Tonight, at the LDS General Christmas Devotional Broadcast, Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (check out LDS.org or Mormon.org to find out who the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are) spoke about the good tidings of Christ’s coming. He related the prophecies of his birth, the news of his birth, and the prophecies of his second coming. 

Elder Oaks pointed out that the news of Christ’s birth was delivered to people of one of the most humble professions at the time: shepherds. Lowly shepherds were worthy of standing in the presence of angels to receive the greatest message that has ever come to the world, and those same shepherds were worthy even to stand in the presence of the Savior himself, as a newborn babe. They were worthy to witness the greatest miracle and gift given to mankind. 

As a human being, I find it so easy to feel unworthy. Unworthy of love, unworthy of responsibility. Unworthy of my Savior. 

When Moses had his run in with Lucifer, he was tempted with two versions of pride. One was the more obvious version, tempting him to believe he was greater than God. But the other side of pride is harder to distinguish, and that is the pride of believing you are unworthy of God’s love. Believing you actually know yourself better than He does. 

We are nothing compared to the Savior, and yet we are everything to Him. 

I personally fall victim to this second source of pride quite often. I too often forget to hold gratitude for the love my Savior has for me, and instead have the audacity to doubt that love. Who am I to question the love of a perfect being? But the natural man is an enemy to God, and this type of pride is my natural man that I battle constantly. 

But even as I fall into habits of pride, my Savior has proved to me I am worthy of His love, despite it all. Because I really honestly am trying. 

I often feel I am not worthy of my role as a mother. I am not the woman I expected I’d be, and that has caused me to doubt myself. 

But through sacred and beautiful tender mercies from my Savior, I have a sure knowledge that I am worthy of motherhood. I am worthy to raise my son, and to raise my future children. I am that shepherd, humble, and perhaps unworthy in the world’s eyes. I am the shepherd worthy of hearing the good news, worthy of being a witness that my Savior lives and loves me. 

He believes in me. I am everything to Him. Who am to question that?

I am worthy.