“A Worthless Soul”

“I’m just no good.  Today I was supposed to be in Boise.  I couldn’t fix my truck.  I’m frustrated. I can’t afford to pay someone to fix it.  I’m not a good provider.  I might lose my job… I talked to my wife about how much of a failure I believe I am and she says she’s going to divorce me… I came in the house twice and prayed.  I lack the faith… nothing changed… I wish I was dead.”

I sat in his front room as he went on and on describing how he believed he was “a worthless soul.”

Such a good man and family.  They were just completing Family Home Evening with their children as I arrived.  I could see their garden in the back and their scriptures on the couch.

What enemy could be so powerful to push this good brother to this depth?

This type of despair can be caused by a multiple of problems such as poor self-esteem, mental illness, or just circumstances of life.  After visiting with him, it was clear he wasn’t haven’t an affair, suffering from mental illness, hooked on pornography, or hiding some addiction…

No, unfortunately his problem was much worse than any of these.

The Enemy

My clinical opinion was – Satan had succeeded in “stealing” his  belief in his “Divine Identity and Worth”. (Family: A Proclamation To The World.)

This man was harboring years of criticism from others.  It began with his parents telling him “He can’t do anything right.”  Teachers reinforcing the label by saying, “You’re stupid.”  An employer emphasizing, “You’re not selling enough.” His wife reminding him regularly, “I wish you would be a better husband and father.”  And the straw that broke the camel’s back — “Today, I couldn’t fix my truck!”

The result – I’m a failure, no good …. a worthless soul.

I wanted to thunder out

“When you say, “I can’t! I can’t solve my problems!”  I want to thunder out, “Don’t you realize who you are? Haven’t you learned yet that you are a son or a daughter of Almighty God? Do you not know that there are powerful resources inherited from Him that you can call upon to give you steadiness and courage and great power?” (Boyd K. Packer, “Self-Reliance,” Ensign, Aug. 1975.)

Forgetting who we really are

“… the theft of our eternal identity has much longer effects and more dire consequences.  I am not talking about addresses, credit cards, or any other identifying numbers.  I am talking about something much more basic and more important than who the world thinks you are.  I am talking about who you think you are  … Satan is totally dedicated to thwarting and derailing this marvelous plan-of-happiness knowledge and process. We know that one of his primary tools is to entice us to forget who we really are – to fail to realize or to forget our divine potential.  This is the cruelest form of identity theft…” (Robert C. Oaks, “Your Divine Heritage,” Ensign, Apr. 2008).

What Satan doesn’t want you to know

Satan doesn’t want you to know that your true worth is: Precious (Ps. 49:8; Alma 31:35), Great (D & C 18:10); and more precious than fine gold (Isa. 13: 12).

Boyd K. Packer reminds us:

“No idea has been more destructive of happiness, no philosophy has produced more sorrow, more heartbreak and mischief; no idea has done more to destroy the family than the idea that we are not the offspring of God,…” (“Our Moral Environment,” Ensign, May 1992).

When one feels the truth of this answer, his / her reality will immediately change… forever.

“Establish in the mind of a … person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God and you have been given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life….” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Powerful Ideas,” Ensign, Nov. 1995).

It could take months of hard work (especially if the wife doesn’t change) to re-teach this brother to recognize his worth.

Gospel Principle

As individuals realize “who” they really are and accept their personal “self-worth” their dignity and happiness will be enhanced.  Denying or ignoring self-worth contradicts the work and glory of God.

Additional Resources

The power of “faith in one’s self” is illustrated by this 30 second video The Greatest.

Elder James E. Faust, “Self-Esteem: A Great Human Need” at Brigham Young University, 23 August 1983.

A collection of LDS articles can be located at “Self-Esteem, Self-Worth” on the LDS Family Services Website.