Divine Identity: The Gospel Truth That Changed My Life

By Sinja Hug

God knows you completely and knows what’s best for you.

I was desperately praying to understand my situation. My mission call had come after major delays, and I was mortified: the Alpine German-Speaking Mission.

My home.

What?

I didn’t want to serve at home! I’d expected to go elsewhere like many of my friends. This news made me feel like Heavenly Father didn’t see me as capable of serving Him.

But when I said this desperate prayer, asking Him if He cared about me and if this mission call was a mistake, I felt a physical weight lift off my shoulders. I felt the Spirit reassure me that God knows me completely and knows what’s best for me.

In that moment, the Spirit confirmed to me that I am God’s child.

That was one of the first times I really felt the power of my divine identity.

A Most Important Truth

A life-changing truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we are children of heavenly parents.

Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the “all-encompassing gift of eternal truth that underpins our ability to receive all else our Father desires to endow us with—a vital gift of knowledge that, when fully accepted and received deep in the soul, contextualises the joys and hardships of life and our unanswered questions: It is that we really are God’s children.”

Since that experience with my mission call, I’ve felt the truth of those words. I’ve never forgotten how reassured and empowered I felt when I realized that God knows me and loves me.

Focusing on My Identity

Despite this truth, the world around me does little to remind me of my divine roots. I’ve realized I have to be intentional about remembering my divine identity and the power that comes with it.

For me, this includes things like pondering the miracle of my body and what it allows me to do and experience every day.

I also feel connected to my Creator when I’m in the stillness of nature. Seeing the beauty of the mountains or the sunset reminds me that God didn’t have to beautify the earth. But He and Jesus Christ did that for us because They want us to enjoy the wonders of this world and be reminded of Their love (see Moses 6:63).

And praying to Heavenly Father each day—letting Him know how I feel and realizing that He wants to listen and speak to me—helps me deepen my divine connection with Him. Prayer reminds me that I’m not alone and that He’s guiding me, even if what I want is not happening now. I trust that He, a loving Father, knows when it’s the right time for certain blessings to come into my life.

The Gift of Mortality

My mission wasn’t what I expected it would be, but I had experiences that helped me see why Heavenly Father wanted me to be in my home area. Sharing the truth of divine identity with those who had never known it before filled me with joy.

I can’t imagine life without knowing who I truly am—I would feel empty and lost.

When I consider the purpose of my life, it gives me so much hope to know that mortality is just a tiny part of Heavenly Father’s plan for me. I get to do, learn, and become more than I am now because of the divine gift of life He has given me as His child. I am so grateful that He offered His beloved Son as my Savior and that He let me choose to enter mortality to become like Him and return home.

Whatever the world throws at you, I hope you always remember who you truly are. That truth will give you the power to face anything that comes your way.

Just as God heard me in my moment of desperation, I know He always hears and loves you too.

The author lives in Liestal, Switzerland.