16 Full and Honorable Service
Just as Eve sought further light and knowledge, so have righteous women throughout the ages. That is the pattern of faithful women, who search for the fullest and most Christlike ways their service can be used. They have a strong sense of mission and yearn for that mission to be honorable and substantive.
In searching for their own individual missions, women ask themselves and others, Am I needed? Where am I needed? How do men and women fit together in this grand work? Where is the clarion call? Similar questions have often been asked of me as I speak to women. Mine also was a search for words that I might respond to these queries in useful and correct ways.
The response came to me with startling clarity on a glorious day that I shall never forget. Some days are like that. Each action and thought is etched into the memory: the day you discovered you were in love, the day you knew for sure that God existed, your wedding day, the day your child was born.
This particular day was filled with promise and possibilities. I looked out my bedroom window to see the sun reflecting off the waters of the Potomac River. It was my birthday. My husband brought me a breakfast tray with one red rose and a note saying, “The day is yours. We will do everything you wish—or nothing.” (One of life’s grand luxuries—an entire day to one’s own choosing.) On the tray was a fax sent by a dear friend in response to a question I’d asked. The fax was President Howard W. Hunter’s talk entitled “To the Women of the Church.” I had heard him deliver it at the general women’s meeting in 1992. It had touched my heart, although I had not at that time recognized its greatness.
Now, as I read President Hunter’s words, I was mesmerized. Here was my answer! In clear and unambiguous terms, he invited women and men to stand together. “It seems to me that there is a great need to rally the women of the Church to stand with and for the Brethren in stemming the tide of evil that surrounds us and in moving forward the work of our Savior. . . . Obedient to Him, we are a majority. But only together can we accomplish the work He has given us to do and be prepared when we shall see Him.” In loving outreach, he observed: “As our Lord and Savior needed the women of His time for a comforting hand, a listening ear, a believing heart, a kind look, an encouraging word, loyalty—even in His hour of humiliation, agony, and death—so we, His servants all across the Church need you, the women of the church.”1
My heart burst with gratitude, love, and thanksgiving. I now knew how I wanted to use the day. I wanted to find words to respond to this gentle apostolic plea. With tear-filled eyes, I penned the following response:
WE WILL STAND
A hand reaches out.
A voice is heard.
A prophet’s invitation-plea:
“Come stand with us.”
Type and shadow of another voice:
“Come follow me.”
Woman answers: “I will stand with you!”
“Woman has always stood,”
Echoes from corridors of time.
I am woman in the Garden—Mother of all living who courageously partook that man might be.
I am woman at the stable—Who gently acquiesced that a God-child might also be.
Will I stand?
Without question I will stand!
I am woman at the well—first to whom Jesus revealed Himself as Messiah, anxious to alert others of identity divine.
I am woman-friend of Jesus—in whose home of faith the dead was raised, disciples taught saving truths sublime.
Will I stand?
Could I do other than stand?
I am woman with the alabaster box—anointing the Savior unto His burial; lone in recognition that crucifixion is near.
I am woman at the tomb—asked to deliver the glorious message that a risen Christ did appear.
Will I stand?
Indeed, I will stand.
In the Garden
At the Cradle
By the Cross
Woman has always stood!
As a woman-disciple I will utilize my love, intellect, and energy to strengthen my family and then the families of our society.
As a daughter-disciple I will see selflessness, sacrifice, and compassion as traits of the Savior; I will focus on righteousness, service, and wholeness.
As a sister-disciple, I will stand with and I will stand for His beloved prophets and apostles, and with His servants all across the Church, just as did my sisters stand with the Savior, even in the hour of His humiliation, agony, and death.
Out of my strength I will offer—
A comforting hand
A listening ear
A believing heart
An encouraging word
An unstinting loyalty
A partnership of trust
Will women stand?
To the last breath.
We will stand!
Scriptural Daughters of Eve
We have spoken much of that first woman, who in the Garden courageously partook that humankind might be. Now, let us look briefly at the lives of those five women referenced in this poem, women who exemplify qualities and traits worthy of emulation. Although the lives of these women in the scriptures are reported in cryptic terms, there is nonetheless much to model our own lives on.
First is Mary, mother of Jesus, the unflinching handmaiden of the Lord. Could there have been a more difficult choice than that offered this “virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins” (1 Nephi 11:15). Unmarried, she was asked to bear a child who, she was told, will be the only begotten son of God the Eternal Father. As startling as that request must have been, her acquiescence was unwavering. She accepted and then embraced that mission, to which she was foreordained before the worlds were. It is difficult to imagine a stronger faith or a greater trust. Her mission was to provide not just a mortal body for this heavenly son of God but, like all mothers, an environment of love, protection, and education. He was hers to keep safe until such time as He had gained an understanding of His mission. Mary faced challenges that could only be called unusual, exhausting, abrasive, and heart wrenching. It was she who stood at the foot of the cross on which her Son was crucified and beheld His torment in all its agony. Yet, she went on, ever in faith, until the entire life span of her mission was completed.
Next is the woman of Samaria. As she approached the well to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give me to drink” (John 4:7). She asked why He, a Jew, would make such a request of a Samaritan woman. He told her He could fill her cup with living water. He saw into her heart, knew all her sins and weaknesses, and yet it was at this well and to this woman that Jesus revealed the fulness of the plan of salvation and for the first time disclosed His name as Messiah. The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things.” Jesus gently advised, “I that speak unto thee am he.” He asked her to do that which was unheard of for a woman of her race and position: go and tell the men of her village the news of the Master (John 4:25–26). Breaking with tradition, He seeks to bring woman into active participation in His work.
No one who has studied scripture could be untouched by the gentle story of Mary and Martha of Bethany. The Savior found solace and peace in the home they shared with their brother, Lazarus. There He was often found teaching the words of salvation. There He preached His gospel and extended mercy to sinner and disciple alike. There He reminded all of the importance of feasting on the words of the Lord. As Martha bustled about preparing the meal, she asked Mary to lend a hand. The Savior did not chastise her for her request but gently reminded her that what Mary was learning at His feet is part of that which is most important to all His children. “But Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). He reminds us as He reminded Martha that only spiritual food will last eternally. All other things will pass away.
It was in this house in Bethany that the Savior responded to their deep and absolute faith in the powers of the priesthood. As Martha and Mary pleaded with Him to raise Lazarus from the dead, Jesus told them that He is the resurrection and the life. Then He asked the question we all will be asked: “Believest thou this?” Unwavering, Martha answered, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (John 11:26–27).
Such absolute and unconditional belief is often given to women. Perhaps that is why we find throughout the Bible sweet expressions of tenderness toward them from the Savior. He wept with them and for them, heeded their requests, saw into their souls, and loved them for what He saw there. He expected them to be at His side in the workings of the Church and in learning the gospel. He offered them hope and inclusivity at a time and in a culture which offered them little but hopelessness and exclusion.
It was to Bethany that the Savior went to await His crucifixion. And it is there we find the woman with the alabaster box visiting at the home. This event is of such import that three of the Gospels record it. It is here we learn much about woman’s generosity of heart and self, her prescience, and her faith. As the Savior sups at the home of Simon the leper, there came another Mary, not well known to them and considered by some to be a sinner. She had “an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she brake the box and poured it on his head” (Mark 14:3). She also anointed his feet, lovingly and tenderly wiping them with her hair. Some of His disciples murmured that this ointment, which was very valuable, should have been sold and the money given to the poor. The Savior asked them why they troubled her, for she had “wrought a good work on me.” He advised them that they can do good for the poor whenever they want because the poor will be ever with them, “but me ye have not always” (Matthew 26:10–11). Then He let them know what the Spirit had already revealed to this woman: “She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying” (Mark 14:8).
Following these events, the Savior makes a pronouncement unlike any other in the Bible: “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her” (Mark 14:9).
To another Mary, Mary Magdalene, Jesus appeared as the risen Christ. She had come to the tomb to care for His body and found it gone. She hurried to tell Peter, who returned with her, saw the empty sepulcher, and then left. Mary could not dismiss the absence of her beloved. She stayed and with a broken heart wept at her great loss. Angels asked why she wept, and she expressed that anguish of her heart: “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him” (John 20:13). She turned and saw Jesus standing nearby but did not know Him until He called her by name. The sound of His voice penetrated her heart. In the depth and simplicity of her faith, her mind understood and her soul grasped what this glorious appearance meant. There can be no greater words in the history of humankind than those that she, a woman, a sister, a disciple, was given to joyously proclaim: “He is risen” (Matthew 28:6).
I feel confident that at least one reason this manifestation and message were given through her is her sensitive and attuned spiritual nature and her unquestioning faith and loyalty. It is in the soul of women to know.
As we ponder the great temporal and spiritual significance of the women associated with the mission and life of Christ, we must recognize that similar roles can also be ours. The scriptures are replete with examples of strength and righteousness. It is as though part of the goal of Christ’s mission was to restore woman to the position of honor and purpose that was planned from the time before the worlds were. The Savior seems to be saying, “I know your worth, your works and your keen, attuned spirits. You are needed. You are not forgotten. You are full participants in the plan of salvation. Both your sacrifices and your depth of spirituality are recognized by me. I honor you as sister and as saint, dignified and free before God and humanity.”
That same message is extended to women by our modern-day prophets. We must hear and heed them!
As I have traveled about the Church, I have met in every part of the world beloved women who are spiritual giants. There are many who have sacrificed greatly for their membership in the Church. There are many who have worked ceaselessly to establish the Church. There are women who tower as scriptorians. There are women whose depth of spirituality shines about them like a halo. There are mothers who have given up fame and fortune for the welfare of their families. There are mothers who, as single parents, toil ceaselessly so that their children’s physical and spiritual needs will be met. There are single women who lead great humanitarian service organizations and direct programs in the Church, living full and vital lives of righteousness. There are so many who daily perform quiet acts of kindness and great acts of courage.
Women in the gospel are not unnoticed or unneeded or unheeded. God intended women to be equal and contributing partners, capable of courageously executing our divine missions, assignments, and errands. We are deeply loved and absolutely vital to Him. He needs us to work with Him to bring to pass His plan that all might seize the opportunity of mortality to learn, to grow, and to return to our Father in Heaven in glory.
We must let the words of President Gordon B. Hinckley ever ring in our ears: “Your potential is limitless. You are daughters of God, endowed by inheritance with marvelous gifts and immeasurable potential. Accept the challenge. Go forward with confidence.”2
Chapter Sixteen