We've been having a temple-related Sunday School class in our ward for a couple months now which has been amazing. I'm still not sure if they were supposed to deviate from "Come Follow Me," but it was fortuitous that the temple class was happening right when the most recent changes at the temple were made. It has been such a sacred space! Anyway, in the class yesterday we were talking about women and the priesthood. I was sad to hear that some of my dear sisters felt "less than" as women in the gospel. I still can't say I've really felt that personally, but I'm sad to know that in my generation women have still felt that.
I'd have to say three contributing factors to me NOT feeling that way are:
1. My mom served a mission back when not so many women served missions (1970s), and she went to Argentina! This really gave me a sense of pride and if my mom could do it, I could do it, too (although I chose not to serve a mission).
2. When I was about 12, my mom gave me this for my bulletin board. (Well I'm pretty sure it was this one!)
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.
Among the real heroines in the world who will come into the Church are women who are more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish. These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. Remember, it is as wrong to do things just to be seen of women as it is to do things to be seen of men. Great women and men are always more anxious to serve than to have dominion.
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.
-Spencer W. Kimball, delivered by his sweet wife Camilla in 1979.
3. In my early days of college the Proclamation to the World came out.
In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.
-Read by Gordon B. Hinckley, 1995
Then there are other quotes that helped me feel strong after that time like,
4. “Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”
(Margaret D. Nadauld, “The Joy of Womanhood,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 15)
And then of course there was lots of good stuff by Julie Beck, but I won't take the time to look that stuff up because that's not what this post is about!
Last summer I was called to serve as YW president in our new ward (we had a boundary change). I learned about some of these helpful YW presidency facebook groups and joined some. This morning I saw someone ask a question about helping young women who are wondering about why they don't hold the priesthood. The replies were so kind and well said. I just thought I'd list them here for future reference. I just remember back in the Kate Kelly days how contentious the topic got online, that it was just a breath of fresh-air to see this type of conversation without everything blowing up. There are all types of answers for this topic, and I think there may be truth in all of them, but honestly the bottom line is we don't know why women don't hold the priesthood (offices), but it can be helpful to study it all out. Here are things people shared:
1. Understanding priesthood office, priesthood authority, priesthood keys.
2. Understanding that women are authorized in the temple to give priesthood ordinances.
3. Latter-day Saint Women Podcast: 85 Rebecca Mehr "How Priesthood Power Offers Divine Help to Every Woman"
4. The Priesthood Power of Women by Barbara Morgan Gardner.
5. We have different roles: women bearing children, men holding the priesthood (I know this one can be controversial).
"Just because I carried and gave birth to our baby, doesn't mean the baby is any less my husband's. Likewise just because my husband carries and performs blessings and ordinances with the priesthood doesn't mean it's any less mine." -Someone named Lacy
"Both are equally important, just different." -Denise
Division of labor -Desiree
Different roles -Monica
"Women are the conduits for bringing Heavenly spirits to earth, and men are the conduits for bringing the power of Heaven on earth. This allows us to truly be a help-meet for each other." -Gwen
"Think of a circle. At the top is Heaven. At the bottom is Earth. Women's power is to bring the souls from Heaven to Earth. The Priesthood keys is to take the souls back to Heaven after death. Is the circle of life." -Diana
6. GOD COMES TO THE WOMEN
writtten by Heather FarrellHave you ever noticed how in the scriptures men are always going up into the mountains to commune with the Lord?
Yet in the scriptures we hardly ever
hear of women going to the mountains,
and we know why — right?
Because the women were too busy
keeping life going;
they couldn’t abandon babies,
meals,
homes,
fires,
gardens,
and a thousand responsibilities to make the climb into the mountains!
I was talking to a friend the other day,
saying that as modern woman
I feel like I’m never “free” enough
from my responsibilities,
never in a quiet enough,
or holy enough spot
to have the type of communion
I want with God.
Her response floored me,
“That is why God comes to women.
Men have to climb the mountain to meet God, but God comes to women where ever they are.”
I have been pondering on her words for weeks and have searched my scriptures
to see that what she said is true.
God does in deed come to women
where they are,
when they are doing their ordinary,
everyday work.
He meets them at the wells
where they draw water for their families,
in their homes,
in their kitchens,
in their gardens.
He comes to them
as they sit beside sickbeds,
as they give birth,
care for the elderly,
and perform necessary mourning and burial rites.
Even at the empty tomb,
Mary was the first to witness Christ’s resurrection,
She was there because she was doing the womanly chore of properly preparing Christ’s body for burial.
In these seemingly mundane
and ordinary tasks,
these women of the scriptures found themselves face to face with divinity.
So if — like me — you ever start to bemoan the fact that you don’t have as much time to spend in the mountains with God as you would like. Remember, God comes to women. He knows where we are and the burdens we carry. He sees us, and if we open our eyes and our hearts we will see Him, even in the most ordinary places and in the most ordinary things.
He lives.
