Divine Nature is the second value listed in the Young Women (girls 12-17) theme. It is a most sacred value, as we are talking of those aspects of God we are to emulate. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) teaches we are the literal spirit children of the Father. We were created in His image. Therefore we can also train ourselves to develop many of His same qualities while here in this life.

“Be partakers of the divine nature. . . . Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:4-7).

In my last post we discussed how to develop faith, turning it into a perfect knowledge. The process of becoming one with Christ certainly doesn’t stop there. As we see in the scripture listed above there are other godlike qualities we must continue to develop.

Once we have this knowledge, it is time to work on temperance. Webster’s Dictionary describes temperance in two ways. First we must find moderation in action, thought, or feeling. Second we must develop habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions.

Like any truly good thing in life (like faith), becoming moderate and temperate will take time. The Lord certainly doesn’t expect us to be perfect in everything immediately. He does expect us to make sufficient attempts at becoming so. What I like about temperance is with it comes patience. It’s almost automatic. I myself struggle with patience, but I’ve discovered that as I try to become more temperate, patience naturally follows. I’m far from having either quality down pat, but I’m trying.

One of the required is:

“Make your home life better. For two weeks make a special effort to strengthen your relationship with a family member by showing love through your actions. Refrain from criticizing or speaking unkindly, and watch for positive qualities in that person. Write notes of encouragement, pray for this family member, find ways to be helpful, and verbally express your love.”

This one value experience is riddled with the qualities our Lord showed us in His life. There are numerous examples of Him showing love through His actions. To those who were honestly trying to live a good life he spoke kindly to them, praising their good qualities. He prayed for others and served them every chance He could. He was especially gifted when it came to expressing His love.

Other divine qualities the Young Women are encouraged to develop are keeping their baptismal covenants, being obedient to parents, become a great example of a peacemaker. They are even asked to look up certain scriptures and find these divine qualities on their own. Can you do the same?

Try looking these up and see what God would have you emulate: Matthew 5:9, John 15:12, Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:12-17, 1 John 4:21, and Moroni 7:44-48. I would encourage you to pick one and try living it for two weeks. Keep a journal to see what changes are made in just that small time.

I myself didn’t fully understand what my own Divine Nature really meant for several years. Now I know, and I’d like to bear my testimony of it to you, that we are all sons and daughters of God. We can become like Him, if we but follow the course He has set out for us. I know that at times it will be hard, but oh how it will be worth it.

If you struggle with knowing who you are as an individual, with finding your place in this world, I would encourage you to instead begin looking to who you are as a child of God. It will start you on the right path, and bring you far more joy than you could possibly imagine.