by Erin Weist
Recently, a leader for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints spoke out in plea to women everywhere to stand strong in their faith and their calling as women. President Russell M. Nelson spoke in Salt Lake City, Utah in a worldwide broadcast to members of his faith, pleading, “We need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices.”
It is truly wonderful to be standing with other individuals and communities whose focus is on preserving the family. President Nelson indicated that part of that preservation will come from the powerful influence of women standing in whatever role they encounter: wife, mother, sister, aunt, teacher, and more. He indicated that “we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world…women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly.”
Again, President Nelson highlighted the distinct and beautifully designed difference between male and female traits that were put in place for us to fulfill our divine callings when he stated, “Married or single, you sisters possess distinctive capabilities and special intuition you have received as gifts from God. We brethren cannot duplicate your unique influence.”
So what are you doing to fulfill your divine calling? Are you exerting yourself in a positive way on those within your sphere of influence? Are you standing as a beacon, as you were created to do, to teach about the powerful influence of honoring marital vows? To teach the importance of bringing children into the world and raise them to love God? To teach about the joy and blessings of families in our individual lives and in society as a whole?
I would call on any woman within the sound of my voice (as much as a blog post can have a voice) to ask God what she can do to promote and strengthen the institution of the family. I encourage her to seek divine guidance regarding where she can go or what she can be involved in that will have the greatest positive impact on her own family and community. We have much more power than we know and it will be magnified as we work together and seek divine assistance.
(A full transcript of the talk by Russell M. Nelson can be found here. Other languages available on that site as well.)