God the Father quotes and thoughts

One day, years ago, I was at a seminary meeting where Elder Ballard was speaking to us – and he said something that I will never, ever forget.  He said, “If my grandchild were in your classroom, there is one thing I would want to be certain that you taught them….”  Now pause, for a moment – before he finished that statement, I remember being so impacted by it.  He was making our classroom personal to someone that he cared deeply about, so I knew he was going to say something that I should heed.  So, I was on the edge of my chair and ready to learn whatever he was going to say.  He finished that sentence by saying, “I would want you to teach them that they are children of God.”  Oh.  Ok.  I’d expected something different.  They already knew that, didn’t they?  Isn’t that one of the first things they learned?  It is primary.

I now admit that I was a bit naive.  I have, and am still, learning the depth of what he said.

Knowing, truly knowing that you are a child of God is a profound thing.  And when someone “gets” it, it will show in everything they do.  You shouldn’t have to ask them if they know who they are, but they will show you.  They will show you by the things they talk about, by the way they spend their time, by how they dress,  how they use their talents,  what jokes they laugh at,  how they plan their future, how they treat their enemy, and what their enemy really is.  They will know that their potential is the same as your potential, and they will treat you that way.

Hold up a picture of a kitten, and ask your children what this will someday become.  Then hold up a picture of a puppy, and then a newborn calf.  Ask them what they are going to grow up to be.  Then show them a picture of Christ.  Ask them what he will be.  Then show them a picture of them, as babies, and ask them who they are, and what they are going to be.  They may say, like you.  And that will be a great opportunity to teach them why we say, “Dear Heavenly Father.”

Knowing as much as we can about God, about who He is in every way, will only teach us about ourselves.  And then perhaps we will not only believe, but trust, that we can develop those same attributes – and in fact, that it is expected of us to do so.  And that whenever we doubt ourselves, we are doubting that we can become like Him, which is doubting His power, and His creations, and the power of the Atonement.  It seems so en vogue to be self critical, and to say that we aren’t good at something – and we call that humility.  But, perhaps, that is actually pride, and humility is recognizing who we are, and what we can become.

If you want your children to do great things – teach them who they are.  Teach them that they are children of an Omnipotent, All-powerful God, and that they are made in His image.  And that as they learn about who He is, that as they develop those same attributes in themselves, there will be no limit to their growth.  Only Eternal growth.  Teach them the Eternal value of education, of self-discipline, of endurance – and all those things that we want our children to become, will come, and they will come in God’s way.  And it will come more quickly and more correctly than any other way, because it will come through the Spirit.

Have you ever wondered why some people don’t consider Mormons to be Christians?  It is because of something called the Nicene Creed.  It was written in 325 AD, and we do not agree with it statement.  This creed is a statement of belief and it states that the Godhead consists of one being that has three separate aspects, or roles.  After the Apostles had all been killed, the Church as an organization remained, but the Gospel of Christ – including the Priesthood Authority – was no longer part of that Church.  And with no prophet to guide, their arose some disagreements concerning some of the doctrines – one of them being the nature of the Godhead, whether it was three separate and distinct beings, or if it was one single being with three roles.  Constantine, the emperor of Rome, called together the leadership of the Catholic Church to a place called Nicea – and there they held a council to determine the nature of the Godhead.  It was two months of bitter debate, and in the end a vote was cast, and the majority decided that the Godhead was one being rather than three.  And that creed, in someway, is part of all Christian churches.  So some will hold that if you do not accept that creed, you cannot be a Christian.

Ponder to yourself, what that one decision did to the Plan of Salvation, and to your understanding of who you are, your relationship to God, and your ultimate potential.  That creed made God into an essence, and not a literal man, but rather a power that came to earth as a man in the form of Jesus Christ.  Read the creed, it is confusing.  But it is clear that changing that one doctrine would confuse mankind of who they are, and therefore that was a good day for the Devil and his associates.  That day took away something precious from mankind, it took away their chance to know and use the phrase “Father”, with the One who chooses, out of all of His titles, to be called That.  And it took away what it means to be made in His image.

So when a young fourteen-year-old boy saw two personages in that Sacred Grove, he undid over 1,000 years of a major doctrinal mistake.  He learned visually, a precious truth that mankind had lost, and that truth was finally restored.  He saw two separate men.  And they introduced themselves so there was no misunderstanding for him or for us who have read his account, and perhaps he learned something he had never considered because nobody was teaching it.   And then when he would speak with Moroni, he learned again, the reality of the Resurrection, and in someone who was not a member of the Godhead.  But a man, a fellow child of God, who was literally in God’s image, and in His image after this life as well.  Moroni made it clear, he taught Joseph by simply wearing a loose fitting robe.  He showed him the doctrine of the Resurrection before Joseph understood all the deep doctrines.

We don’t have to wait until our children are grown and educated to teach them these truths.  It was among the first things Joseph ever learned, and it was foundational.

Here are some quotes about Heavenly Father, as well as some about the Nicene Creed.  It could make some wonderful discussion for your family.

And to come full circle.  A few years ago I was speaking at an EFY session down at BYU, and my topic was on being Children of God and what that means.  So I told them the story of Elder Ballard and what he said and the impact it had on me.  And then I did my best to teach them something about that.  After that hour was over, I had a lovely young woman approach me, and she said, “I am Elder Ballard’s granddaughter.”  Whoa.  That was a moment for me.

Here is the printout: nicene creed and heavenly father quotes

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