I know it's Father's Day tomorrow and this post may seem directed towards mothers/women. But these two hot topics have been on my mind as of late and hey they effect men as well in a great way. These are my strong and tender feelings on the subjects and I know there are many opposite opinions, but I feel strongly to share what I learned today in my readings while feeding Jane.
The topic of the family organization and of women wanting the priesthood are very talked about and debated subjects. Two of which I greatly feel will affect our communities, societies, nations and the world. There is NOTHING more in important than the family, nothing. It is the most basic and fundamental unit in society and therefore one of the most important in considering the future of our world. I was reading the great booklet: "Daughters in My Kingdom" and this section brought some beautiful confirmations of my feelings on these two subjects: “Guardians of the Hearth”: Establishing, Nurturing, and Defending the Family. (Chapter 9).
“Many of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and to shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing. The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us.
“… There are those who would define the family in such a nontraditional way that they would define it out of existence. …
“We of all people … should not be taken in by the specious arguments that the family unit is somehow tied to a particular phase of development a mortal society is going through. We are free to resist those moves which downplay the significance of the family and which play up the significance of selfish individualism. We know the family to be eternal. We know that when things go wrong in the family, things go wrong in every other institution in society.”
I believe this wholeheartedly!!!!!! As the family unit is in question and bent to meet "selfish individualism" and the phases of society then our very core of civilization is rocked. This is not to say that peoples choice and agency should be taken away but it also means that truths and standards should NEVER be changed. No matter what the culture of the time. The role of men and women isn't set to make us unequal or to stereotype each other, they are set to bring order, joy and fulfillment of divine traits within each sex.
"In harmony with timeless principles about the sacred nature of home and family, Melchizedek Priesthood quorums help men fulfill their responsibilities as sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers. The Relief Society helps women fulfill their responsibilities as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers. Relief Society sisters have always supported one another in efforts to strengthen families, learn practical skills that improve their homes, and make their homes places where the Spirit can dwell."
The Relief Society is the largest women's organization in the world. If women truly understood the great strength and power it could/does have to influence the world for good they would not be seeking other avenues to fill that need/desire. When a group of focused, faithful, strong and courageous women work together for a cause there is no greater group of influence in the world. Also, do women not realize they have a unique and powerful role that they've inherited that no man can replicate?
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “Sisters, we, your brethren, cannot do what you were divinely designated to do from before the foundation of the world. We may try, but we cannot ever hope to replicate your unique gifts. There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman. … All women have within their divine nature both the inherent talent and the stewardship to mother.”
It saddens me that the children who inherit the future have women who are not thinking of them first, but selfishly of themselves. The priesthood can't even work under that kind of spirit. If it's used to gratify ones own desires it's not the priesthood.
“Hold your heads high, you wives, mothers, homemakers. You engender life and enrich it. Don’t trade that pervasive force for fleeting, surface trinkets. Cherish it, enlarge it, magnify it. You hold a mighty office." Barbara B. Smith.
Women need to understand that selflessness is the key to a strong woman, that's what motherhood, nurturing, comforting and strengthening others is all about! So, no matter if your married, have children, work...etc. you have divineness in you to nurture!
Sister Julie B. Beck taught about the role of nurturing: “To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers [should] create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. 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. … Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women.”
I believe strongly in these two topics and felt strongly to write down my thoughts on them. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored gospel with all truths pertaining to life. The questions of the world are answered in living scripture! I know that standards and truth are not to be changed by the whims of man and culture. I know that the home, family and womanhood are crucial to the betterment of society. I know that all are given agency and choose the paths they go down. But I know that the principles of Christ's gospel always bring Joy, Safety, Strength and Hope.
I am so grateful for a father and husband who hold and honor their priesthood. And for ancestors and a mother who've shown me what a powerful woman is. How thankful I am for the family!
To read this great chapter go here;
https://www.lds.org/relief-society/daughters-in-my-kingdom/manual/guardians-of-the-hearth-establishing-nurturing-and-defending-the-family?lang=eng
To read a powerful proclamation on the role of man and woman and the importance of family, read this:
https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng
