Growing Strong Together

When one woman visited Sequoia National Park in the western United States, she was astonished to learn that giant redwood trees have no major taproot to hold them deep in the ground. How is it possible, she asked, for the top-heavy trees to keep from falling when severe winds come? The guide responded that the trees grow close together. Their roots, although near the surface, intertwine with those of the other trees. A tree standing alone could fall. But the interconnected trees in a grove support each other well.

Relief Society blesses our lives in a similar way. Sisters meeting together can withstand the winds of life by blending their strengths and supporting each other.

The book of Ruth tells the story of Naomi and her loving daughter-in-law Ruth, who supported her in a time of adversity. (See Ruth 4:13–15.) We modern women can also support each other. We can laugh, study, sing, work, and pray together. We are linked to the women in our own families, but also to the sisters in our wards and branches, and to a worldwide sisterhood.

How have friendships in Relief Society blessed your life?

The Diversity of Sisters

Jesus said, “If ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27). Differences in age, race, language, or culture are not real barriers to sisterhood when the will to serve, the desire to learn, and the language of love fill our hearts.

In Abidjan, Ivory Coast, members greet each other with warm handshakes and hugs. They represent three races and were born in six different countries, with as many native languages.

A Ghanian woman leads the music in Relief Society, using the French hymnbook. A convert from Germany teaches the lesson. A Japanese-Hawaiian sister serves as Relief Society secretary. On homemaking day, a Zairian and an Ivory Coaster instruct other young mothers in nutrition and child care. Then sisters demonstrate recipes from their countries and villages, some squatting over a charcoal brazier and others standing at a stove. All are teaching each other.

The spirit of this branch Relief Society’s original ten or twelve members has spread to include other women as well; now more than a hundred in this African city call themselves sisters and share the gospel’s treasures.

Diversity is repeated in Relief Society groups worldwide.

When have you felt a bond of sisterhood with someone who seemed very different from you?

Supporting One Another

As different as we are individually, we women have needs and goals in common. Ultimately, we draw our shared strength from the Savior and his “living water.” (See John 4:5–14.)

When we study together, we share ideas and experiences about how to live by gospel principles. It is through such sharing that “all may be edified of all, and … have an equal privilege” (D&C 88:122).

We can act together with compassion. Mary Young of Sumner, Washington, says, “We don’t need to judge each other. I don’t need to compare my family, my house, or my day’s accomplishments with someone else’s. I would like us all simply to be glad for each other, to be able to love and therefore serve.”

How can we grow when we enjoy the diversity of the women around us?

Illustration by Ron Peterson