to focus on. “. . . thy confidence shall wax strong…”

I know that it’s talking about standing before God, and being comfortable in His presence, but it means more... to me at least.

There was a time when I really struggled with my self esteem and confidence. I doubted myself, and my worth, and wondered "what did I really have to offer?"

I think it’s safe to say that ALL women struggle with those thoughts at one time or another. That pesky Satan has a way of whispering in our ears and reminding us of all our weaknesses; then he takes those weaknesses and compares them to everyone else's strengths.

I heard Sheri Dew speak, and it changed my perspective and gave me hope.

I wrote in the front of my scriptures “I Must Never Forget That I Am A Child of God” and I read it every single morning before I started my routine.

I pondered the question every single day that she challenged us to ponder: “Who am I and Who Have I Always Been?”

I printed out this saying, taped it in my scriptures and then framed it so I could see it every day and remember:

“Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are, and that is who you have always been. Understanding that truth can change your life, because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way.” – Sheri Dew, Knowing Who You Are

Do you know what happened?

I started living a more charitable, virtuous life. I began living deliberately and with purpose. I tried to avoid that which was wrong and do that which I knew was right. I didn't do it perfectly, but I was precise in my efforts, and I could feel the Lord blessing me.

As I practiced this form of living, I could see the way I interacted with people changing; I saw them with new eyes and I could feel my heart was changing and I was remembering.

I started feeling powerful and my confidence started waxing strong. No longer did I care what others thought of me. No longer did I worry if I would be accepted for who I was. I KNEW who I was and that was all that mattered. I am an Elect Lady. I Am A Child of God. No matter what anyone says about me or to me, that will never change. Understanding those principals made my confidence wax strong.

Knowing who we are, choosing to live that Virtuous life renders Satan powerless to whisper and remind us of our shortcomings. No longer does he have the power to point out to us all the ways we are failing. We have power. We have knowledge. We have confidence.

So I end where I began: My friend and her feelings of being a failure at everything. How do I help her to not feel that way? I encourage her to quit listening to Satan and his minions and help her remember who she has always been.

Daily we must ask the Lord to remind us of who we are. If we practice living that virtuous life, seeking revelation from the spirit and caring for individuals one by one, our blessing will be a confidence that will wax strong and cannot be duplicated in any other way.

And, who is that one person we are entitled most to receive revelation for? Ourselves. Seek that inspiration and revelation about yourself this month. Seek to understand and know you you really are: An Elect Lady of God.

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