President Spencer W. Kimball said the following:

The scriptures and the prophets have taught us clearly that God, who is perfect in his attribute of justice, “is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). … We had full equality as his spirit children. We have equality as recipients of God’s perfected love for each of us. The late Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote:

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel … was devised by the Lord for men and women alike” (Improvement Era, Mar. 1942, p. 161).

President Kimball goes on to explain how even as we are equal before God, “our roles and assignments differ” as men and women. (More can be found about gender roles here.) There are those who want to declare that unless our roles and responsibilities can and are the same, we will never be equal. This is a falsehood that the doctrines of the gospel help to dispel.

You can read essays on our site written by Mormon women about the topic of womanhood, such as the following:

We Are Daughters of God

Standing Shoulder to Shoulder

Singing Eve’s Song

Following are other links (most from lds.org) that further explore the teachings about the divinity of womanhood.

Margaret D. Nadauld: The Joy of Womanhood

Words of the Prophet: Daughters of the Almighty

Susan Easton Black: Happiness in Womanhood

You Are All Heaven Sent

Sheri Dew: It is Not Good for Man or Woman to be Alone (discusses how women and men must work in partnership in order for God’s plan to work and for us to reach our full potential)

M. Russell Ballard: Women of Righteousness

Women of Faith

Arta M. Hale: Lessons in Womanhood: Insights for Latter-day Saint Women from the Lives of Vashti, Miriam, Ruth, Hannah, Jezebel, and Esther

Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball on Women in the Church

Elaine Cannon: The Case for Mary (addresses ideas found in radical feminism, and what used to be called the women’s liberation movement)

Ambitious to Do Good

Barbara Thompson: The Errand of Angels is Given to Women

Richard G. Scott: The Sanctity of Womanhood

Russell M. Nelson: Daughters of Zion

Spencer W. Kimball: The Blessings and Responsibility of Womanhood

Dallin H. Oaks: The Relief Society and the Church (discusses much about historical facets of the role of women in the Lord’s work; even addresses the issue of women anointing and giving blessings, which they did for a time in the earlier stages of Church history)

Sheri Dew: Are We Not All Mothers?

Gordon B. Hinckley: The Women in Our Lives

Jeffrey R. Holland: To Young Women
Boyd K. Packer: Children of God

Susan Easton Black, noted researcher and teacher, wrote an article about womanhood in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the many roles women may have (daughter, sister, wife, mother, woman). She also reflects on women from Church history to illustrate her points about these roles. She reminds us of the importance of “adher[ing] to the truths of the scriptures and modern prophetic counsel” that can “lead [us] to the commitment of being a faithful daughter, sister, wife, and mother. Such a commitment will lead [us] to greater happiness in mortality and joy in the eternal realms.”

Read another woman’s thoughts on being a woman in the Church.

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You can also search our site or lds.org on topics such as the following:

Gender roles

Motherhood

Eternal Identity

Eternal Perspective

Self-Worth

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I have sometimes wondered if my own basically cheerful nature was inherited, or a more a result of seeing and following my parents’ example. Both genetics and observation no doubt come into play, but I recently found evidence that they were actively trying to teach me the value of being cheerful when I was very young.

In going through boxes of my parents’ papers, I came across a note my father had written to me when I was not yet four years old. He wrote it on a small piece of note-paper, folded it in half, addressed it to me personally, and enclosed it with a letter mailed to my mother when we were both away from home visiting her side of the family in another state. It reads in part:

“I hope you enjoyed your very long ride and that you were a very happy and obedient girl all of the time. It is so very easy to be cheerful some of the time that a little bit of cheerfulness is hardly worth a thimbleful of sand, but it is so very, very difficult to be cheerful all of the time that if you can accomplish it the value to you will be greater than a hundred tea sets or forty-seven [dolls] or thirty-nine doll houses with real wooden chairs and tables and pianos that make music. So try very hard, won’t you?”

As I read that note, I thought of the Savior’s admonitions to “be of good cheer,” which are usually accompanied by very good reasons why such cheer is possible even when we may think we have good reason to be sorrowful.

When bowed down with remorse for our sins, we can remember that Jesus said to the man sick of the palsy, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee” (Matt. 9:2).

When we feel forsaken, we can be heartened by the Savior’s words in D&C 68:6: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you. . . .”

When we are discouraged by our weaknesses and failures, we can ponder D&C 78:18: “And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.”

No matter what disappointments, frustrations, or even tragedies we face during our mortal probation, because of Christ’s Atonement, we know that if we continue to have faith in Him, and do our best to live righteously, we can eventually join Him, and our Heavenly Parents, in realms of glory. “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17).

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

What comfort these principles give me!

-Rosalie, in the US

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Do you have thoughts you want to share on the topic of joy, adversity, faith (or other gospel themes)? Would you like to write a First Person article for this site? Please see our Sharing Our Voices feature for more information on how you can!

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We can prepare to receive personal guidance, direction, and communication from God — what we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call personal revelation — by reading scriptures and pondering them, praying often, fasting, and gratefully recognizing the blessings in our lives. The scriptures also teach us that we need to “ask in faith, nothing wavering.” That faith is essential to receiving answers to prayers, and to building a personal relationship with God.

How do answers come?

Elder Robert D. Hales, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said this in a recent talk:

By unwavering faith, we learn for ourselves that “it is by faith that miracles are wrought.”¹⁸

Generally, those miracles will not be physical demonstrations of God’s power—parting of the Red Sea, raising of the dead, breaking down prison walls, or the appearance of heavenly messengers. By design, most miracles are spiritual demonstrations of God’s power—tender mercies gently bestowed through impressions, ideas, feelings of assurance, solutions to problems, strength to meet challenges, and comfort to bear disappointments and sorrow.

For more information on this topic, please see the following links:
Elder David A. Bednar: That We May Always Have His Spirit to be With Us (audio link, >video link)Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Personal Revelation (audio link, video link)Gerald N. Lund: The Still Small Voice: Revelation and How it Can Come (audio link)
“Does God answer my prayers?” – Jennifer shares her experience with receiving answers to her prayers at a critical decision point in her life when she was learning about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“How can I feel closer to God?” – Noelle shares her experiences with receiving answers to her questions

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We are members of a Church that values education — the training of the spirit, mind, heart, and hands to be prepared for life and to make a meaningful contribution to our families, the Church, and our communities. Education opens the door to opportunity, can provide much fulfillment and personal growth that can be an important part of our eternal journey, and can enable us to serve others and help God in His work.

We believe that the most important kind of learning comes through the Spirit. Sister Elaine Jack (twelfth General Relief Society President of the Church), in a talk entitled “Seek and Ye Shall Find” said the following:

The Lord has counseled us directly in this dispensation to seek the Spirit—to learn much—that we might “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10). I feel strongly that this is a clarion call for the women of this church…. For us to stand firm and faithful, we must be clearly focused on seeking the Lord.

Seeking implies so much more than merely looking. Seek means energy, direction, passion, purpose. To seek requires all our “heart, might, mind and strength” (D&C 4:2). We sisters are good at using our hearts and our hands in the Lord’s work. But we must also use our minds.

How do we seek with our minds? With our intellect we can ponder, we can analyze our circumstances, we can sort and sift information, weigh our options; we can store ideas, we can draw conclusions from our experiences, find answers to our problems; we can treasure thoughts and receive revelation. Isn’t that what the Lord meant when he said, “You must study it out in your mind” and then ask me if these things are not true? (D&C 9:8.)

This statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith inspires me: “Thy mind … if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens” (History of the Church, 3:295). We must stretch our minds if we are to reach that lofty goal so familiar to us all: “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth” (D&C 93:36).

As we earnestly seek light and truth, we develop clarity in our lives that reflects spiritual understanding and commitment. This clarity results as we learn from our daily experiences, our thoughtful study, and as we receive personal inspiration from the Holy Spirit. We have been promised:

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain … in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

“And if a person gains more knowledge … in this life through his diligence … , he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (D&C 130:18–19).

Learning—converting light and truth to everyday action in living the laws of God—is what we seek.

(What a fantastic definition of learning!)

But, of course, there is more to education and learning than just the spiritual. President Gordon B. Hinckley was known for his emphasis on getting as much secular education as we can. This was a focus of his particularly as he spoke to the youth. For example, in his famous “Six Bs” talk, he said the following:

You belong to a church that teaches the importance of education. You have a mandate from the Lord to educate your minds and your hearts and your hands. The Lord has said, “Teach ye diligently … of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—that ye may be prepared in all things” (D&C 88:78–80).

Mind you, these are not my words. These are the words of the Lord who loves you. He wants you to train your minds and hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your lives. And as you do so and as you perform honorably and with excellence, you will bring honor to the Church, for you will be regarded as a man or woman of integrity and ability and conscientious workmanship.

Many other church leaders have also reminded us of the importance of getting an education. President Monson recently reminded us as women of the Church to prepare ourselves for the uncertainties in life, to pursue an education so that we are able to provide for our families (or ourselves, for that matter) if the need were to arise (for many women, this need already exists!). He mentioned other benefits of getting an education as wel:

Your talents will expand as you study and learn. You will be able to better assist your families in their learning, and you will have peace of mind in knowing that you have prepared yourself for the eventualities that you may encounter in life.

There is no question, however, that we are regularly reminded of the need to keep our goals regarding education in their proper place in our lives. For example, Sister Julie B. Beck reminded us of this fact when she spoke to mothers. She said: “Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth.” This counsel can be applied to any of us in the sense that knowledge or education alone is not of primary importance in our spiritual journey. We must fulfill our spiritual responsibilities and always remember to put the things of God first in our lives.
Another important reminder comes from President Hinckley (then first counselor in the First Presidency) when he said the following:

Each day we are made increasingly aware of the fact that life is more than science and mathematics, more than history and literature. There is need for another education, without which the substance of secular learning may lead only to destruction. I refer to the education of the heart, of the conscience, of the character, of the spirit—these indefinable aspects of our personalities which determine so certainly what we are and what we do in our relationships one with another.

It is clear that education and learning play a critical role in our lives as Mormon women. We seek earnestly to educate our spirits, characters, consciences, hearts, minds, and hands to do our best to fulfill God’s purposes on this earth, to serve others, to fulfill our roles and responsibilities, and to progress (and help others progress) toward the goal of eternal life.

For more on this topic, please see the following links:Hugh W. Pinnock: Ten Characteristics of an Educated Person Katherine Padilla, My Stay-at-Home Education (one woman’s perspective on how “choosing to stay home with your children doesn’t mean stopping your own progress””Spirituality and Learning” “Educating the Family” “Education for Adults” — links to several articles on these topicsElder Dallin H. Oaks: Good, Better, BestThe Church has resources to help people find jobs and other opportunities

The post Education and Learning appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Hear one woman’s experience with receiving guidance and answers to her prayers when she was at a crossroads in her life. This video is entitled, “Does God answer my questions?”

Another woman shares how she found answers to her questions through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and through seeking God’s direction to know if she should join the Church.

It’s important to remember that not all answers — not even those about the gospel and its truthfulness — come immediately to everyone. A valuable part of the process of building a relationship with God is learning how He communicates with you. If you have struggled wondering when and if God will ever answer your prayer (which has been a struggle for most of us at some time or another), consider the following experience of one of the past presidents of the Church (as shared by Elder Robert D. Hales in a recent General Conference talk about receiving direction and guidance from God):

These miracles come to us as we endure what the scriptures call a “trial of [our] faith.” Sometimes that trial is the time it takes before an answer is received. When President David O. McKay was a young man herding cattle, he sought a witness, but it did not come until many years later while serving his mission in Scotland. He said, “It was a manifestation for which as a doubting youth I had secretly prayed . . . on hillside and in meadow. It was an assurance to me that sincere prayer is answered ‘sometime, somewhere’ ” ⁽Quoted in Francis M. Gibbons, David O. McKay: Apostle to the World, Prophet of God (1986), 50).

The post “Ask and ye shall receive” appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

For more on this topic, please see the following links:

A Worldwide Sisterhood (The article summary reads: “Sisters from five different continents give us glimpses of what Relief Society’s mission means to them.”)
Our Diversity, Our Sisterhood
Remember Him through a Loving Sisterhood and Strengthening Our Sisterhood by Listening and Trusting (these are examples of visiting teaching messages — we as Mormon women each visit a few sisters every month to discuss topics such as these, to build friendship and sisterhood, and to watch over and care for each other)
Barbara B. Smith: The Bonds of Sisterhood
LaRene Porter Gaunt: Welcome to Relief Society

You can also browse the following links on our website:
Relief Society

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I had a visiting teaching appointment last night. As is often the case, I was rushed to get things done for my family, get myself presentable, and prepare the lesson. But reading the message almost stopped me in my tracks. It helped me remember the tremendous blessing that the Spirit can be in our lives. I was moved by all of the excerpts, but particularly appreciated this from Sister Eliza R. Snow:

When you are filled with the Spirit of God, … that [Spirit] satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart, and fills up every vacuum. When I am filled with that spirit my soul is satisfied. … The Spirit of God will impart instruction to your minds, and you will impart it to each other. … Remember that you are Saints of God; and that you have important works to perform in Zion” (Woman’s Exponent, Sept. 15, 1873, 62).

I wonder sometimes if we look in the wrong places and in the wrong ways when we feel spiritually unsatisfied, or have an unfulfilled ache in our hearts. There is so much in life that has a tendency to throw us off spiritually: illness, financial troubles, doctrinal questions, relationship struggles, worry about wayward family members, mourning, unfulfilled dreams…. The list could go on and on. I loved that Sister Snow said that the Spirit “satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart” and “fills up every vacuum” (emphasis added). I have to ask myself: Do I trust that the Spirit can help me that much? How often do I expect my voids to be filled by someone’s choices, or prayers answered according to my will, or receiving understanding (now!) about the ‘whys’ of life? Do I believe that I can find peace and strength along the way, regardless of what is happening in my life?

I have heard a quote by Brigham Young that basically said that we live far beneath our privileges when it comes to the Holy Ghost. Reading this quote by Eliza R. Snow seems to validate that teaching. She has motivated me to (“put my trust in [the] Spirit”) more!

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The truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ help us have faith in trying times. They help us remember that God is there.

Hear one woman’s experience with her trials and finding the peace of the gospel after losing her husband on 9/11. This video is entitled “Does God care about my suffering?”

Here is another video about how God really knows and loves us, and that our lives have purpose.

The post God is aware of us and our trials appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

For more on this topic, please see the following links:

New Church website centered on the Savior, Jesus Christ

Elder David B. Haight: Faith, Devotion, and Gratitude (audio link)

The post Devotion to Christ appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

For more information on this topic, please see the following links:President Boyd K. Packer: Children of God (audio link, video link)

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