I feel so honored to speak to you today and have felt so much love for you all as I prepared my message. Many years ago, I went into a restaurant and saw a sign on the wall that said, “The Lord must love ordinary people, because He sure made a lot of them.” I agreed, thinking that I was definitely one of those ordinary people. In elementary school, I was able to finish grade two and move on to grade three with the plan to finish grade three during the beginning of grade four. That would give me the opportunity to complete three grades in two years. The problem was that our family moved to a new town, and I was placed in grade four without learning all of the grade three material. All the grade four students in the new school knew how to write in cursive, but I had not learned that yet. I remember feeling very dumb. Even though I had been smart enough to accelerate my learning, in the moment of not knowing cursive, I didn’t consider all the things that I already knew.
Have you ever not understood something when everyone else did? Have you ever been picked last or even ignored? Have you been overwhelmed, thinking that you can’t do it all? Have you ever felt like you were not loved or that you had no friends? Have you ever felt like you didn’t look as good as someone else? In short, have you ever felt like you were not enough? If so, you are in good company.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “Our failures don’t have to define us; they can refine us.” [1] In a New Era article, David Dixon shares this comment:
If the adversary can convince you you’ll never be good enough, he scores a major victory. . . . When we fall short of perfection, and we always do, it’s easy to get discouraged and want to throw in the towel. . . . Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy has taught: “[One] tactic used by Satan is discouragement. He uses this tool effectively on the most faithful Saints, when everything else seems to fail. For me, when I begin to feel discouraged, it helps me to recognize who is trying to get me down. This makes me mad enough to cheer up, just to spite the devil.[2]
President Russell M. Nelson made the following statement in the April 2019 General Priesthood Session that applies to women as well as men.
My dear brethren, you were chosen by our Father to come to earth at this crucial time because of your premortal spiritual valor. You are among the finest, most valiant men who have ever come to the earth. Satan knows who you are and who you were premortally, and he understands the work that must be done before the Savior returns. And after millennia of practicing his cunning arts, the adversary is experienced and incorrigible.[3]
Satan, the father of all lies, wants us to feel like we are not enough. The Savior, on the other hand, loves us more than we can comprehend and is cheering us on. He knocks at the door hoping we will invite Him in.[4] He asks us to yoke ourselves with Him[5] and to become clay in the Potter’s hand.[6] With access to His power, how can we fail? He will meet us where we are in all our brokenness and insecurities.
President Ezra Taft Benson said:
Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, . . . lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.[7]
Elder Neil L. Andersen shared this thought:
Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way. We first build a foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We treasure the principles and ordinances of repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost. We include a continuing commitment to prayer, a willingness to be obedient, and an ongoing witness of the Book of Mormon. We then remain steady and patient as we progress through mortality. At times, the Lord’s answer will be, “You don’t know everything, but you know enough. [8]
I believe none of us are ordinary. If we truly know that we are sons and daughters of God, we will know that we are far from ordinary, that the Savior is aware of our needs, and that we are enough. In our last conference, President Nelson said:
I weep over your heartaches, disappointments, and worries. I love you. I assure you that our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, love you. They are intimately aware of your circumstances, your goodness, your needs, and your prayers for help. Again and again, I pray for you to feel Their love for you. Experiencing Their love is vital, as it seems that we are accosted daily by an onslaught of sobering news. You may have had days when you wished you could don your pajamas, curl up in a ball, and ask someone to awaken you when the turmoil is over.[9]
As I was preparing for this talk, I went to the temple and had the question, “What is my talk missing?” The thought that came softly to my mind was to share the Savior’s love. I know He wants all of us to feel His deep love. All of us! I know I could never adequately express His love, but this scripture does:
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.[10]
Even though we are enough with the Savior’s help, that doesn’t mean we should be content with where we are at. In last week’s devotional, my dear friend, Lynne Landon, said, “God trusts you and wants you to grow, and you simply cannot grow if you remain in a safe and comfortable place because we do not get stronger by doing easy things.” The Savior instituted the sacrament for us to reflect weekly on His Atonement and to ask ourselves, “What lack I yet?” Here are some suggestions for making ourselves enough:
1. Take a Step Back
Rather than focusing on what we can’t do, look at what we can do and how far we have come. Ask ourselves, “How important is this task?” Will I be kept out of the celestial kingdom if I don’t have straight A’s, or if I can’t write in cursive? Realize that everyone was once in the learning position we may be in. Remember who we are and never belittle ourselves. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “As children of God, we should not demean or vilify ourselves, as if beating up on ourselves is somehow going to make us the person God wants us to become.”[11]
In the discussion board this week, Christine Spencer shared this thought: “President Monson said, ‘Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again. No failure ever need be final.’ And Elder Holland told us we get credit for trying, so although in a flash I may compare myself to another, I do not stay in that thought. Rather, I realize that all of God's children have talents and abilities bestowed upon them.” Thank you, Christine, for your post. Sometimes to feel better about ourselves, we might be tempted to put others down or overlook them. Take a moment of introspection and question if you ever treat others as though they were less than you.
2. Set Goals
We can’t expect help unless we’ve first done our part. We all know that the Lord loves effort, but it is also pretty hard to eat a whole elephant at once. Scott D. Whitney of the Seventy said, “By focusing deeply on one needed attribute, as you progress in obtaining that attribute, other attributes begin to accrue to you. Your significant efforts to gain one attribute become the tide that raises all boats in the harbor.”[12] Just because we know the Lord will “make up the rest” doesn’t give us the choice to do nothing. We would feel very uncomfortable in the presence of our Heavenly Father if we haven’t put forth effort to become all we can become.
3. Serve and Lift Others
Our talents are gifts given to us to bless the lives of others. Don’t hide your talents or play small. Struggling students and overachieving students often receive attention, but what about the ordinary ones in the middle? Are there invisible people around you that you should take notice of? Do we look for others that may be standing outside our circle and pull them in? I remember years ago coming out of Relief Society in time to see my daughter standing alone outside the circle of girls in her Young Women class. The sad look on her face will never be erased from my memory. In our Church, these things should never happen. I challenge you to look out for the ones that need to be loved and pulled into your circle. It is our opportunity to represent the Lord and share His love.
4. Work on Family History
There is great power in doing temple and family history work. Elder Dale G. Renlund said:
You’ll find not only protection from the temptations and ills of this world, but you’ll also find personal power, power to change, power to repent, power to learn, power to be sanctified, and power to turn the hearts of your family together and heal that which needs healing.[13]
5. Keep Your Covenants
President Nelson’s wife, Wendy Watson Nelson, said,
“As we keep our covenants, we can ask for angels to help us. Literally! Without intending to sound too dramatic, I can say with all candor that Elder Holland’s six words changed my life. “Ask for angels to help you.”
That counsel changed my prayers, changed my understanding of the very real help from heaven that is always available to us as we keep our covenants. I started to ask for assistance from those on the other side of the veil from that moment on. Now I’m not talking about praying for fantasy angels with wings to magically fairy-dust our problems away. I’m not talking about praying to angels. I’m talking about praying to your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for those on the other side to be “dispatched” (Elder Holland’s word) to assist you. Perhaps a loved one or two could be sent to help you with whatever you need. Can you imagine the effort it took those angels who pushed from the rear of handcarts as they helped the pioneers over the steep, snowy, windy, freezing, jagged terrain of Rocky Ridge? If angels can manage that, they can certainly help you and me over our present Rocky Ridges. Keep your covenants with more exactness than ever before. And then ask for angels to help you with whatever you need. Or ask for them to be dispatched to help those you love.[14]
6. Seek Out Your Gifts
We have all been given gifts to bless the lives of others, even if we don’t think we have any.
Marvin J. Ashton said:
One of the great tragedies of life, it seems to me, is when a person classifies himself as someone who has no talents or gifts. When, in disgust or discouragement, we allow ourselves to reach depressive levels of despair because of our demeaning self-appraisal, it is a sad day for us and a sad day in the eyes of God. For us to conclude that we have no gifts when we judge ourselves by stature, intelligence, grade-point average, wealth, power, position, or external appearance is not only unfair but unreasonable. . . . It is up to each of us to search for and build upon the gifts which God has given. We must remember that each of us is made in the image of God, that there are no unimportant persons. Everyone matters to God and to his fellowmen. . . . Let us review some of these less-conspicuous gifts (and see if any belong to you): the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost.[15]
We can often discover our gifts in our patriarchal blessing. Rachel Scott shared the following post in the devotional discussion board: “I was recently challenged to read through my patriarchal blessing and to make note of the different words that Heavenly Father uses to describe me. This experience changed my life! When I start to doubt myself and my worth, I pull out that list and am reminded of who I am to Him. If I need an extra boost, I'll pull out my blessing again and read through some of the promises that are made to me. It helps me every single time.”
7. Recognize the Hand of the Lord
Be humble and acknowledge the hand of the Lord. Look for miracles and write them down. I recorded this miracle in my journal a few years ago. “In 2019, my husband had his second stroke. He was life flighted to the University of Utah where we spent 8 days. While in the hospital, I had plenty of snacks to eat, but after a few days, I wanted a real meal. I walked down to the cafeteria, but nothing appealed to me. What I really wanted was a Subway sandwich. Instead of getting any food, I walked away and headed to my car in the parking garage to get some clean clothes. It was busy with vehicles and noisy with the sound of a helicopter taking off. All of a sudden, I heard a car honking right behind me. I quickly moved over and looked back at the car. There was my sweet daughter-in-law with her window down, and in her hand, she held out nothing other than a Subway sandwich for me.”
How could she have known and how could she have been there at that exact moment to meet me? She couldn’t have known, but the Lord knew and He poured His love out on me with that simple act of love. I have felt His love many times in my life and know He is aware of me even with my many inadequacies. We need to take notice of His little tender mercies and expressions of love in our lives. As a young girl, I remember wishing that I had just one friend that always wanted to do what I wanted to do, totally understood me, and would always be there for me. As I have grown up, I have realized that I have had that friend all along. The Savior is my Friend and has carried me through many things. I am learning to recognize His hand in my life.
Young Women General President Bonnie Cordon was invited by artist Joseph Brickey to a warehouse in Orem, Utah that had been converted into his art studio. There, she observed his work on his latest commission—an “enormous” mural for the temple visitors’ center in Rome, Italy. The 27-foot-tall by 50-foot-wide painting would serve as the backdrop for the statues of the Christus and Twelve Apostles. He handed President Cordon a paintbrush and palette of paint and invited her to paint a flower on the masterpiece. “I knew I was not qualified,” President Cordon recalled. “I said to him, ‘I’m not a painter.’ To which he kindly replied, ‘That’s okay, I am.’” With tentative, tiny brush strokes, she added purple paint to his masterpiece. “My simple offering, when touched by the master’s hand, created something I never thought was possible,” she said.[16]“Christ never asked us to give more than we have to give. Rather, He asks, pleads, and invites us to learn of Him, come to Him, trust Him, and let Him make us more than we are. . . . When we put Christ in His proper place, when we come to Him and get to know Him, there is nothing that He can’t equal us to. With Christ, we can be kinder. With Christ, we will feel loved. With Christ, we will always have a friend. With Christ, we will be happy. For with Christ we are enough. We are powerful. We are more.”[17]
Instead of worrying if we are enough, we should be asking if the Savior is enough in our lives. Do we turn to Him enough? Do we trust Him enough? Do we know Him enough? His love and power can make us enough and more. I leave these words with you in the name of my Savior and Friend, Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “God Among Us,” Liahona, May 2021.
[2] David Dixon, “Seven Lies Satan Wants You to Believe,” New Era, Jan. 2017.
[3] Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” Ensign, May 2019.
[4] Revelations 3:20.
[5] Matthew 11:29–30.
[6] Isaiah 64:8.
[7] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2014.
[8] Neil L. Andersen, “You Know Enough,” Media Library. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2009-04-0013-you-know-enough?lang=eng
[9] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022.
[10] Isaiah 49:15, 16.
[11] Jeffrey R. Holland, “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually,” Ensign, Nov. 2017.
[12] Scott D. Whitney, “Becoming Like Him,” Ensign, Nov. 2020.
[13] Dale G. Renlund, “Claim the Promises: Taking Family Names,” FamilySearch Blog, Jun. 17, 2016. https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/claim-the-promises-taking-family-names#:~:text=You'll%20find%20not%20only,Elder%20Richard%20G.
[14] Wendy Watson Nelson, “…My soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord,” BYU Women’s Conference, Apr. 30, 2015.
[15] Marvin J. Ashton, “There Are Many Gifts,” Ensign, Nov. 1987.
[16] Rachel Sterzer Gibson, “President Cordon on the power of belonging—connecting students to a ‘great work’ during a time of remote learning,” Church News, Aug. 28, 2020. https://www.thechurchnews.com/2020/8/28/23216615/president-cordon-belonging-students-great-work-remote-learning
[17] Tiffany Webster, “The Perfect Lie,” Blog Post, Oct. 19, 2016. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/inspiration/the-perfect-lie?lang=eng