The Relief Society Presidency spoke in church today. We were asked to speak on the purposes of Relief Society. Carrie Fowers (secretary) spoke about increasing faith and personal righteousness. Jelaire Smedley (Second Counselor) spoke about serving others in unity. Becky Mikkelsen spoke about strengthening homes and families. I told them I would "wrap it up" at the end.
You guys. Wrapping up three other talks that I'd never heard before proved to be a very difficult feat. I knew what I wanted to say and what I thought maybe the sisters needed to hear. I struggled putting my thoughts into words. I couldn't get a clear vision on what my message was and how to share it. It wasn't until Saturday morning that I finally received clarity on what Heavenly Father wanted me to say. I had been thinking and planning my talk all week. Saturday morning I scrapped a lot of it and wrote the words that came to me.
One of the greatest lessons I am learning through my calling is how to receive personal revelation more regularly. I have realized that I am a NOVICE at this business. In learning the language of the spirit, I would say I am in kindergarten. This calling has forced me to step up to the plate. I am grateful for that. And writing this talk was no exception.
So, here is my talk. For the record, the missing link in my talk, that finally brought me clarity was the Relief Society motto, "Charity Never Faileth". Somehow I thought I could give a talk to wrap up the purposes of Relief Society without discussing charity. Silly me.
_________________________________________________________________________________
We
read in Daughters in My Kingdom, “In the time of Christ, the Savior taught women in multitudes and as individuals, on the street
and by the seashore, at the well and in their homes. He showed loving-kindness
toward them and healed them and their family members. In many parables, He told
stories of women engaged in ordinary activities. He demonstrated deep
familiarity with women’s lives and drew timeless gospel lessons from their
everyday experiences. He forgave them. He wept with them. He had compassion on
them in their specific circumstances as daughters, wives, homemakers, mothers,
and widows. He appreciated them and ennobled them.
Even
in excruciating pain on the cross, the Savior expressed concern for His mother,
who by then was very likely a widow in need of watchcare, And the first person
to whom He appeared after His Resurrection was a woman.”
It was in this same pattern that in 1842, in the upper room of the “red brick
store” a small group of women met with Joseph Smith, John Taylor, and Willard
Richards. The Prophet Joseph organized them in a divinely inspired and
authorized manner, with Emma Smith at the helm.
Joseph Smith continued to
give guidance and counsel to these women and these teachings became the
foundation with which Relief Society was built. The purposes of Relief Society,
which we have learned about today, have existed since this humble beginning of
this grand organization.
What does that mean for us today? We know the purposes. Now, what?
The
answer to this is the Relief Society motto. Charity never faileth. What is
charity? According to Mormon, “Charity is
the pure love of Christ.” President Monson explains further, “ I do not at this moment have in mind
the relief of the suffering through the giving of our substance. That, of
course, is necessary and proper. Tonight, however, I have in mind the charity
that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their
actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is
patient.
There is a serious need for the
charity that gives attention to those who are unnoticed, hope to those who are
discouraged, aid to those who are afflicted. True charity is love in action.
The need for charity is everywhere."
I reflect on the story of Ruth and Naomi in the
Old Testament. Naomi lives with her husband and two sons in
Moab. Her husband dies and only a few short years later both her sons die.
Naomi and her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, all find themselves widowed.
They are destitute. Naomi decides they must return to Bethlehem, where they had
come from about a decade before. She tells her daughters-in-law to return home
to their families. They wept together and Orpah returned to Moab, but “Ruth
clave unto her” and gave her quite a speech convincing Naomi that she was not
going to change her mind, “when [Naomi]
saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto
her.”
They return to
Bethlehem together and Ruth finds work gleaning the fields of Boaz. Gleaning
means that she follows behind the workers as they harvest, picking up the corn
that they had dropped. This is something only the extremely poor would do. Ruth
knew that Naomi needed someone else to help her and was not going to leave her
alone. Do you suppose that Ruth needed Naomi just as much. These women saw each
other through a dark and difficult time because of charity.
Today, charity can
be found when a sister is invited to sit with a group, instead of alone, at
church. Charity can be found in a friendly smile, a “thinking about you” text
message, or a plate of cookies on a doorstep. Charity can be found in extended a welcoming
hand and heart to a new sister. Charity can be found as we allow each other
into our homes, perfect or not, clean or not, and have unpressured space in
which we can talk and be together. Charity is found as we discover that “we” is
more powerful than “me”. Charity is also found as we increase our own personal righteousness
and seek and act on personal revelation. Sister Julie B. Beck said,
It was prophesied that in the latter
days the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids. This
will happen as we allow ourselves to be still enough and quiet enough to listen
to the voice of the Spirit. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught us that receiving
revelation for our calling and in our personal lives “requires serious mental
effort on our part. … Revelation is not a matter of pushing buttons, but of
pushing ourselves, often aided by fasting, scripture study, and personal
pondering.
We might see ourselves as weak, but the power of this
great organization lies in each of us because it is the power of God. It can
and it has changed lives.
Another example, in
1846 Eliza Partridge Lyman gave birth to a son. He was born in a wagon. She
struggled through a few short months with him and by December he was sick and
passed away. She wrote in her journal, “The
baby is dead and I mourn his loss. We have done the best we knew how for him,
but nothing has done any good; he continued to fail from the time he was taken
sick. My sister Caroline and I sat up every night with him and tried to save
him from death, for we could not bear to part with him, but we were powerless…
I still have friends who are dear to me. If I had not I should wish to bid this
world farewell, for it is full of disappointments and sorrow. But I believe
there is a power that watches over us and does all things right.” Later she
provided that same friendship and compassion, helping other women who were
dealing with similar grief. Her life found meaning again because of the charity
extended to her from other women and the opportunity she was given to pay it
forward.
President Monson in
the same talk I quoted previously continued, “In a hundred small ways, all of you
wear the mantle of charity. Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being
judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for
our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each
one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may
we strive to do our best to help out.”
I can testify before
you today that I have seen the work of Relief Society bless and change lives. Women need women and together we can do
incredible things. In the words of John A. Widstoe, “Relief of poverty, relief
of illness; relief of doubt, relief of ignorance; relief of all that hinders
the joy and progress of woman. What a magnificent commission!”
In closing I would like to share one more story.
That of the mothers of the Stripling Warriors. We learn about them as a
collective group of mothers who had raised their children in faith. Alma 27:28 explains the foundation of these
women's faith.
"And they did look upon shedding the blood of their
brethren with greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to
take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with an
degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection;
therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over
it."
They
kept their faith even as they watched their brothers and sisters be slaughtered
and as they left their homeland. These women did not do this alone. Together
these women taught these things to their own children. Together they faced
death, rather than the prospect of breaking their covenants. Together they sent their young sons into battle. They knew that because of the
atonement of Jesus Christ death had no power. They had no fear of physical
death because Jesus would conquer it, and therefore it had "no
sting".
These young men went
forth with the same bravery that the women displayed. “We do not doubt our mothers knew it.” And when that battle was raged
and the dust had settled, Helaman numbered these young men. Knowing, I’m sure,
that he would reporting to their mothers of the casualties. “But behold, to [his] great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth;
yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to
have fought with such miraculous strength.”
One can only assume that those women were praying for those boys
on the battlefield. And through their faith, their collective faith, not one
soul was lost.
We have been made a similar
promise, as we join this collective group of
women across the globe, in purpose and
direction, under the name of Relief Society. President Packer said, “The
great circle of sisters will be a protection for each of you and for your
families. The Relief Society will be likened to a refuge – the place of safety
and protection – the sanctuary of ancient times. You will be safe within it. It
encircles each sister like a protecting wall.”
I can’t think of anything
more reassuring to me than the promise of refuge and sanctuary, safety and protection.
This kind of promise does not happen magically. It will not happen without the
work of many diligent and loving hands.
I testify that as we embrace
the purposes of Relief Society and embrace them through charity and personal
revelation, we will find the refuge and sanctuary we need in the world today
and be able to bring ourselves and our loved ones unto Christ. In the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.
