Women's Issues

I remember years ago when my girls were younger. Two or ten children, a mother's life is full.

I recall a particular day. When evening came, I was pretty exhausted. I began to write a quick synopsis of the day in my journal, and as I did, I seemed to reduce my activities to a list: early morning study, caring for my girls, about 21 phone calls, six loads of wash, several meals prepared, grocery shopping with Talia, service, reading scriptures, and retiring. While I loved being a mother and inherently knew the value of being with and directing my children, I didn't have a way to measure the increase, the effect of the day and see its impact in the grand ledger of life. Having love in my heart didn't seem to make its way onto the list.

As the girls and I cuddled in the bed for scripture time together, I opened the Book of Mormon to Alma 26 and began to read to them. Kira and Talia each repeated the lines of the text, or their favorite words, as they typically did then. As always with repetition, I had extra time to consider the meaning of the verses we read aloud:

1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?

2 And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?

3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God. And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

4 Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.

5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle and did reap with your might, yea, all they day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.

6 Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea; neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them, yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them;

7 But behold they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest and they are his and he will raise them up at the last day.

8 Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever. Alma 26:1-8

As I listened to Ammon, I noticed that he suggested what I already knew to be true-- that the greatest blessing we can receive lies in being "made instruments in the hands of God" to bring others to Christ (vs 3). In reading those words, I felt the Lord trying to tell me something. He seemed to be saying that what I was attempting to do that very day-- in purifying my heart so that my children would be able to see the Savior more clearly through me--was part and parcel of "this great work" of bringing others to Christ (vs 3). Not only did He let me know He was aware of my efforts, He indicated that through them I was involved-- though in a different arena and with fewer numbers--in the same great work as Ammon. The Lord felt a need to remind me of what I already knew: that the work and efforts of all mothers is noticed and that it never could really be reduced to a list.

And then, as I read on, I was struck again by the Lord's words in verse 5: "Behold, the field was ripe, and ye did thrust in the sickle and reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor." It was as if this were His rendition of my day--in contrast with my own-- as if He had watched me all day in my own invisible realm and stood before me to give His account of it. His loving words pierced the unspoken feelings tugging at my heart. The field was ripe," I acknowledged silently as my thoughts turned immediately to my children's tender, prepared hearts--ripe for learning as I was ripe that day in wanting to teach them. And I didn't need a particular parenting skill or blanket formula for interacting with them; nor did I mistake their behavioral slips for mine.

I read on: "ye did thrust in the sickle and did reap with your might" (vs 5). It seemed that I had underestimated the offering of serving with a heart desiring to do right; the Lord saw my efforts as "thrusting" and "reaping" with my might. I was amazed as I read the next phrase, His exclamation, "and behold the number of your sheaves!" (vs 5)--a clear indication to me that His accounting was different than mine and that were quantity and quality fruits born in a simple way that day. And, again, what he said to me, he seems to be saying to all mothers who serve in love within the walls of their own homes.

I continued to ponder these verses, and I began to see my day differently. As I discovered that a sheaf is a bundle of grain wrapped together, and that each stalk contains about forty grains each, I knew there was so small sum gathered. Where was it tucked away? Suddenly, the experiences with my daughters seemed to divide themselves up into little packages or bundles, as if they themselves were the wrapped sheaves of grain--Talia's cutting short her early-morning tantrum and hugging me; her tender expressions throughout the day; her change in demeanor in the middle of a demanding moment while brushing her teeth; the profound feelings of warmth in our home.... Then I unwrapped another fruit-bearing sheaf--marked by discovering Kira's real need for help to know on what to do when provoked by her sister. Perhaps that sheaf alone, if "garnered" by the Lord, would accelerate her progress in learning to love like the Savior and forbear under injury (vs 5).

I imagined, then, the bundles of sheaves. As I envisioned the gathered sheaves, the words in Alma 26:3 came back to me in slightly different form: "Know, Karen, that '[thy time] was not wasted.'" In one way, it seemed that this little change of heart had occurred overnight, and in yet another way, that it had occurred slowly, without my even noticing it, over time. The Lord had seen the harvest; I had seen only the shells of the seeds I was sowing.

I thought more about the fruits of the harvest--they are also born into the seeds that develop within the growing grain. In that sense, the sheaves also represented the girls. As I pondered the Lord's special promises, in this same passage of scripture, to protect the sheaves from physical storm, it seemed that He was likewise promising to protect Kira and Talia against spiritual storms--from being "driven by fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth." I counted his promise as part of this bounteous reaping. The Lord, it seemed, was assuring me--and, likewise, all mothers-- that as long as I would continue to wholly yield my heart to Him and to Kira and Talia--though imperfectly still--my children would" not be beaten down by the storm at the last day nor be harrowed up by the whirlwinds" (vs 6). What greater promise can we reap from the Lord? I felt to rejoice as did Alma : "Blessed be the name of our God;...for he doth work righteousness forever" (vs 8).

The girls were hugging and squirming in their beds as I finished our reading and marked the corner of the page. I kissed them goodnight, turned out the lights and slowly began to close the Book of Mormon, but I couldn't. Instead, I carried it gently downstairs, laid it on the kitchen table--still open to those savored passages in Alma.

An organization is only as strong as its’ members. When discussing religious organizations, the strength is measured largely in an individual’s faith and personal righteousness.

In the Sept. 2008 Women’s General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormons), Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President, addressed this very idea when discussing how to better help the women of the Latter-day Saint Church fulfill their purpose within this world-wide organization.

“To do our part under the plan of the Lord, we are to increase our faith and personal righteousness. Membership in the Church requires faith, which we nourish throughout our lives with great ‘diligence, and patience, and long-suffering’ (Alma 32:43)” (Julie B. Beck, “Fulfilling the Purpose of Relief Society”, Women's General Conference, 2008).

Faith and personal righteousness are principles that must be acted upon before they can increase. They must be tested, or experimented with, before we can gain a true and honest testimony of their power in our personal lives. One of the most well known examples for members of the Mormon Church of how the principle of faith (and subsequently all other principles) can be tested to know of it’s truthfulness can be found in the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. Feel free to read Alma 32:28-43 for the exact scriptural account.

We start with an object lesson, that of comparing the principle we are hoping to gain a testimony to a seed. You plant the seed, water it, give it plenty of sunshine, and wait to see if it will grow. If it grows, it is a good seed.

By the same token we are given principles to live. We must take one and plant it within our hearts, not rejecting it even before it has a chance to grow. We must nurture this idea through scripture study, through pondering, and through prayer. If the ‘seed’ is good, it will “begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me” (Alma 32:28).

The gospel of Jesus Christ is filled with many good seeds that can begin to enlarge our souls and enlighten our minds, but it is not enough to simply let them sprout. We must work to allow these little seeds to grow into grand trees with deep roots. It is necessary to continue working through more study, prayer and pondering, but also by living the principles. Now it is time to put them to the test.

Sister Beck brings to mind an extraordinary example of what it means to have our faith put to the test through the trials faced by women at the time of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Early pioneer women were driven from homes and persecuted because of their faith. Others survived fires and floods. They crossed oceans and walked thousands of miles, tolerating dirt, illness, and near starvation to help build the Lord’s kingdom on the earth. Many of them buried husbands, children, parents, and siblings along the way. Why did they do this?

“The did it because the fire of their faith burned in their souls. These remarkable women were not seeking fine clothing, greater leisure, large earthly mansions, or more possessions…they had a conviction and a testimony that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ was true and that the Lord needed them to do their part in establishing His kingdom on the earth” (ibid).

We work most passionately towards those things we have a firm conviction of and testimony in. For most women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a firm and abiding testimony of the truthfulness not only of the Church, not only of the Relief Society organization within it, but also of the individual and sacred role of each and every person within it is not only sincere, but a power to be reckoned with.

For those who have not yet gained this strong testimony, the path to receive it has been given in Alma. It is only up to the individual person to take the first step.

I have a firm testimony of this Church, and have since I was seventeen years old. I have put the principle of faith to the test and have been blessed to see my faith come out stronger. I am still coming to recognize the extraordinary power behind this organization of women, and of the remarkable things that can be accomplished when we are all working together.

Perhaps that’s because, as Sister Beck indicated:

“Their pursuit of personal righteousness was a daily effort to become more like the Savior through repentance, scripture study, prayer, obedience to commandments, and through seeking after everything ‘virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy’” (ibid).

The Lord has appointed each sister belonging to Relief Society to help, support, and further the work of the priesthood within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in building up the kingdom of God. It is a sacred responsibility to be met with soberness and a sincere desire to understand the purpose and power behind this massive organization of women.

In a recent Women’s General Conference of the Latter-day Saint Church, Julie B. Beck (Relief Society General President) spoke on how we might fulfill the purpose of Relief Society. She begins by informing us we must first search to understand why Relief Society was established in the first place.

It is impossible to understand why we have an organization for women in the Church without having an understanding of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord, knowing about the calamities that would come to pass in these latter days, spoke to His servant Joseph Smith Jr, “and gave him commandments;….

“That faith…might increase in the earth;

“That [His] everlasting covenant might be established;

“That the fullness of [His] gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world” (D&C 1:17, 21-23).

The work of the Lord is accomplished as His gospel is “preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (D&C 133:37) and as His everlasting covenant is established through the ordinances of the temple (Julie B. Beck, “Fulfilling the Purpose of Relief Society,” 2008).

Throughout history the Lord has asked the women of His church to help further the work of building up His kingdom, beginning with the first woman who was placed on this earth, even Mother Eve. This remarkable woman was chosen to be a helpmeet to Adam.

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18).

This term ‘helpmeet’ has lost much of the original meaning. If we were to think of a helpmeet in modern terms, we think of someone who is inferior, an assistant, or subordinate. This is not the correct and intended meaning behind the words used to describe Eve.

According to the biblical scholar David Freedman, the Hebrew work translated there into English as “help” is ezer. This word is a combination of two roots, one meaning “to rescue,” “to save,” and the other meaning “to be strong.”…

[Freedman] concluded, “When God creates Eve…, His intent is that she will be – unlike the animals – ‘a power (or strength) equal to him.'”…

Eve came to Adam uniquely prepared to perform her assigned duties, to act as a companion with the first high priest in mortality – to be a partner with him” (Campbell, Beverly, “Eve and the Choice Made in Eden,” Bookcraft, 2003, pp.23-25).

This message, that woman was created to be an equal partner with men, is essential in order to have the faith and confidence necessary for any woman who is ready and willing to build up God’s kingdom.

Christ himself encouraged both Mary and Martha to participate in His work, to listen to His words and teachings, and to act upon them (Luke 10:38-42). This encouragement has not stopped. Women across the world work to bring light, aid, and love to all those in need. This is also true of the women’s organization of the Latter-day Saint Church.

“The organization of Relief Society in 1842 mobilized the collective power of the women and their specific assignments to build the Lord’s kingdom, just as the organization of priesthood quorums gave men specific responsibilities….

“To summarize, the purpose of Relief Society, as established by the Lord, is to organize, teach, and inspire His daughters to prepare them for the blessings of eternal life” (Julie B. Beck, “Fulfilling the Purpose of Relief Society,” 2008).

If we are to come together as a powerful force in building up the kingdom of God, women must come to realize their worth in the eyes of God: not better than, nor lesser than, but equal to our beloved companions here on this earth. When this fact is sealed into the center of our beings, we will prove a force the likes of which cannot be made to stumble.