“Ask and ye shall receive”

At one point or another, most of us reach a point in our lives when we know that we don’t know enough to make the decisions we need to make. It is at these times when prayer and personal guidance (revelation) from God are such a blessing and necessity. Although prayers aren’t always answered when or how we want them to be, we know that they are heard, and that they are answered, in God’s own way and in his own time. Usually, answers come through feelings of peace, clarity, and confidence. Sometimes, ideas can come into our minds. Sometimes, figurative doors open in our lives that let us know that God is involved and is guiding our path.

We are a Worldwide Sisterhood

Through the Church’s organization for women, the Relief Society (the largest women’s organization in the world), we as Mormon women feel a connection with each other as a worldwide sisterhood. Our lives, personalities, talents, challenges, and opportunites may differ, but our faith in Jesus Christ and our desire to serve and reach out to others binds us together.

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

First Person: “The Spirit of God…fills up every longing…every vacuum”

Eliza R. Snow on the Spirit

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!

Relief Society: The Mormon Women’s Organization

Relief Society is the Church’s organization for women. It is the largest organization for women in the world.

A recent article summarized how Sister Julie Beck, the general (worldwide) president of this organization, describes Relief Society:

“[R]egardless of the roles [that women in the Church currently fill in their lives], each woman has in common the opportunity to be a part of an organization that teaches how to build faith in Jesus Christ, encourages study and self-improvement, emphasizes the divine worth of women, exercises charity and service, strengthens families and creates a system of support and friendship.”

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For more on this topic, please see the following links:President Thomas S. Monson: The Spirit of Relief Society
lds.org index entry on Relief Society
Relief Society Program Strengthens Mormon Women (“[Sister Julie] Beck [the general president of the Relief Society] says that regardless of the roles, each woman has in common the opportunity to be a part of an organization that teaches how to build faith in Jesus Christ, encourages study and self-improvement, emphasizes the divine worth of women, exercises charity and service, strengthens families and creates a system of support and friendship.”)

More Church newsroom articles on women and Relief Society can be found here

What Should I Expect From a Relief Society Meeting?

God is aware of us and our trials

Sometimes when we are struggling and suffering, we may feel that God is not aware of us, or doesn’t care, or is too far away to access. Most of us have probably felt that way at one time or another.

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.

Articles and Links on the topic of Priesthood

Sister Sheri L. Dew: “It Is Not Good for Man or Woman to Be Alone“

Sister Julie B. Beck: An Outpouring of Blessings

Sister Patricia T. Holland: A Woman’s Perspective on the Priesthood

Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church

Elder Robert D. Hales: Blessings of the Priesthood

Women and the Priesthood

H. Burke Peterson: Priesthood — Authority and Power

Boyd K. Packer: A Tribute to Women

Serving in the Church

Teachings of John Taylor: The Responsibilities and Order of the Priesthood

Marriage (includes links to articles and talks)

Marriage is a central doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Mormon Women, we receive much counsel about the importance of marriage, the necessity to defend and sustain the institution of marriage, and nurturing marriage relationships.

Devotion to Christ

The Savior is the center of all we do in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We as Mormon women are devoted to Him and seek to make Him the center of our lives. We believe that it is through Jesus Christ and the covenants and ordinances of His gospel that we have the possibility of returning to live with our Father in heaven, and to live eternally with our families.

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

Purpose of Life

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

I Am A Child of God

One of the most simple expressions of our beliefs is found in a children’s song entitled, “I Am a Child of God” (for the sheet music, click here). Knowing that we are literal daughters of heavenly parents helps us understand our intrinsic worth and our divine potential. Such doctrine also helps us find peace and strength in times of trial, because we know that God is a loving, caring Being, who knows us intimately and wants us to find purpose in our lives. Perhaps even more than that, we know that His love and our potential is not measured simply by what happens in this life, but that He desires to give us all that He has.

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