Finding Your Worth through Jesus Christ
2024 BYU Women’s Conference
Friday, May 3, 2024
“O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.”
The Book of Mormon prophet Moroni saw our day. He saw a world filled with hatred, sin, and war. Perhaps he was also aware of the unique mental health challenges and debilitating lack of self-worth our generation would encounter. Moroni repeatedly beckons us to come unto Jesus Christ to help us successfully navigate these challenging times. One way we can come unto Jesus Christ is to study and strive to emulate the holy attributes He exemplified during His tender yet profound interactions with women.
The Gospel of Luke begins with the miraculous birth of John the Baptist and includes some wonderful details about John’s mother, Elisabeth. Luke’s writings demonstrate that he had great confidence in the witness and testimony of women.
Elisabeth is described as “well stricken in years” and “barren” but most significantly “righteous before God.”
Elisabeth was a woman who believed. Despite her painful yearning and culturally shaming circumstances, Elisabeth’s steadfast and immovable faith in Jesus Christ displayed a remarkable understanding of God’s goodness and grace. As she trusted in the Lord’s will and timing, her confidence increased as a beloved daughter of God. She understood that God knew her by name, He understood her heart, and she was precious to Him. As President Jeffrey R. Holland promised: “While we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted. But they are always answered at the time and in the way an omniscient and eternally compassionate parent should answer them.”
We can gain a greater understanding of our divine worth by exercising faith in the Lord as did Elisabeth of old, especially during times of testing and trial. For faith to lead to salvation, it is essential that we center it on Jesus Christ.
A heartbreaking and holy account of the death of a son is one of three miracles of Jesus bringing a person who is physically dead back to life. The young man described in Luke 7 was “the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.” This widow of Nain was a woman who mourned.
In addition to the devastating loss of a child, I have wondered if this mother would now face the challenge of spending the rest of her mortal life without shelter or someone to care for her. It is not hard to imagine how discouraged and alone she must have felt as they “carried out” her son to be buried.
Jesus approached this grieving mother and invited her, practically commanded her, to do the seemingly impossible: “Weep not.”
“And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
“And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.”
Those who were present to witness Jesus restore the widow’s son to life affirmed, “A great prophet is risen up among us.”
We learn from the woman who mourned that hope is found in Jesus Christ. He is the only one who has the power to give hope and restore joy in the face of insurmountable heartache and loss. Hope is not simply wishful thinking. Instead, it is an abiding confidence, grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ, that God will fulfill all His promises.
While dining with a Pharisee named Simon, Jesus was approached by a woman who had a reputation as a sinner:
“And [she] stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”
Simon saw this action and, in his thoughts, criticized Jesus for allowing the woman to touch Him. In response, the Lord called attention to Simon’s own weaknesses:
“And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
“Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
“My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
“And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”
This precious daughter of God was a woman who changed. And that change was manifest not only in her heart but also in her actions. Despite her greater sins, it was she, not Simon, who received the Savior’s blessings of forgiveness and peace through repentance and faith in His name. She expressed a sincere acceptance of His infinite Atonement through her Christlike acts of charity and love. As we recognize that true charity and pure love were offered to the fullest extent in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, we too, like the woman who changed, will find ourselves figuratively at the Savior’s feet, washing them with our tears.
Mary was “highly favored … among women” as the mortal mother of Jesus Christ.
Long before her birth, prophets knew of Mary’s sacred role, and they identified her by name.
Mary demonstrated the nature of her character and faith in God by choosing to obey His will: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” When the call came, Mary was a woman who answered. Her answer was not an expression of resignation but one of commitment, consecration, and love.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained: “Just as certain men were foreordained from before the foundations of the world, so were certain women appointed to certain tasks. Divine design—not chance—brought Mary forward to be the mother of Jesus.” President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Mary, mother of our Redeemer, was the perfect example of complete submission to the will of God. (See Luke 1:38.) She kept confidences. (See Luke 2:19.) [And] in [great] faith, she endured grief. (See John 20:11.)”
Mary’s life gives us greater insight into the glory, goodness, and power of God. She showed that miracles and incomprehensible blessings can be ours when we choose to live a life of virtue. As we strive to live a virtuous life, our “confidence [will] wax strong in the presence of God; and … the Holy Ghost shall be [our] constant companion.”
During the Savior’s ministry in Galilee, His Apostles traveled with Him, as did many “certain women.” One of these women was Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward.
Joanna was a woman who followed. She, as well as many others, supported Jesus in His travels, witnessed as he suffered and died on the cross, and watched as His body was laid in the tomb. Then:
“Upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
“And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
“And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
“And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
“And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
“He is not here, but is risen.”
Joanna’s firsthand experiences with the Savior’s ministry and mission remind us that we are all an essential part of the body of Christ and have a sacred role to play in building the kingdom of God. As a woman who followed, Joanna proved her integrity through her enduring discipleship as she aligned her actions with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Integrity stems from the first great commandment to love God. When we love God, we seek to align our “heart, … might, mind, and strength” with His.
Mary Magdalene, a disciple of Jesus Christ, “became one of the closest friends Christ had among women.” She is the only person mentioned in each of the four Gospels as a witness to the Crucifixion, burial, and empty tomb. Mary was a woman who knew.
President James E. Faust taught that the Savior’s appearance to Mary Magdalene reflects His esteem for women: “No woman should question how the Savior values womanhood. The grieving Mary Magdalene was the first to visit the sepulchre after the Crucifixion, and when she saw that the stone had been rolled away and that the tomb was empty, she ran to tell Peter and John. The two Apostles came to see and then went away sorrowing. But Mary stayed. She had stood near the cross [see Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; John 19:25]. She had been at the burial [see Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47]. And now she stood weeping by the empty sepulchre [see John 20:11]. There she was honored to be the first mortal to see the risen Lord.”
Mary was assigned as the initial witness to the Resurrection and the first appointed to tell others the astonishing truth. Our understanding of Jesus Christ’s mortal ministry could not be told without including Mary Magdalene. As a woman who knew, her knowledge and witness of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world is a powerful reminder that no matter our circumstances, as we study His life and strive to emulate His attributes, we too can “be still, and know that [He is] God.”
Anna was a prophetess and “a widow of about fourscore and four years.” She was a woman who waited. She waited in the house of the Lord, where she served God fasting and praying night and day in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.
Eight days after Jesus’s birth, Mary and Joseph presented Him at the temple in accordance with Jewish law. When Anna saw Him, she immediately recognized through the power of the Holy Ghost who Jesus was. “She coming in that instant gave thanks … unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
It is significant to note that in all probability, this was Anna’s only interaction with Jesus. She presumably never witnessed any of His miracles or heard Him teach. And yet her devotion was steadfast and immovable as she exemplified the refining attribute of patience. As with other Christlike attributes, growing in patience is a lifelong process that can have a healing influence on our souls and on those around us.
Anna’s life could not have been easy. Widows at the time of Christ were among the poorest and most marginalized of any group. And yet, as a woman who waited, she serves as a powerful example of the truth “For ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”
A Samaritan woman had gone to the well in the heat of the day to obtain life-sustaining water. Jesus, conversing with the woman, asked for a drink. She replied, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?” Jesus replied, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
The Samaritan woman was a woman who listened. She listened while performing the mundane and ordinary tasks of life. We can see the change in her understanding and the development of her testimony by the diverse ways in which she addressed Jesus. She began by referring to Him as “a Jew,” then “sir,” “a prophet,” and eventually “the Christ.” After the Samaritan woman had tasted of the “living water” from the Savior, she “left her waterpot” and went to invite others to partake. As a result of her testimony, “many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him.”
Jesus Christ’s words have converting power for those who will choose to humbly listen. As a woman who listened, the Samaritan woman displayed great humility as she allowed Jesus Christ’s words to sink deep into her heart, where they wrought a mighty change. With this converting power comes courage and confidence to extend invitations to others to come and partake of His love, mercy, and power to save.
A woman who is known not by her name but by her disease suffered from an “issue of blood” for 12 long years. Under the law of Moses, someone with an issue of blood was considered ritually unclean, meaning that the woman would have been socially ostracized and excluded from the synagogue and the temple. The desperation she felt about her situation is evident considering she “had spent all her living upon physicians,” seeking a cure without success.
And yet she was a woman who persevered. She persevered in the hope that Jesus could heal her.
This precious daughter of God was broken physically, socially, emotionally, and financially but not spiritually. She pressed forward with a singular purpose in mind: “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” As she reached out, she touched the hem of the Savior’s robe as he passed by, “and straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.”
The Savior’s question “Who touched my clothes?” created a public opportunity for the woman to acknowledge her act of faith and her miraculous healing. The Savior tenderly responded, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.” She was healed and no longer subject to social and religious exclusion. We learn from the woman who persevered that when we seek Jesus Christ with all diligence and full purpose of heart, He can make us whole, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
A widow known not by her name but by her offering gave liberally in the temple. Despite her impoverished circumstances and genuine need, she was a woman who sacrificed.
“And [Jesus] looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
“And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
“And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
“For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”
The actuality that the widow gave “all that she had” exemplified her sincere and heartfelt devotion to God. Elder James E. Talmage explained why the Lord commended the widow: “The rich gave much yet kept back more; the widow’s gift was her all. It was not the smallness of her offering that made it especially acceptable, but the spirit of sacrifice and devout intent with which she gave.”
The woman who sacrificed all exhibited that the only offering that is truly ours to give is our willing obedience to God. Christ gave us His heart; He asks for our heart in return.
My dear friends, becoming more like Jesus Christ is a gradual, lifelong process. We need to be patient with ourselves. God knows that change and growth take time. He is pleased with our sincere desires and will bless us for every effort we make. As we seek to become more like Jesus Christ through the power of His infinite Atonement and the power of the Holy Ghost, our very nature will be refined.
I invite you to pull out your phones and scan this QR code. Then, using one word, fill in the blank in the following statement: “I am a woman who .”
Look at all those magnificent responses. I see faith. I see love. I see struggle. I see trust. I see yearning. I see hope. I see compassion. I see how much we need one another. And most importantly, I see how much we personally need our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I testify that because of Jesus Christ, our belonging and worth are not negotiable. Our sincere and accurate understanding of who He is and what He has done for us can directly influence how we think and feel about ourselves in profound and powerful ways. We are precious to Him! One by one, He has “graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands.”
Jesus Christ is the answer to all our insecurities, self-doubt, or lack of self-worth. As women who believe, who mourn, who change, who answer, who follow, who know, who wait, who listen, who persevere, who sacrifice, I invite you to pray and ask your Heavenly Father to help you see what He sees. To help you come to better understand not only who you truly are, your divine worth, but also what through Jesus Christ you can become. In the sacred and holy name of the great Exemplar Himself, Jesus Christ, amen.