Brenda

A few years ago, I was asked to give a talk in church on Individual worth. I thought I would share an excerpt from that talk with you.

Several years ago, I wrote a poem titled, “The Conversion”. It was named such because each of us needs to be converted to who we really are. It isn’t something that can be done for you, but it is an individual journey that we each must take.

The Conversion
By Brenda Emmett

I am…
I am nothing special.
I am just another face.
Inside I am in a world of darkness.
I have no hope.
No hope of a light to brighten my soul.
The stillness of the night haunts me.
Just a whisper beckons unto me.
To come closer…closer.
Slowly, I crawl to answer.
Suddenly, I am falling—
Faster and faster into nothing.
All around the darkness consumes me,
Digesting yet another victim.
Above me there is a flash of light,
Like the twinkling of a star.
I see a face.
I find a friend.
The light spreads—
Filling me with its warmth.
Out of the light a firm but gentle hand reaches out—
Protecting, directing, nurturing, teaching.
And suddenly…
I blossom.
I blossom with a new-found knowledge.
I am a child of God.
I am unique.
I am forever.
I am.

One of my favorite movies is The Lion King. There is a lot of great stuff in that movie and there is some great symbolism in it that parallels with the gospel. If you haven’t seen it lately, then you need to watch it.

To refresh your memory, Simba is a young lion and his father, Mufasa is the king. Now Simba has an Uncle named Scar, who is jealous of his Brother and plans to kill both his brother, Mufasa and Simba, who is the heir to the throne, so that he, Scar, can take over the kingdom.

Well he takes Simba down to the canyon to wait for Mufasa for some “father-son” time and leaves him there. Meanwhile he has arranged for a stampede to go through that canyon. Mufasa of course runs to the canyon to save his son. When he tries to get himself out of danger, Scar pushes him back down the cliff and Mufasa is killed in the stampede.

Scar then tells Simba that he, Simba, is responsible for his own father’s death and tells him to run away and never come back. When Simba begins to run, he tells the Hyenas to kill him. Simba manages to escape and is later found by a warthog named Pumba and a Meerkat named Timon. They take him in and Simba grows up away from his home with his new-found friends.

Then a couple of things happen around the same period of time. A monkey named Rafiki discovers that Simba is alive and determines that it is time for him to return home. Around that same time, Nala, one of the Lionesses, and Simba’s best friend finds him as she is out looking for food. She begs him to return and take over the kingdom from his uncle, Scar, who has basically run the kingdom into the ground. Simba repeatedly tells her no, he can’t go back.

It is after this that one of the most profound parts of the movie takes place. Simba is all alone and speaks out loud to his father, “You said you’d always be there for me, but you’re not, and it’s my own fault.” He hangs his head and is feeling despondent. This is when Rafiki comes along.

Simba asks, “Who are you?” To which Rafiki answers, “The question is, WHO are you?”

And Simba says, “I thought I knew, now I’m not so sure.”

And Rafiki says, “Well, I know who you are…Shhhh….come here…it’s a secret….Asanti Sauna, Squashed Banana and he keeps singing his little song.

Simba gets annoyed and says, “Enough already! What is that supposed to mean anyway?”

“It means you’re a baboon and I’m not.” And then he laughs.

Simba then says, “I think you’re a little confused.”

“Wrong. I’m not the one who’s confused. You don’t even know WHO you are.”

“Oh, and I suppose YOU know?”

And then to Simba’s amazement, Rafiki says, “Sure do…you’re Mufasa’s boy…Bye.” And he runs off.

Simba says, “Hey wait!” and runs after him. When he catches up to him, he says, “You knew my father?”

“Correction…I KNOW your father.”

Simba says, “I hate to tell you this, but he died a long time ago.”

“Nope, wrong again. He’s alive and I’ll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki, he knows the way. C’mon.”

He then leads him through the jungle, up and over the trees, through the vines and makes his way through the crowded path. Finally he says, “Stop! Shhhhhh…..” And he parts the grass and whispers, “Look down there….”

Simba goes through the grass, down the path and peers over the edge to see a reflection of himself in the water. He sighs and says, “That’s not my father. It’s just my reflection.”

Rafiki responds while pointing…”No….look harder….”

Simba looks again. Rafiki says, “You see…he lives in YOU.”

Then Simba has an experience where he sees his father…

“Simba, you have forgotten me….”

“No…how could I?”

And then Mufasa says one of the most profound things in the entire movie…
“You have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are MORE than what you have become. Remember who you are. You are my son. Remember who you are.” And he disappears…

Does that sound like something our Father in Heaven might say to us? “You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, You are MORE than what you have become. Remember who you are. You are my son. Or you are my daughter. You are my child. Remember who you are.” Would that be something He might say?

I want to share a little experience with you that happened in our family recently. If you don’t think that the things that our kids learn in Primary can have an affect on both the kids and the entire family, then think again. There was one Sunday that my son was taught that we should all be very careful what types of movies we bring into our homes. He was taught that we should NEVER have any Rated-R movies, and that we should NEVER watch them. That’s a good thing, right?

Well, he came home and began to pull out all of our videos and DVD’s. When we asked what he was doing, he replied, “I’m looking to see if we have any Rated R movies.” Well, we assured him that we didn’t, but he kept looking at every one, just to be “safe”.

It soon spread to the video store. We couldn’t look for movies, without our son telling us which ones we shouldn’t watch. He religiously checked every movie we rented and brought into our home. He still does.

Well, I am sure that you are aware that the movie ratings have once again evolved. Now they tell you WHY a movie is rated the way that it is, so that you can be aware of any objectionable content. And now he reads that…every single time.

A couple of weeks ago, we were all over at my parent’s house and we were going to watch a movie. It was an older movie that we had all seen before, and we weren’t really worried about the content, because we had already seen the movie and didn’t remember anything bad about it. So there we were, my parents, my sister, and the three of us, all ready to watch this movie. As it came up, it stated that it was PG-13 and then gave the reasons for it. None of us paid any attention to it, except my son, who immediately declared that he did not want to watch this movie. When we asked him why, he kept emphatically declaring he didn’t want to watch it. When we pressed him further, he declared firmly, “I do not want to watch it. It said it has something bad and that might scar me for life. I do not want to be scarred for life.”

Do you think that took some courage to stand up to not only his mom and dad, but his aunt and his grandma and grandpa? Do you think it took courage to say, “Hey, this isn’t good for me. I don’t want to scar my spirit?” Do you think he knows who he is? Did he say, “I am a son of God. That movie might hurt my spirit and I don’t do those things. I am worth more than that…?” I hope he always remembers who he is and continues to be a good example to our family.

Individual worth is simply knowing you are a child of God and then acting accordingly. Individual Worth is knowing that you are worth the price the Savior paid for each of us on the cross and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Individual Worth is accepting the gift of the Atonement into our lives. It is telling the Savior that we are indeed worth the price he paid for each of us. He thinks we are worth it, or He wouldn’t have done it. I hope that we can all remember who we truly are, sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and Mother.

This week I wanted to take the opportunity to share a poem with you that I have written about the Savior, Jesus Christ. I originally wrote this as a song and set it to music, but I am not happy with the music portion of it yet. However, I am happy with the words and I thought it might be something you could use somewhere in a lesson or as a discussion for Family Home Evening. I hope it inspires you in some small way and that you are able to feel the spirit as you read it.

Because He Loves Me
By Brenda Emmett

I like to think of long a-go, of a time before my birth.
To when the Savior, Jesus, walked upon the earth.
I picture Him with His disciples while at Galilee.
And how He stilled the waters of the stormy sea.
With power and compassion, He commanded, “Peace, be still.”
The winds and waves calmed at once to obey the Master’s will.

For Jesus did work miracles, He touched so many lives.
He healed the blind, the sick, the tired; He gave them peace of mind.
And if I exercise my faith, I know that I will see
The miracles He performs each day because He loves me.

When Jesus healed two blind men, their eyes began to see.
He healed the ten lepers, from illness they were free.
When He raised up Lazarus, He showed His power over death.
And again with Jairus’s daughter, when she rose and took a breath.
In Gethsemane, and then the cross, He paid for all our sins.
Then three days later he amazed us all when He rose again.

For Jesus did work miracles, He touched so many lives.
He healed the blind, the sick, the tired; He gave them peace of mind.
And if I exercise my faith, I know that I will see
The miracles He performs each day because He loves me.

Lord, Jesus, is my Savior. He is the Son of God.
He is there to help me hold the iron rod.
I feel His love enfold me when I kneel to pray.
His example shines before me each and every day.
And as I try to be like Him, I know that I will see
The miracles He gives each day because He loves me.

For Jesus did work miracles, He touched so many lives.
He healed the blind, the sick, the tired; He gave them peace of mind.
And if I exercise my faith, I know that I will see
The miracles He performs each day because He loves me.

One of the things I have been thinking about lately, is about our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With everything that is going on around the world, it is more important than ever to hold to the rod and strengthen our testimonies and faith in Jesus Christ. It is important not only for ourselves, but for our families. One thing that comes to my mind, is this question: Are we intentional in our testimonies?

What do I mean by intentional in our testimonies? The word intentional means to be done on purpose or with intention. Are we focused on what our testimonies are and understand what they mean to us? Do we have a purpose for our testimony? Or do we find ourselves coasting along?

It is easy to get distracted by the things of the world. It is easy to lose our focus. We may find ourselves just going through the motions in the gospel. This is a dangerous place to be. We need to not only understand the gospel message, but we need to feel it as well. If we don’t we are entering into dangerous territories and if our course is not corrected, we may not find our way back on the path.

It is perhaps prudent and wise to take inventory of our spirituality. Are our actions matching our words? Are the things we are doing in our lives, reflecting who we really are? Are we emulating the light of Christ? Are we exercising the muscle of our testimony?

It has been said that what we do not share, we will lose. Are we sharing our testimony with others? Are they seeing our testimony in how we handle ourselves? Are we a walking and talking example of what a daughter or son of God should be?

Are we casual with our testimonies? When we say we know the church is true, or the scriptures are true, or that we know that we have a Prophet in these latter-days, or we express our gratitude or knowledge of the atonement of Christ, or that we know we are children of God–are we casual with those words? Do we say them just to say them? Or do we really reflect on what they mean before we say them? Do we feel the Spirit when we say them?

Having an intentional testimony will give you power over darkness. It will lead you to safe harbors in this sea of life. It will allow the Lord to speak to you within your heart and you will be able to act to guide yourself and your family to safety in a world full of turmoil. Do you have an intentional testimony of the Gospel? If not, it is time to start working toward having one. If you do, then keep exercising that muscle, so you can be that light shining on a hill.

One of my concerns as a parent and teacher in the church is how to help others develop and strengthen their personal testimonies. While it may seem overwhelming when you look at the task as a whole, the Lord has given us simple tools to cultivate his light in our souls. Just as we would never expect a seed to grow without nourishment and care, we should not expect a personal testimony to grow up overnight. We live in a world where everything is available in an instant. However, developing a personal testimony takes time and commitment. It takes work.

While we cannot make someone develop a testimony of the Gospel, we can help them to nourish it and to recognize their opportunity to grow one. I think perhaps this is the most difficult to do when we are dealing with a troubled teen or even a willful spouse or parent. The most important thing is to never lose hope and never stop being an example of the Lord’s light.

One of the things I have noticed when working with the youth is that often they do not recognize when they have a testimony. Sometimes the most important thing that we can do as parents and leaders is to help them to learn to recognize the influence of the spirit. Never discount even something that they or we may deem as a small thing. Just as you don’t need to actually eat an entire cookie in one bite to know that it is good, you don’t need to read the entire Book of Mormon to know that it is good. We should continue to daily read it, but the Lord never intended for us to swallow the entire scripture course in one sitting. It takes time.

Once you have learned to recognize the spirit, then everything else will fall into place in due time. Remember that our desired timeline may not be the same timeline that the Lord has in mind. He has said that by small things he accomplishes great things.

Here are some things that you can do to continue to develop and nurture your testimony:

PRAY

When we take the time to talk with our Heavenly Father, we invite His spirit into our day. We can pray about most anything that we may need or desire. Do not be afraid to discuss everything with your Father. He loves and cares about you. He is interested in your life. He wants to help you. Ask. Don’t be afraid to share your desire for a testimony with Him. He will be glad to help you. If you are praying for someone else to develop a testimony, share your concerns with God. He will help you to know what to say and do when the time is appropriate in His eyes.

READ

Take the time to read your scriptures daily. He has given us His words to help us enrich our lives and develop our testimonies. Many times we will find the answers we are seeking in the words that He has already provided to us. Really search the scriptures and devour the words that are contained therein.

Also take the time to read the church magazines and conference talks. These will help enrich your mind and allow the spirit to be present in your heart.

LISTEN

Take the time to listen to talks from church leaders. The talks that we listen to each General Conference are inspired and are there to aid us in becoming more valiant members of the Gospel.

Listen closely to the promptings of the spirit. The spirit will speak to your heart and mind the very things that the Lord wishes you to know.

IDENTIFY

One of the most important things we can do is to identify the spirit in our lives. I cannot stress this fact enough. If you need ideas of how to identify the spirit, then I invite you to ponder the words we find in Galatians 5: 22-23. Here we are given the fruits of the spirit. “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Another of my very favorite scriptures concerning the spirit is found in Jacob 4:13: “…for the spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls.”

SERVE

When we help others, we invite the spirit to be with us. We demonstrate the love of the Lord to those we are helping and allow the love of the Lord to work within us.

When we do all of these things, we are providing the nutrients we need to help our testimonies develop and grow. They may seem simple, but the Gospel IS simple. We just tend to make it difficult.

Remember that the Lord expects us to learn “line upon line, precept on precept.” As we do this, our testimony will grow and bloom. We will be able to stand tall and strong against the winds of the adversary and we will be able to help others learn to do so too.