You Matter to Him

How is the someone's worth determined? In the professional world, people are "worth" the value of their assets, i.e., the total value of their stocks and bonds, their bank accounts, their real estate, and the ability they have to create more. In the sporting world, athletes are bought and sold by teams who place a dollar value on their skills and abilities to increase the value of a franchise and fill seats. And in the world in which most of us live, our worth is determined by how well we keep up with the Joneses.

But these methods of valuation are not the Lord's methods. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf apostle and counselor to the prophet taught that, "the Lord uses a scale very different from the world's to weigh the worth of a soul." In his address given in the October 2011 General Conference entitled, "You Matter to Him," President Uchtdorf taught about the worth of souls and that, "a person's true value had little to do with what the world holds in high esteem." He continued, "you could pile up the accumulated currency of the entire world and it could not buy a loaf of bread in the economy of heaven."

President Uchtdorf also taught about the ways Satan uses the world's valuation of worth to distract us, either encouraging us to think that, "because of ability, birthright, or social status, [we] are set apart from the common measure of all that surrounds [us]," or encouraging us to, "focus our sight on our own insignificance until we begin to doubt that we have much worth." What matters to the Lord is that we are doing the best we can, that our hearts are inclined toward Him, and that we are willing to help those around us. And if we are doing the best we can, all will be well. President Uchtdorf concludes:

"Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.

"God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him."

This talk contains to many more wonderful teaching about our worth in God's eyes. Read it, accept it, apply it. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us and desires our eternal happiness. If you do not feel that, make the necessary changes in your life so that this knowledge can give you lasting hope and happiness.

Jeremy