I am a Child of God

In Hebrews 12:9, we read that God is "the Father of spirits." He is compared to our own "fathers of our flesh" from whom we receive chastisement and to whom we give reverence. Like our earthly father, our Heavenly Father will occasionally correct us with love and we should show Him gratitude and reverence in return. We have inherited spiritual traits from our Heavenly Father. We are divine in our nature and in our potential to become like Him. Like our earthly father, our Heavenly Father knows us by name and He loves us.

President Oaks states, "I am a child of God with a spirit lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life” (“Powerful Ideas,” Ensign, Nov. 1995). Knowing that we are children of our Heavenly Father gives us strength and power to move forward, knowing that we're not alone and that the Lord is on our side. This is such an important and powerful principle that we teach it to young children in the song, "I am a Child of God," to let them know of their divine potential.