I am a Beautiful Daughter of God

What is a quote that will reflect my or my children’s identity and testimony?

I have tried writing this post several times and I just haven’t been able to do it. This is a very personal topic for me and it just hasn’t been easy finding the right words. Bear with me as I do my best.

The idea for this post came during the October 2012 LDS General Conference. During Ann M. Dibb’s wonderful talk entitled I Know It. I Live It. I Love It. She said about an encounter she had in a grocery store, “I wondered how this young girl from Colorado came to possess such confidence in her identity as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I couldn’t help but wonder what meaningful phrase I would figuratively choose to have printed on my T-shirt reflecting my belief and testimony.”

This quote hit me to the very core. I quickly thought of a phrase that I have repeated throughout my life that reflects my identity and my testimony. You see, I have this mom (weird, right), and she made my sister and I repeat a simple phrase before we went to school each morning. I know that my mom was inspired because the words in that simple phrase have been a source of comfort to me in every difficult time in my life.

I am a beautiful daughter of God who is loving and capable.

Only 12 words, yet they contain the core of who I am. When I felt fat and ugly in high school (don’t we all), I remembered that I am beautiful. When I was mad at someone or jealous and wanted to hate them, I remembered that I am loving. When I felt like life was too hard and that I couldn’t possibly accomplish the tasks that were given to me, I remembered that I am capable. Most importantly, when my faith was weak or I felt insignificant, I remembered that I am a daughter of God! Those words have helped me through every hard time.

It is truly difficult to convey the emotion that this phrase holds for me. I don’t know if my mom realized how helpful these words would be in my life. I don’t think she knew that there would be times when this phrase would be the only thing keeping me going. Her testimony and her love are embedded in these words. Each time I say these words to myself, I feel her close by. I know that she believes in me. Thank you, Mom for this wonderful phrase that reminds me who I am.

Now that I am a mom, I wanted to teach my sons a similar phrase that would be a source of comfort and strength throughout their lives. Since the words my mom taught me are decidedly female, I wanted a phrase that would be male specific. I asked my husband for some help thinking of a similar phrase and together (okay, mostly he) thought of a phrase for our boys to say.

I am a diligent son of God who is strong and faithful.

We have Little Bear say these words each morning. It is amazing the boost of confidence that I have already noticed in him. He knows that diligent means, “to work hard and never give up” and that faithful means, “to believe in Heavenly Father and Jesus and to trust in them.” I hope that this phrase helps my sons to know their identity.

If you think that this phrase could help you or your children, PLEASE download a copy of the quote. There are four versions below, two for each of the phrases I shared. One is the photograph shared above and the other is just the basic text of the quote. I have the boys’ quote in a picture frame right above their beds. When they get old enough to have a mirror in their room, I will definitely put the quote right above the mirror.

Feel free to print as many copies of this as you want. Use it in your family, give it to your friends, use it in church, etc. Obviously, I still expect you to give the credit to me (or link back to this post if you write about it online), but please share it if you think it will be useful to someone. I cannot express how much this phrase has meant to me, but I will say that I would not be the same person without it.

Download the quotes:

• I am a Beautiful Daughter of God — black and white version (8.5×11″)
• I am a Beautiful Daughter of God — photo version (8×10″)
• I am a Diligent Son of God — black and white version (8.5×11″)
• I am a Diligent Son of God — photo version (8×10″)