President Boyd K. Packer on remembering our spiritual pedigree

President Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015) served as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve (a position that no longer exists) from 1961 to 1970, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He served as president of that Quorum from 1994 until his death on July 3, 2015 at age 90.

"You are a child of God. He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it. However many generations in your mortal ancestry, no matter what race or people you represent, the pedigree of your spirit can be written on a single line. You are a child of God!"

- Boyd K. Packer, "To Young Women and Men," General Conference April 1989
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

This is a simple but profound message from President Packer. "The pedigree of your spirit can be written on a single line."

It is a greater blessing than we recognize to "fix that truth in your mind and hold to it." With that foundational knowledge, the changing circumstances of our lives are put in perspective and the choices we need to make have an eternal context. Our entire nature is changed as we remember, and live up to, our simple spiritual pedigree!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)