Elder Robert C. Oaks of the Seventy gave a speech in a BYU devotional in April 2008 called "Your Devine Heritage". He said:
"You owe it to yourself to make an extra effort to discover, in every detail possible, who you really are—to discover your eternal potential in God’s plan."
WHO ARE YOU?
You are a child of God. In my ward Young Women's class every week we recite: "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him."
We have the potential to become like Him.
How many times have you been told that? In the past when I have heard this I would think: "Yes. Yes. I know. Wake me up when we start talking about the "good stuff"." But in the last few months I have realized how vital this really is. Isn't it interesting how Satan has taken one of the most empowering truths for us and has managed to make it so familiar that we take it for granted. Do we really understand it? We don't really take it seriously and grasp this deep truth. At least I didn't.
I believe if we really understood and believed this with all our hearts we would have no reason to feel afraid or alone. We would understand and feel God's unconditional love for us. Why? Because we are His children. I am His daughter.
You are valuable to your Father and Mother in Heaven simply because of who you are but let me tell you an additional reason why I know you are unique. Let's talk about the premortal world.
WHAT WERE WE LIKE PREMORTALLY?
Here is story told by Randall Ridd in the Priesthood Session of General Conference in 2014. He shares:
"I have a friend who learned this truth in a very personal way. His son was raised in the gospel, but he seemed to be wandering spiritually. He frequently declined opportunities to exercise the priesthood. His parents were disappointed when he declared that he had decided not to serve a mission. My friend prayed earnestly for his son, hoping that he would have a change of heart. Those hopes were dashed when his son announced that he was engaged to be married. The father pleaded with his son to get his patriarchal blessing. The son finally agreed but insisted on visiting the patriarch alone.
When he returned after the blessing, he was very emotional. He took his girlfriend outside, where he could talk to her privately. The father peeked out the window to see the young couple wiping away each other’s tears.
Later the son shared with his father what had happened. With great emotion he explained that during the blessing, he had a glimpse of who he was in the premortal world. He saw how valiant and influential he was in persuading others to follow Christ. Knowing who he really was, how could he not serve a mission?" (Randall Ridd)
YOU LEARNED AND GREW IN THE PREMORTAL WORLD
D&C 138:55-56
55 I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.
56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.
You were prepared for precisely this moment in history and you are ELECT.
DOCTRINE OF ELECTION:
In the Bible dictionary under Election it states that: “Election of Grace has reference to one’s mortal situation in mortality; that is, being born at a time, at a place, an in circumstances where one will come in favorable contact with the gospel. This election took place in the premortal existence. Those who are faithful and diligent in the gospel in mortality receive an even more desirable election in this life, and become the elect of God."
We are taught in D&C 130:18-19:
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
The premortal world functions with this law as well. If you were more righteous, diligent, obedient, studious, loving, selfless, etc in the premortal world, you will have an advantage here...and you do.
Here are some great quotes on the topic of Election of Grace:
“The spirits of men had their free agency, some were greater than others, and from among them the Father called and foreordained his prophets and rulers. Jeremiah and Abraham were two of them. . . . The spirits of men were not equal. They may have had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful, for they were free to act for themselves, to think for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it. “ -Joseph Fielding Smith
“Now then, to make a summary of what I have just read, may I ask each of you again the question, "Who are you?" You are all the sons and daughters of God. Your spirits were created and lived as organized intelligences before the world was. You have been blessed to have a physical body because of your obedience to certain commandments in that premortal state. You are now born into a family to which you have come, into the nations through which you have come, as a reward for the kind of lives you lived before you came here and at a time in the world's history, as the Apostle Paul taught the men of Athens and as the Lord revealed to Moses, determined by the faithfulness of each of those who lived before this world was created.” -Harold B. Lee
“There was a group of tested, tried and proven souls before they were born into the world, and the Lord provided a lineage for them. That lineage is the House of Israel, the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their posterity. Through this lineage were to come the true and tried souls that had demonstrated their righteousness in the spirit world before they came here. We came through that lineage. Our particular branch is the House of Joseph through his son Ephraim. That is the group from whence shall come the majority of the candidates for celestial glory.” (Melvin J. Ballard- Three Degrees of Glory, p. 20)
“This election to a chosen lineage is based on pre-existent worthiness and is thus made "according to the foreknowledge of God." (1 Pet. 1:2.) Those so grouped together during their mortal probation have more abundant opportunities to make and keep the covenants of salvation, a right which they earned by pre-existent devotion to the cause of righteousness. As part of this election, Abraham and others of the noble and great spirits were chosen before they were born for the particular missions assigned them in this life. (Abra. 3:22-24; Rom. 9.)” -Bruce R. McKonkie
ELECTION SIMPLIFIED: There were classes we took, promises we made and commandments we were obedient to before we came to earth. The more obedient you were, the better your election. Election refers to being of the House of Israel and receiving the gospel in your lifetime. We have an advantage in this life because of what we did in our previous life.
WHY NOW?
“Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time. You, as His son or daughter, were chosen by Him to come to earth at this precise time, to be a leader in His great work on earth. You were chosen not for your bodily characteristics but for your spiritual attributes, such as bravery, courage, integrity of heart, a thirst for truth, a hunger for wisdom, and a desire to serve others.”
-Pres. Nelson
“For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not. … God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God. … Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. … Each day we personally make many decisions that show where our support will go. The final outcome is certain—the forces of righteousness will finally win. What remains to be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will stand in this fight—and how tall we will stand. Will we be true to our last-days, foreordained mission?”
President Benson
Here are some quotes about your personal calling and mission on this earth.
2 Timothy 1:9 [Jesus Christ] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
We are each individuals with singular talents, strengths, opportunities, and challenges. We believe we were foreordained to come to earth at a particular time into particular circumstances and that our particular set of gifts, attitudes, and talents—if properly developed and employed—will enable us to fulfill a foreordained purpose.
Elder Robert C. Oaks
Elder Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, tells a tender personal story that makes this point in a penetrating way. When he was a teenager, his family moved from a very comfortable environment for young Henry to a location that was not to his liking. He sulked for a bit until the Spirit spoke directly to him about who he was in God’s plan and how he ought to proceed. One day the Spirit instructed, “When you find who you are, you will be sorry you didn’t try harder.” I suspect this spiritual admonition for more diligent effort is probably appropriate for most of us. The Lord will lead us in our particular role if we will seek and follow His guidance.
WHY:
Why do we need to become this person? Why do we need to fulfill our fore-designated purpose?
We were called, elected and chosen. He loves us!
“Premortality is not a relaxing doctrine. For each of us, there are choices to be made, incessant and difficult chores to be done, ironies and adversities to be experienced, time to be well spent, talents and gifts to be well employed. Just because we were chosen “there and then,” surely does not mean we can be indifferent “here and now.” Whether foreordination for men, or foredesignation for women, those called and prepared must also prove “chosen, and faithful.” (See Rev. 17:14; D&C 121:34–36.)"
-Elder Neil A. Maxwell
Elder Orson Hyde said, “We have forgotten! … But our forgetfulness cannot alter the facts.” (Journal of Discourses,7:315.) Yet, on occasions, there are inklings. President Joseph F. Smith observed how “we often catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul, which lights up our whole being as with the glory of our former home.” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1939, p. 14.)
Resources:
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2008/04/your-divine-heritage?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-choice-generation?lang=eng