by Lenna Lambert

GUEST COLUMNIST

The Princess Diaries" is one of my favorite movies. Mia is a girl who has little confidence and walks through life trying to be as unnoticed as possible. Then, much to her surprise, she finds out she is a princess of Genovia. Her grandmother asks her to take "princess lessons" as practice to find out if she wants to claim her crown. The transition that takes place over the next few weeks is remarkable. Mia's confidence changes, her appearance changes and she soon fits the role she was born to have as princess of Genovia.

The reason I love this movie is because I feel each of us needs to discover the same thing that Mia discovered. We need to realize that we also come from royal blood. When we learn this principle, that we indeed are children of God, a transition will take place in our lives. Our confidence will change, our appearance will change and soon we will fit the role we were born to have, as children of a Heavenly King.

Psalm 82:6 reads "All of you are children of the most High." There is power in the lives of those who know this. The truth is prayer really works! We do have a Father in Heaven who is crazy about us and wants good things for us. He is also a wise Father who knows the importance of agency and will never force us to come unto Him. It is always our choice. Our mission statement as children of God is to know how to come unto God and be saved.

I have been pondering how this knowledge has come to me. Most of my experiences have been quiet and sweet. I was born a believer. I have been blessed with knowledge of God's love for me starting at a very early age. When I was in elementary school, I was having trouble with some friends. I was lonely and upset with the treatment I was receiving at school. I remember on a night I was particularly upset, dreaming very specifically a message from God telling me that I always have a friend in Him. I was young and naive, yet I will never forget that message.

As a teenager, God let me know of His love for me many times as I sought after Him. I believe teen years are a difficult time and could set the course for years to follow. As we seek after God, he offers us comfort, knowledge and the light we need when struggling through hard times. I remember being at a Youth Conference and singing, "I Need Thee Every Hour" as the closing hymn after a meeting. As we began singing, the Holy Ghost whispered to me the truth that I am a child of God and I do truly need Him every hour. Each time I sing that song that witness fills my heart just as it did that summer day so many years ago.

As a young mother, it was such an exciting time for me to realize that I was going to have a baby. What a miracle it was to hear the baby's heartbeat and then to feel it move inside me for the first time. I will never forget the birth of my first child. Because he was double-footling breach -- both feet first -- I was scheduled for a Caesarean section on June 26, 1986. My husband and I got to the hospital early, excited for this happy event. We decided it was some coincidence that our baby was to be born on my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary. I was scheduled to have the baby at 8:30 a.m., but emergency births kept delaying us and we were finally wheeled into the operating room at 1:30 p.m. At 1:45 we were introduced to our howling baby boy with his swollen cheeks and stork-bitten eyes. He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen! Because it was a scheduled C-section, I was surprised that none of my family had called or come to see me since I was supposed to have the baby early that morning. Finally, as I was in the recovery room, my mom called. She told me my grandfather had died early that morning. Now I understood the delays. As my grandpa was leaving this life and my son was coming, grandpa had some instructions for my son and I simply had to wait. Grandma always remembers her great-grandson's birthday as it is on the day that her sweetheart died and the day of her 50th wedding anniversary. This experience of birth and death on the same day gave me peace and knowledge of God's hand in my life.

My son is grown and married now. His talents and strengths are unique, which proves to me that he came from God -- not by chance or nature. He is obsessed with space and the happenings at NASA. He is studying environmental engineering and grasps concepts of science and math that are completely foreign to me. He was born with personality and individuality, making it an exciting adventure to be his earthly mother knowing much of his uniqueness has come from his Heavenly Parents.

On Easter Sunday, I arose early to read my scriptures and watch the sunrise. I opened my blinds and sat by the window. As the sun poked its head over the Oquirrh Mountains it was glorious to see the dawn of a new day. I love to watch the sun rise and as I watch the light crack at dawn I know the Savior is the light of the world and as I follow Him I shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. My son and I watched the sun rise a few days ago. There were some clouds hanging over the mountains and as the sun hit the clouds it painted a beautiful array of colors. We snapped a picture, and I'm glad we did because just a few minutes later the sun rose above the clouds and the moment was gone. I know I am a child of God as I enjoy the dawn of each unique day.

Last summer I planted many flowers in our new yard. While I was waiting for a friend to pick me up a few days ago, I inspected my flower beds to see if any of the flowers I planted made it through the winter. I was excited as I saw the beautiful deep red leaves of my peonies poking their heads out of the dark black soil. There was a quiet in the air and joy filled my heart as I thought about the unique beauty of each flower that comes from a loving God. The flowers reminded me that God said He made the lilies of the fields, but He loves man more than flowers. I am excited spring is here, which reminds me of the hope and knowledge of the atonement and the truth of life after death.

Staying home and raising children comes with challenges. As I watched the success of others in careers and other notable accomplishments, I sometimes wondered if I contributed much as I was changing diapers, washing faces and other menial tasks motherhood brings. As I struggled along with such thoughts, I received a note in the mail from a friend telling me how much she loved me and the work I was doing as a mother. She had no idea the battle I was fighting. I had been praying for strength and God gave me the strength I needed through the loving note of a friend.

Reading the scriptures is like receiving letters from God. Reading His words daily helps us stay focused on the important things in life. There are many distractions in this world, but God wants us to remember Him each day. This comes through daily prayer and scripture study. I know that when I start my day with this routine, Heavenly Father has talked to me and given me strength. Raising a large family and being a stay-at-home mom has caused us to be frugal by necessity. I have sometimes felt bad that I have never been able to take my family to Disneyland or other exciting places. One day while I was reading from the Book of Mormon, Nephi describes having been born of goodly parents who taught him the ways of the Lord. This was an answer to my worries. "No, you haven't been able to take your family on exciting trips, but just teach them about me and they shall call thee a goodly parent." I knew at that moment God was aware of me and my family and that the work I was doing as a mother was important.

Each of these experiences has caused me to trust God and has given me knowledge of who I am: His daughter. He has helped me to know the things I should do as I draw close to him and come to know him. Each of us has this same unique opportunity. God wants us to recognize Him as our loving Father. When you draw near to Him, your confidence will change, your appearance will change and you will be able to do things with His help that you never dreamed possible. You truly are of royal birth.

Lenna Lambert lives in Grantsville where she serves in the Primary -- the children's organization for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is the mother of six children.