Trudging Along... :)

On to week 4 and finding time to be fully committed to my Doctrine and Covenants class is kicking my trash. I really love the spirit that I feel when I get to share my testimony with others. This week we studied in D&C 20-26. I am going to focus on section 25 and below is a little description of my assignment and some of my insights.

I would love any and all comments :)

Justine Sanders

10-11-11

FDREL 324

Kelly Anderson

Student Choice #3

(Week 4)

Choice #3 (section 25):

• What are ten attributes of “an elect lady” that you observe in your reading of section 25?

1. Comfort husband in affliction (see v. 5 )

2. Expound scripture by the Spirit (see v. 7 )

3. Exhort the Church by the Spirit (see v. 7 )

4. Give time to writing and learning much (see v. 8 )

5. Be supported by husband in the Church (see v. 9 )

6. Lay aside things of the world (see v. 10 )

7. Seek for things of a better world (see v. 10 )

8. Select sacred hymns (see v. 11 ; see also Notes and Commentary on D&C 25:12 )

9. Lift up thy heart and rejoice (see v. 13 )

10. “Cleave unto the covenants” ( v. 13 )

11. “Continue in the spirit of meekness” ( v. 14 )

12. “Beware of pride” ( v. 14 )

13. “Let thy soul delight in thy husband and the glory which shall come upon him” ( v. 14 )

14. Keep the commandments continually (see v. 15 )

What do you know about Emma’s life that matches well with the admonitions given to her in this revelation?

Emma was a woman of great courage and strong will. Of her the Prophet’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, wrote: “I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she has had to endure . . . she has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman.” ( History of Joseph Smith, pp. 190–91.)

Emma had also received a call to serve as a companion and help to Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration. In this revelation she was also called as an elect lady. Later she received an additional responsibility when the Prophet Joseph Smith organized the Relief Society on 17 March 1842. The Prophet wrote: “I assisted in commencing the organization of ‘The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo’ in the Lodge Room. Sister Emma Smith, President, and Sister Elizabeth Ann Whitney and Sarah M. Cleveland, Counselors. I gave much instruction, read in the New Testament, and Book of Doctrine and Covenants, concerning the Elect Lady, and showed that the elect meant to be elected to a certain work, &c., and that the revelation was then fulfilled by Sister Emma’s election to the Presidency of the Society, she having previously been ordained to expound the Scriptures.” ( History of the Church, 4:552–53.)

• What in this list would be difficult for women of the world to understand, accept, or even appreciate?

All of them... Personally, I think a lot of women who are in the world right now, are of the world a lot more than they realize. Women of the world are often obsessed with appearance (for themselves, for their spouse, and for their children), money, material things, and work. It literally breaks my heart when women of the world would rather work than be a mom, when they don't like children, or when they don't want to give anything, they only want to receive.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, in his talk entitled, The Women of God, said of women and their importance in the Lord’s plan:

“We know so little, brothers and sisters, about the reasons for the division of duties between womanhood and manhood as well as between motherhood and priesthood. These were divinely determined in another time and another place. We are accustomed to focusing on the men of God because theirs is the priesthood and leadership line. But paralleling that authority line is a stream of righteous influence reflecting the remarkable women of God who have existed in all ages and dispensations, including our own. Greatness is not measured by coverage in column inches, either in newspapers or in the scriptures. The story of the women of God, therefore, is, for now, an untold drama within a drama.

“Just as certain men were foreordained from before the foundations of the world, so were certain women appointed to certain tasks. Divine design—not chance—brought Mary forward to be the mother of Jesus. The boy prophet, Joseph Smith, was blessed not only with a great father but also with a superb mother, Lucy Mack, who influenced a whole dispensation.

“In our modern kingdom, it is no accident that women were, through the Relief Society, assigned compassionate service. So often the service of women seems instinctive, while that of some men seems more labored. It is precisely because the daughters of Zion are so uncommon that the adversary will not leave them alone.

“So often our sisters comfort others when their own needs are greater than those being comforted. That quality is like the generosity of Jesus on the cross. Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity!

“When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this.

“No wonder the men of God support and sustain you sisters in your unique roles, for the act of deserting home in order to shape society is like thoughtlessly removing crucial fingers from an imperiled dike in order to teach people to swim.

“Finally, remember: When we return to our real home, it will be with the ‘mutual approbation’ of those who reign in the ‘royal courts on high.’ There we will find beauty such as mortal ‘eye hath not seen’; we will hear sounds of surpassing music which mortal ‘ear hath not heard.’ Could such a regal homecoming be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother?” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1978, pp. 13–15; or Ensign, May 1978, pp. 10–11 .)

* In what ways are women of the church different from women of the world?

I think the women of the church have been raised to nurture and love and hold families together. There has never been a time in the world when the role of woman has been more confused. There has never been a time in the Church when women are able to do more to show what their true role in the world can and ought to be. The impact and influence of women and mothers on our world is most important. The thought that “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” is more viable today than ever before.

How special it is for Latter-day Saint women to be given the lofty assignments they have been given by our Father in Heaven, especially those of you who have been privileged to be born in this part of this last dispensation. Let other women pursue heedlessly … their selfish interests. You can be a much needed force for love and truth and righteousness on this planet.

My dear sisters, may I suggest to you something that has not been said before or at least in quite this way. Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world. … Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and the spiritual growth of the Church in the last days. We love you sisters. We have confidence in you. We rejoice in your devotion. We are greatly heartened by your presence … in this portion of this dispensation wherein your talents and spiritual strength are so desperately needed.” (by Spencer W. Kimball, in his talk Women of the Church.”

Read Elder Neal A. Maxwell and Sister Julie Beck’s message on the women of God and share your impressions and a meaningful quote from each talk (see attachments).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell's Talk, The Women of God:

I shared a lot of my insights from his talk above, but something else that I did not share above, that I would like to share is this, “There are no separate paths back to that heavenly home. Just one straight and narrow way, at the end of which, though we arrive trailing tears, we shall at once be 'drenched in joy.'”

I also love how he said, “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this.

No wonder the men of God support and sustain you sisters in your unique roles, for the act of deserting home in order to shape society is like thoughtlessly removing crucial fingers from an imperiled dike in order to teach people to swim.

We men love you for meeting inconsiderateness with consideration and selfishness with selflessness. We are touched by the eloquence of your example. We are deeply grateful for your enduring us as men when we are not at our best because—like God—you love us not only for what we are, but for what we have the power to become.

We have special admiration for the unsung but unsullied single women among whom are some of the noblest daughters of God. These sisters know that God loves them, individually and distinctly. They make wise career choices even though they cannot now have the most choice career. Though in their second estate they do not have their first desire, they still overcome the world. These sisters who cannot now enrich the institution of their own marriage so often enrich other institutions in society. They do not withhold their blessings simply because some blessings are now withheld from them. Their trust in God is like that of the wives who are childless, but not by choice, but who in the justice of God will receive special blessings one day.

I, along with my brethren of the priesthood, express undying gratitude to our eternal partners. We know that we can go no place that matters without you, nor would we have it otherwise. When we kneel to pray, we kneel together. When we kneel at the altar of the holy temple, we kneel together. When we approach the final gate where Jesus Himself is the gatekeeper, we will, if faithful, pass through that gate together.

The prophet who sits with us today could tell us of such togetherness, when at the time of his overwhelming apostolic calling he was consoled by his Camilla, who met his anguished, sobbing sense of inadequacy and, running her fingers through his hair, said, “You can do it, you can do it.” He surely has done it, but with her at his side.

Notice, brethren, how all the prophets treat their wives and honor women, and let us do likewise!”

It is so comforting to me to hear apostles speak so highly of women, especially when they usually are the ones who are belittled. When men stick up for their wives, support them in all that they do, hold the family together, and love their wives with all of their hearts, that is where the family begins to mesh and the two separate beings become one whole.

Sister Julie B. Beck's Talk, entitled, “Mothers Who Know”:

“In the Book of Mormon we read about 2,000 exemplary young men who were exceedingly valiant, courageous, and strong. “Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him” (Alma 53:21). These faithful young men paid tribute to their mothers. They said, “Our mothers knew it” (Alma 56:48). I would suspect that the mothers of Captain Moroni, Mosiah, Mormon, and other great leaders also knew.

The responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). 1 However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children.

The big seven things that “Mothers Who Know” do: Mothers Who Know Bear Children, Mothers Who Know Honor Sacred Ordinances and Covenants, Mothers Who Know Are Nurturers, Mothers Who Know Are Leaders, Mothers Who Know Are Teachers, Mothers Who Know Do Less, and Mothers Who Know Stand Strong and Immovable.”