We Matter to our Heavenly Father
At times we may feel insignificant, invisible, alone, unloved or forgotten. But always remember, you matter to our Heavenly Father and Savior! No matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance or how horrible your living conditions you are raised in; you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. You are His son or daughter who He loves with a perfect love.
I was Inspired with This True Story
“I grew up in an unstable environment. My biological parents abused and neglected me, and I experienced a lot of difficult challenges. I battled with anxiety, body-image issues, anorexia, and situational depression that held me prisoner for years. At 14, I was the caregiver to my autistic brother and my mother. I was lost and out of control. I hated myself and my situation and believed my life would never change. But then a miracle happened. My biological mother realized she couldn’t take care of me and called her brother in Singapore to ask if he would adopt me. With packed bags and teary eyes, I boarded a plane to begin a new life—one free from abuse. But adjusting to my adopted family and a new culture was difficult, and I struggled to move forward. My adoptive parents did everything they could to help me. I saw therapists and doctors. I also started going to church again, but learning about a Heavenly Father who loves me and has a purpose for me was hard, because I didn’t believe it after all I had endured. I wasn’t happy. I didn’t know how to heal from the past and still felt hopeless about the future. One day, I was pondering about how short mortality is. I didn’t want to spend my life unhappily. I needed to learn from my trials, apply the gospel principles I had been taught, and invite Christ into my life. I took a leap of faith and started kneeling and asking Heavenly Father every day for the power to forgive my biological parents, to change my fear into faith, to find healing and happiness, and to recognize love in my life. I went to institute and began studying scriptures and applying gospel truths in my life. I truly sought the healing power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. And over time, my life started to change. As I was patient, received therapeutic and medicinal treatment, and filled my life with the Spirit each day, I began to heal: I felt less withdrawn and more like myself. I felt safe. I served others. I loved, forgave, and accepted myself. I built healthy, loving relationships. I began to feel Heavenly Father’s love for me. And for the first time in my life, I felt true joy.
If you are in a difficult family situation, know that you have a Father in Heaven who knows you and loves you and will open the doors to a bright future. Before being adopted, I told myself that my circumstances would never change, and that I would never get married or have children because I was afraid, they would suffer as I did. But I’ve learned that no matter what struggles we have experienced in our families, as we seek Christ, we can build our future homes and eternal families with hope, gospel truths, and love. Our future will be determined far less by our starting point and much more by our slope. Jesus Christ sees divine potential no matter where we start. … He will do everything He can to help us turn our slopes toward heaven.” (Breawna P. Wrote an article entitled “Abuse, Adoption and Healing” January 2023 Liahona Magazine)
Our Royal Birthright
As sons and daughters of God, we have a spark of divinity in each of us and great potential. One purpose of Heavenly Father’s creations is that we might reach our potential. The Lord doesn’t care if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. He knows where we are no matter how humble and toxic our circumstances. He will use, in His own way and for His holy purposes, those who incline their hearts to Him. God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good. The Lord uses a scale very different from the world to weigh the worth of a soul.