Hello all! This post is actually directed towards P. Willy Young Woman, but if you aren't feel free to follow the links because they are wonderfully uplifting. It holds the personal study sources (aka the challenge) for our upcoming lesson on January 26th, the week following stake conference...
The Question our lesson will focus on is:
Who am I, and who can I become?
We sing I am a child of God and recite the young woman's theme each week, but do we really know what it means? When we know what it means do we realize what a blessing and impact this knowledge has in our lives? Through your personal study ponder these things. If you don't know that you are a loved daughter of our Heavenly Father, pray for a confirming witness of His love each time you study (or if you do know pray for a reminder). Consider in what ways knowing you are a daughter of God has blessed and edified you and how it has effected your life. If any experiences come to mind record them in your study note book and feel free to share them in our lesson. For the next two weeks, make a conscious effort to note how this knowledge effects your life and actions. Happy studying! :D
Over the next few weeks your mission is to complete (as much as possible) the following:
-Listen to this song:
-Read this story.
As a man walked a desolate beach one cold, gray morning he began to see another figure, far in the distance. Slowly the two approached each other, and he could make out a local native who kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he hurled things into the ocean. As the distance between them continued to narrow, the man could see that the native was picking up starfish that had been washed upon the beach and, one at a time, was throwing them back into the water. Puzzled, the man approached the native and asked what he was doing.
"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."
"But there must be thousands of starfish on this beach," the man replied. "You can't possibly get to all of them. There are just too many. And this same thing is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"
The local native smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea he replied, "It made a difference to that one!"
-Read these talks.
-Lastly, each time you look in the mirror ponder Who/What you see in your reflection. Write down any thoughts or impressions you have in your study notebook.
Additional Study Ideas:
-What women in your life who are role model's of knowing who we are as children of God and acting accordingly? What makes them stand out to you? Record thoughts in your journal.
-Read this blog entry about what we could learn by following Mary's example.
-Study and consider what it means to be valiant. Record your thoughts in your study notebook.
-Read the scriptures: Genesis 1:26–27, Psalm 82:6; Moses 1:39; Abraham 3:22–26, Luke 15:4–6, 11–32; John 3:16; D&C 18:10–15, Mormon 9:27. Consider what they teach about who we are, what our potential is, and how our Father in Heaven views us as His daughters.
Start and end each of your personal study sessions with a prayer. Remember to be open to promptings of the spirit as to what you should study and to record any thoughts or impressions that you have as you prepare for our discussion.
