I introduced myself- despite the fact that it is my home ward, there were many people that didn't know me, so I will give a brief introduction here, or at least the parts that tied in later in my talk. I am recently married, but nothing about my husband really had much to do with my thoughts on Motherhood today. I grew up in the same area, and I was VERY shy as a child. My first Primary talk was given by my Mom while I hid behind her. It was on my favorite Book of Mormon story- the 2,000 Stripling Warriors, and she started whispering in my ear the words we had prepared and I wasn't repeating them into the microphone. I whispered back to her, "If you know it, why don't you give it?" And so she did. I stood hiding behind her leg and she gave my first talk. Years later I prepared to serve a mission. My farewell talk in the single's ward didn't go so well... I was very nervous, and the nerves that day were just a bit too much. I felt like I was going to pass out, and so I actually leaned down and gripped the pulpit and said, "I need to excuse myself" and walked out of the Chapel. I drank some water and relaxed a bit and ended up coming back in and bore a brief testimony, but I never gave the talk I had prepared. I served my mission in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 6 months after Katrina hit and then after I was home I was called to be Relief Society President. Now that my Dad is the scary person who asks people to give talks I am now capable of speaking in front of others, even if I do still get nervous at times.
As I was preparing my talk, I read several other talks by prophets and apostles talking about women and motherhood. I found one story (possibly by Elder M Russell Ballard) about a man who was in the Bishopric and sat on the stand while his wife got all the kids ready for church and kept them silent through the meeting. Then over time, he was released and his wife was in a choir one Sunday and he sat in the audience by himself trying to keep all the kids silent. He said he never fully appreciated what his wife had done all those years by herself until that Sunday. There have been times when my Mother has said that we don't fully understand or appreciate all she does, and I think that part of that is because it's hard to fully understand things we haven't gone through ourselves. Then, my husband and I were lucky to be able to visit with his Mom and grandma yesterday, and at this restaurant the tv was on. On it, was some sort of Women's Body-building contest, and at first I thought, 'good for them'. But then I got thinking a little more and thinking about how the world doesn't fully appreciate Motherhood either. In the world today, many women feel like they have to prove they are equal to men, by being just as strong, or just as successful in the work-force. I'm not saying that being a female body-builder is wrong, or being successful in a job is wrong, but Motherhood is not about that. In Heavenly Father's eyes we do not have to prove we are equal to men, because we are already equal to men. But our roles are different and the role of a Mother is different than just being a strong woman, or a rich woman, or a well-known woman. Being a Mother is all about nurturing, teaching, guiding and lifting up those around us.
Julie B Beck said, “Female roles did not begin on earth, and they do not end here. A woman who treasures motherhood on earth will treasure motherhood in the world to come, and ‘where [her] treasure is, there will [her] heart be also’ (Matthew 6:21). By developing a mother heart, each girl and woman prepares for her divine, eternal mission of motherhood.” (Julie B. Beck, “A Mother Heart,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2004, 76.) My Mother has been a wonderful example of treasuring motherhood. She was blessed to stay at home with us and took joy in our successes as her children. She was always a great support to me. I talked briefly about being shy when I was younger- because of my Mom she was able to encourage me to audition for solos at school. She made me feel like people wanted to hear what I had to say. Because of her, and of course the Lord’s help, I was able to open my mouth on my mission and share the gospel with others.
I have had many other great examples in my life of Motherhood, but there was one lady in my life who meant a lot to me.
She was very much for women’s rights and being equal to men and there were some things she did that may have
seemed she was proving to the world that she was equal to men. But despite all that, there was a part of her
that was a Mother to me and my siblings. She was my Mom’s
6th grade softball coach, and never had children of her own, but she
was close to my Mom and my siblings. In
her own way, she nurtured us and believed in us. She always encouraged us to go after our
dreams and be the best we could be. At
her funeral I sang “The Wind Beneath My Wings”- it described her very well, but
it also describes a little bit of the role of Motherhood. It tells of a person who was in the shadows-
an inspiration to one in the spotlight.
A Mother is one who guides her children, who lifts them up. She is strong, and uplifting and nurtures
others- the wind beneath her children’s wings. Norma was a Mother to me.
Every woman has talents to help her in
motherhood and every woman has different challenges. Elder M Russell Ballard in April of 2008
said, “…some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and
work. [But] What matters is that a
mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for
God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else” (Daughters of God). In the
world today there are many challenges.
Some women don’t have children, others have to work, some are single
parents, but all women can be mothers and what matters is our influence and nurturing others.
I
believe strongly in the influence women have and its importance. On my mission I read through the scriptures
looking for the examples of women. I
noted more than 100 women in the Bible alone with at least a few details on
them and through my study I found something interesting. When the woman was righteous, those whose
lives she touched were righteous. The
same went for when a woman was wicked, those around her were wicked. There were righteous women who in turn
uplifted those around her and taught good works, and the wicked women used
their talents and influence to tempt men and bring them down, or taught evil
teachings. Always remember your
influence as a woman and a mother in nurturing those around you.
In
these last days all of us have a responsibility to prepare spiritually for the
Second Coming- and one of the best ways to help others prepare is through
Motherhood and nurturing those around us.
One of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon is that of the 2,000
Stripling Warriors. These boys were inexperienced
in war, but they knew the importance of covenants, and decided to help fight in
a war so that their parents would not have to break a promise they had made to
God. Helaman tells us of them in Alma
56:47-48, “Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did
think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives;
yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God
would deliver them. And they rehearsed
unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew
it.” These boys had great mothers for
examples of faith and relying on the Lord.
They went to battle and as the record tells us, not one of them died. Today, we can teach as those mothers did, we
can be examples of faith and relying on the Lord. In these Last Days, we are at war spiritually
and the importance of mothers and the influence of women is needed.
As Spencer W Kimball said concerning the importance of Motherhood, “Motherhood thus becomes a holy calling, a sacred dedication for carrying out the Lord’s plans, a consecration of devotion to the uprearing and fostering, the nurturing in body, mind, and spirit, of those who kept their first estate and who come to this earth for their second estate ‘to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.’ (Abr. 3:25.) To lead them to keep their second estate is the work of motherhood, and ‘they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.’…..Motherhood is near to Divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels. To you mothers in Israel we say, God bless and protect you, and give you the strength and courage, the faith and knowledge, the holy love and consecration to duty, that shall enable you to fill to the fullest measure the sacred calling which is yours. To you mothers and mothers-to-be we say: Be chaste, keep pure, live righteously, that your posterity to the last generation may call you blessed.” (“Message of the First Presidency,” Deseret News Weekly Church Edition, October 1942, p. 5.)” (Guidelines to Carry Forth the Work of God in Cleanliness, April 1974).
In a world that often forgets the importance and nobility of motherhood we need to remember that Motherhood is important and being a good Mother IS success. When it feels like no one else notices what you do remember what Elder M Russell Ballard once said, “…recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments… amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.” (Daughters of God, April 2008). I am glad Heavenly Father has blessed us with Mothers and women who can nurture, teach, lift and inspire us. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to nurture kids around me, and hope to one day be a good Mother to kids of my own. I’m grateful for all the Mothers in our ward and for the things they do. I’m thankful for this Church and its prophets and apostles who support families and mothers. And I'm thankful for the examples of Mothers we have in the scriptures.
May we all remember our Mothers and try to appreciate all they have done for us and try to be Mothers to others around us. Let us, as women, nurture, teach, uplift and inspire those around us.
Extras:
A talk by Sheri Dew titled, "Are We Not All Mothers?"
