God is our loving Heavenly Father

When I was a young child, I used to ask myself, “Why am I me?”

I recognized that no one else in the world saw things the way I saw them. In some ways, it was an isolating thought.

I found the answer to my question in the words of this song: “I am a child of God, and He has sent me here...Teach me all that I must do to live with Him some day.”

Each of us is Heavenly Father’s child. He is our loving father, not a father to fear. He is constantly showering blessings on us because of his great love for us. Our ability to receive these blessings depends on our willingness to follow His teachings.

Our Heavenly Father allows us to have experiences that let us to grow, sometimes through hard experiences. “He weeps with us when we suffer and rejoices when we do what is right. He wants to communicate with us, and we can communicate with Him through sincere prayer. He has given us this experience on earth, so we can learn and grow.

“Heavenly Father has provided us, His children, with a way to be successful in this life and to return to live in His presence. Central to Heavenly Father’s plan is Jesus Christ’s Atonement. The Atonement included His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane as well as His suffering and death on the cross. Through the Atonement we can be freed from the burden of our sins and mistakes and develop faith and strength to face our trials” (Preach My Gospel, 31).

As I studied about our Heavenly Father, I learned a few of His characteristics.

First, God is glorious, perfect and loving. Jesus instructs us to try to be perfect like our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:8). Heavenly Father’s love for us is so great that he did not withhold his only Son from us. God the Father “so loved the world” that “he gave his only begotten Son” to save whoever will believe. Additionally, Jesus was not sent to condemn us, but rather to save us (John 3:16-17).

Second, we are Heavenly Father’s children. We are created in His image, although His body is glorified, and ours is not. The apostle Paul taught that we are the children of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, as brothers and sisters (see Romans 8:16-17). “We are the offspring of God,” we are taught in Acts 17:29. In Hebrews 12:9 we learn that God is our father, similar to our earthly fathers.

Third, we learn that God, the Father and Jesus Christ are separate, distinct glorified beings.

As Stephen was being persecuted to death, “being full of the Holy Ghost, [he] looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” (Matthew 3:17). On the Mount of Transfiguration and at Jesus’s baptism, Heavenly Father spoke from Heaven while Jesus was present as a mortal man, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5). Jesus also speaks of his father: “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” and on the cross he cried out to his Father, “Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken me?” and “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NIV).

Fourth, Jesus Christ is in the image and likeness of our Heavenly Father. What we know about Jesus lets us also understand the nature of our Heavenly Father. Hebrews 1:3 teaches that Jesus, the Son, is “the express image of [God]’s person.” Paul taught that “Christ…is the image of God…” in 2 Cor 4:4. Jesus himself taught, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). As we learn about Jesus through the holy scriptures, we also learn about the nature of His Father, our Heavenly Father, because Jesus is just like God.

Fifth, our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us and want us to be close to them. We can be close to them as we seek them through prayer and study, and as we obey their commandments.

Enoch walked with God (Gen 5:24). So can you and I. We are promised that if we “seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him” (Deut 4:29). “Ye shall seek me, and find me” (Jer 29:13).

“How grateful we must be that this God of unfathomable capacities is our Father. He is a loving, understanding, compassionate, patient Father. He created us as His children. He treats us as a beloved son or daughter. He makes us feel loved, appreciated, valuable, and dear to Him” (Elder Richard G. Scott, October 2007 “Truth, the foundation of correct decisions”).

In answer to my young question, God has given marvelous answers. The truth is powerful and reassuring. Each of us is a beloved child of our loving Heavenly Father, and one day we will live with him again. What a great reason to be you and me.

Beth Wright loves the fall colors of Alaska, hiking in the rain, and being with her family. She is thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.