Contributed by: Darlene In Gunnison

I gave a talk on individual worth (several times now) and spoke on the subject of talents. I heard once that the definition of a "talent" = is........ anything that your Father in Heaven has blessed you with in order to bless the life of another person....... you see..... it can be anything from being a great story-teller or window washer or even if you are a great "smiler", these are talents that can be shared in order to bless the life of another.

Enter wearing goofy clothes.... "just trying to fit in and be accepted"
fix hair in mirror..... then turn it towards girls.... let them look inside.....

cardboard heart underneath...

Read "Reflections of a Young Woman"......

When I was your age, I learned a very important lesson. I learned that there is only one person in this whole world who looks at you differently than anyone else. This person doesn't care what color your hair is.... or whether it is long or short...... This person doesn't care what style your clothes are or whether your face is clean or dirty....... In essence, this person doesn't care what you look like on the outside at all. This person only cares about how you look here (point to chest/ heart) in your heart.

(Open apron/ cover-up and reveal cardboard heart underneath)

1 Samuel 16:7.......

In Seminary [when you study] the Old Testament,  one of my personal favorite scriptures is one of your scripture mastery scriptures. This scripture says...."for the Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for a man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."   There it is. It says it right in the scriptures as to how the Lord looks at you. Not on the outside, but on the inside.

Each of you have a heart and are of worth. I love to talk about Individual Worth- what a wonderful YW value it is! It's own color, red, (to me) symbolizes a heart. In the medical world, the color red symbolizes life or living. A life is priceless in medicine and they work to save it and preserve life. Life is of worth...

Each of you were blessed with life, a heart, and were created physically and spiritually in the image of our Father in Heaven. You are of worth - We live in a world where 'money talks' and people put a dollar-sign on everything. But you are worth more than any 'dollar-sign'... In fact, you are worth so much, that you are priceless.......

When my Tanner was tiny, I used to call him "Precious". I'd say, "Good morning, Precious. Did you have a good-nights rest?" Or "What does Precious want for lunch?" For a long time, whenever someone would ask him what his name was, he'd answer, "I'm Precious!"   Do you know how "precious" you are in the sight of God?=20

Read D&C 18:10. "Remember, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." In the sight of who? The sight of God. See-- it didn't say, in the sight of your friends, or the sight of your parents....... in the sight of God. Why? I'll tell you why, because HE made you. You didn't just appear - poof- a scientific mistake- HE made you. A living God. You are his Daughters. Your Father is a GOD. That is why you are of great worth.

This fact, makes you "Divine" (of God), royal. You have the potential to become Queens and Priestesses of the most high. When you go through the temple, you become ordained and blessed to do so......

And how does the scripture start out? Remember....... remember....... That was one of President Spencer W. Kimball's favorite words. The word remember means to "remind" oneself of something...... and so how do you "remind" yourself of your great worth?

One way that I like to remind myself, is to read my patriarchal blessing. If you sisters have one.....READ it. And if you don't have one........ prepare to receive one! Some call it their personal scripture. I call it my letter from home. It is mine and no one else's.    I love it. It reminds me of all the things Father in Heaven has blessed me with....... things that I didn't even ask for... He just gave them to me. And it also reminds me of all the great things that are yet to come in my life if I live to be true and faithful to my covenants that I make with Him. I reduced mine to a tiny copy and laminated it and have one in my scriptures for whenever I come across a scripture that I like....... I can also read my blessing and draw some meaning from it into my life. I also have another copy that I keep in my Day-Timer..... for when I am at the Dr.'s office and/ or waiting somewhere and have some time to read..... I pull it out and "remind" myself of my great worth in the sight of my Father in Heaven.

Individually, you are given things that you YOU. These are the things that are uniquely yours.....

Genealogy - Learn of your ancestors. Learn of your lineage. I recently found out about my Great-Great Grandmother Hartman. She was President of her German club, she was involved in Drama, she sang with her husband and all over her community, and she also wrote poetry. I don't write poetry myself, but all the other things are things I love to do. This knowledge has drawn me closer to a woman I didn't ever meet in the flesh, but I know I will know her personally someday. I love learning about MY ancestors and would encourage all of you to do the same.

Talents - (show poster) Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best. -Henry Van Dyke Some of you might think that you can't sing in the school musical because there are too many "good" sopranos and you aren't good enough or that you can't sing in the ward choir because they already have some good singers and you can't sing as well as they........ WRONG! I believe that everyone can sing. Some only sing from their hearts because they can't make a sound with their voice. Some think talents only refer to "fine arts" - music, dance, art- and you think that if you can't do those things then, you don't have talent. But do you know the definition of a talent? It is anything that your Father in Heaven has blessed you with in order to bless the life of another.

Good story teller? Bless the lives of your children someday, or be good teacher.

Clean & organize well? Help clean another persons home who can't.

Talent can be as simple as a smile. (Read poem)

She smiled at a sorrowful stranger.
The smile seemed to make him feel better.
He remembered past kindnesses of a friend
and wrote him a thank-you letter.

The friend was so pleased with the thank-you
that he left a large tip after lunch.
The waitress, surprised by the tip,
bet the whole thing on a hunch.

The next day she picked up her winnings,
and gave part to a man on the street.
The man on the street was grateful;
for two days, he'd had nothing to eat.

After he finished his dinner,
he left for his small dingy room.
(He didn't know at that moment
that he might be facing his doom.)

On the way, he picked up a shivering puppy
and took him home to get warm.
The puppy was very grateful
to be out of the storm.

That night the house caught on fire.
The puppy barked the alarm.
He barked 'til he woke the whole household
and saved everybody from harm.

One of the boys that he rescued
grew up to be President.
All this because of a simple smile
that hadn't cost a cent.

--by Barbara Hauck, age 13 - from Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul

Did you hear that? This poem was written by a 13 year old girl....... your age. And see how by sharing her talent with poetry, she is blessing our lives and my life because I love poetry so much.......

(Show Greg Olsen picture) "even the least of these" I love it because I am an "animal lover" and I love the pictures of Christ with the sheep and especially this one with the tiny birds.... look how he is reaching out to them.....Read Luke 12:6-7. You don't go unnoticed. He notices the falling of even the smallest sparrow...... and you are that much greater in his sight.

Right now, I know that things are tough. I remember. Your parents keep saying, they know, because they've been there..... they remember. Friendships and hair styles, clothes, and boyfriends are all very important to you right now. I'm here to tell you that hair changes, biceps (that hunk you've been admiring), new clothes, or new jeeps.... don't last forever. Popularity doesn't last - but reputations do. After attending my high school class reunion - I realized the truth to this. Let your reputation be a good one - it will be the only thing that will last. It comes from "who you are inside" and is what people will remember.......

Read "The Piano" story

Our Father in Heaven is our "master" and he is helping us be great in whatever we do. - and he is continually whispering in our ears "keep playing" and encouraging us to be great and to do great things. What we may try to do alone, is hardly noteworthy..... but with the help of our Master, it can be more beautiful than we can ever imagine.

I have always known I was a Daughter of God. Perhaps I was blessed with that "seed" of knowledge and never really questioned it. Something happened to me a year ago and I started to question a few things about my testimony and about my Father in Heaven....... but in the end it allowed me to really know in my heart that I'm a Daughter of God. I know that my Father in Heaven knows me by name----- and I know he knows each of you by name. He is aware of our circumstances and our lives...... our worries and our hurts. And if we go to Him... willingly, He can help us through them.

(Give out Apples with "red" handouts.......)

We are like apples in that we are all different in some ways, and yet we all have the same divine worth. We all have unique talents and qualities and should always seek and develop them. We should also share these talents and qualities with others..........

I share these things with you and know them to be true.....

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.