Finding Answers: From Sister to Sister
Along with Being a Mother, What Can I Contribute to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a Woman?
A question many faithful sisters have asked, including me.
Many women in the gospel of Jesus Christ often wonder, “Along with being a mother, what can I contribute to the gospel of Jesus Christ?”
Throughout my life in the Church, I have always been taught about the importance of motherhood and rearing children in the gospel.
So, naturally, I always prized the fact that I was a woman, and that I would someday be able to bring spirits into the world and further the gospel of Jesus Christ by leading my family in truth.
But all my expectations for fulfilling this divine role shifted when I was diagnosed with an aggressive illness that chronically attacks my reproductive system.
The reality of infertility settled in even before I got married.
And from that diagnosis came a bit of an identity crisis.
So many questions flooded my mind like, “If I can’t bear my own children, what is my role in the kingdom of God, then?” and “What is my purpose as a woman in the gospel?”
Of course, I did know that women had other important roles, but I couldn’t disconnect from the idea that nothing else I could do would ever measure up in importance when compared to being a mother. I felt an empty, bitter feeling that I couldn’t quite shake because I had been given different circumstances than I had always expected for my life.
These questions weighed on my mind and heart for a long time, but as I fasted and searched and went to Heavenly Father for answers, truths about my significance as a woman were revealed to me “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30).
One particular answer came through the words of President Russell M. Nelson during the general women’s session of the October 2018 general conference, when he described the word mother. He helped me realize that being a mother is a divine role, but it entails much more than bearing or raising children.
He explained that “anytime I use the word mother, I am not talking only about women who have given birth or adopted children in this life. I am speaking about all of our Heavenly Parents’ adult daughters. Every woman is a mother by virtue of her eternal divine destiny.”1
He then went on to explain the unique role of women:
“No one can do what a righteous woman can do. …
“My dear sisters, you have special spiritual gifts and propensities. … I urge you, with all the hope of my heart, to pray to understand your spiritual gifts—to cultivate, use, and expand them, even more than you ever have. You will change the world as you do so.”2
Those words struck me. (So much that I may have wept from the vivid, warm feeling the Holy Ghost brought over me in the moment.)
No one can do what a righteous woman can do.
I carried those words with me throughout the following months and strived to learn more about my role as a woman of faith by studying scriptures, following prophetic counsel, fasting, praying, and magnifying my callings and ministering to others.
And then, in general conference just a year later, President Nelson’s words to the sisters of the Church once again filled my heart with humility, joy, and determination as I considered my purpose as a divine woman.
He explained to the sisters that “your ability to discern truth from error, to be society’s guardians of morality, is crucial in these latter days. And we depend upon you to teach others to do likewise. Let me be very clear about this: if the world loses the moral rectitude of its women, the world will never recover.”3
Chills. Literal chills hit me as I realized once again just how much influence I have as a woman who is doing her best to follow the example of Jesus Christ.
President Nelson continued:
“As a righteous, endowed Latter-day Saint woman, you speak and teach with power and authority from God. Whether by exhortation or conversation, we need your voice teaching the doctrine of Christ. We need your input in family, ward, and stake councils. Your participation is essential and never ornamental! …
“… As your understanding increases and as you exercise faith in the Lord and His priesthood power, your ability to draw upon this spiritual treasure that the Lord has made available will increase.”4
Those two powerful talks from the prophet of God explaining the power and influence and world-changing potential of righteous women of Christ have helped me realize who I truly am, and how prominent my role is here in mortality. By following President Nelson’s counsel to study my temple covenants and the priesthood power I have access to, I’ve increased my testimony of my role as a righteous woman and a daughter of heavenly parents.
Of course, this is just my experience with this question. For those of you who have struggled to realize your worth and importance to Heavenly Father—whether you are a mother in the traditional sense or in the more expansive sense—know that you are a daughter of heavenly parents who love you, and that you are a vital part of God’s work. As President Nelson explained, no one can take your place. You have divine responsibilities and a significant part to play as a woman of God.
It doesn’t matter if we are married or single, or if we have biological or adoptive children or no children in this life. Being a mother of Israel is a divine eternal role, and that role entails so much more than I ever believed.
As sisters in the gospel, we have a responsibility to make and keep sacred covenants with God, to share the gospel with others, to comfort those in need of comfort, to set an example of righteousness and morals, to reach out to the “lost sheep,” to use our gift of discernment to recognize the needs of others, and to avoid dangers in the world and help others avoid them too.
There is so much to our role as women (see Doctrine and Covenants 25), and Heavenly Father has given us specific gifts and qualities that will allow us to exercise our divine abilities.
In the end, regardless of what my future holds, I know that as I keep my covenants and continue to move toward Jesus Christ and “let God prevail”5 in my life, I will be able to fulfill all the roles Heavenly Father has in store for me. And I’ll become the woman He wants me to be.
I know you can too.
In a video interview with the Church magazines, young adults share how righteous women in their lives have influenced their faith.