My Identity

Last night I attended our stake’s Emotional Resilience class. The lesson topic was “Healthy Thinking Patterns” and the particular foundational principle was “Our Divine Identity and Purpose.” 

I found it interesting that, even before we learned about CBT and cognitive distortions, I was invited to consider how my understanding of who I am impacts my ability to think productively. 

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf used a familiar fairytale to illustrate this point: 

Much of the confusion we experience in this life comes from simply not understanding who we are.

One of the most beloved storytellers of all time was the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. In one of his stories, “The Ugly Duckling,” a mother duck discovers that one of her newly hatched chicks is unusually large and very ugly. The other ducklings cannot leave the ugly child alone. They punish him mercilessly.

The ugly duckling decides it would be better for everyone if he left his family, and so he ran away. Then one day he sees flying overhead a flock of majestic birds. He takes flight and follows them to a beautiful lake. The ugly duckling looks into the water and sees a reflection of a magnificent swan. The ugly duckling realizes that the reflection is his own! He has discovered who he really is.

Think of where you come from. You are sons and daughters of the greatest, most glorious being in the universe. He loves you with an infinite love. He wants the best for you. This knowledge changes everything. It changes your present. It can change your future. And it can change the world.

If only we understood who we are and what is in store for us, our hearts would overflow with such gratitude and happiness that it would enlighten even the darkest sorrows with the light and love of God.

Of course, there will always be voices telling you that you are foolish to believe that you are swans, insisting that you are but ugly ducklings and that you can’t expect to become anything else. But you know better. You are no ordinary beings. You are glorious and eternal.

I plead with you—just look into the water and see your true reflection! It is my prayer and blessing that when you look at your reflection, you will be able to see beyond imperfections and self-doubts and recognize who you truly are: glorious sons and daughters of Almighty God.

We might take on identifiers and labels, based on our ethnicity, interests, tendencies, etc. In a Facebook post this past summer, President Russell M. Nelson taught:  

Labels can be fun and indicate your support for any number of positive things. But if any label replaces your most important identifiers, the results can be spiritually suffocating. I believe that if the Lord were speaking to you directly, the first thing He would make sure you understand is your true identity. My dear friends, you are literally spirit children of God.

No identifier should displace, replace, or take priority over these three enduring designations:

• Child of God
• Child of the covenant
• Disciple of Jesus Christ

Any identifier that is not compatible with those three basic designations will ultimately let you down. Make no mistake about it: Your potential is divine. With your diligent seeking, God will give you glimpses of who you may become.

It’s true. How I feel about myself definitely influences my thinking. It’s easier to be kind to myself if I’m able to see myself more the way God sees me. He wants me to value myself as His beloved child and not as the world judges. My perfectionistic thoughts could cause me to doubt God’s love for me and my divine nature and purpose. 

To be continued . . . with Part 95.