The Worth of Souls

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God"

-D&C 18:10

When I think of this scripture, I remember how Joseph Smith worded it in the movie they show at Temple Square. He says, "The worth of EVERY soul is GREAT in the sight of God." He says this while bound in chains and after rebuking the men who were discussing all the terrible things they did to a man who betrayed him. I've often wondered if Joseph is referring to him or to the men who sit before him. As I've pondered about this, I realized that it doesn't matter, EVERY soul has worth no matter what they've done.

I remember when I was scared to come to college and meet new people. Sometimes the task just seemed too daunting. So many new things, places, and people. As I was complaining to my brother, he said some words I will never forget. "Do you think Heavenly Father knows you?" I responded with a yes. "And don't you think he got to know you and talked to you individually?" He also asked that if we are trying to be like him, shouldn't we want to get to know people?

I was stunned.

Never had the thought crossed my mind before. I have come to realize just how important that teaching moment was for me. It has only been when I've taken the time to talk to and get to know someone that I've come to see their true worth. People are so amazing! Obviously, they are all around, but do we really know in who's midst we stand?

C S Lewis said, “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would strongly be tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”

Never forget your own worth or of those around you... you might just find a best friend when you let down your guard and see the true beauty and worth in the most annoying person at work or at school or on the street. In the end it doesn't matter if you met a rock star or the richest man alive. All people have potential and worth and are amazing beyond our ability to imagine.

I Know In My Heart

Today was so amazing! I went temple hopping with a few of my friends. We started early in the morning at Draper, went to Oquirrh Mountain, then headed up to Salt Lake.

We ate lunch at Temple Square and then went and saw the new scale model of the temple in the South Visitor's Center. It was awesome, you can learn more about it here http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/scaled-model-provides-salt-lake-temple-open-house-experience.

Then we went to the Joseph Smith Movie. I always feel so good after seeing it. Two phrases stuck with me, one was, "We endure by trusting in God and moving on." The other was, "We don't have to meet him to know he's a prophet."

I felt so uplifted after the movie was over and I was so excited to do baptisms in The Salt Lake Temple. I had never been there before but someone had once shown me where the entrance was. We went to the door and it was shut tight. As I stood there unsure what to do next, my eyes suddenly found a doorbell. A voice told us to come in and we walked down a hall. I thought it was strange that there seemed to be sentinels around every corner; I forgot about it then and got changed.

After we got ready, one of the workers told us to hurry across the hall where a big group of people stood in a semi-circle. We stood there and I heard whispers that the Prophet was coming down to the Baptistry. My heart started burning within me. One of the workers then asked that everyone continue in what they were doing.

We went to sit by the confirmation rooms and went straight in. As I was getting confirmed, my heart felt like it was on fire. We heard a voice in the hall and a roar of laughter. By the time we got out of the room, President Monson was gone.

While I was in the room I prayed that we would be able to see him. How cool would that be? However, the thought came to me that I already knew he was a prophet of God and what was most important thing was the work I was doing. It paralleled what had stood out to me in the movie. I didn't have to meet him to know he was a prophet of God.

Yes. It would have been an amazing experience to see the prophet in the temple. However, I wondered why things like that happen. My conclusion was that we have these experiences to make us realize that we don't need a sign to believe. We have had a witness in our hearts already. In a roundabout way, it showed me what my heart already knew.