Today I had the opportunity to listen to Elizabeth Smart speak as part of BYU's Voices of Courage Campaign. As she shared her story and insights, I gained my own insight and recognized what a Divine Signature it was to hear her speak.
As Elizabeth captivated her audience by sharing her experience, she testified of her knowledge that God loves all of us--no matter what. The advice she received from her mother upon being rescued is applicable to us all in our own trials. Her captor stole 9 months of her life, but she refuses to let him steal anymore. Instead of letting her horrific experience hold her back, she chose to be happy, be thankful, and live her life to the fullest. So can we--our trials don't define us, but how we react to them does.
Throughout her story, so many little Divine Signatures popped out at me. To share a few...
- When she was taken, Elizabeth's "most important" decision was to stay alive, no matter what. During our own trials, we need to keep an eternal perspective. Remember, "Wonderful, glorious things are in store for you, if only you will believe, obey, and endure." (President Thomas S. Monson)
- What kept Elizabeth going was remembering the words of her mother, that only two opinions mattered: God's, and her mother's. God's opinion is truly over all else; He is constant and His love for you is constant. It is perfect.
- "Your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there." (Pres. Monson)
- Elizabeth shared that she was so worried about forgetting who she was. She would think about her friends and family and old life so she wouldn't forget who she was. This got me thinking: I need to be more like this. We all have a divine potential to live up to, and we can live up to it if we remember who we are and allow our Savior to help us become.
- Hearing Elizabeth talk about how much she wanted to be with her family reminded me of how much I want to return home to my Heavenly Parents. If only this was constantly on our mind, how much easier would it be to make decisions and go through our daily life?!
