Objective To comment on the story that opens NT Gospel Doctrine Lesson 9 , in which Elder William Bradford counseled about a “higher law of recognition.” He stated: “Recognition from on high is silent. It is carefully and quietly recorded there. Let them feel the joy and gain the treasure in their heart and soul that come from silent, selfless service.” Commentary There’s been a tension in my personal life between a desire for recognition, and a desire to be so pure-hearted that I don’t need it. I have a little stack of past lives — language professor, musician, music teacher, traveler — but now I’m a birth doula and mostly stay-at-home mom. My first few weeks at home after leaving my full-time university position were rougher than I thought they would be! I had expected it to be paradise, with so much more flexibility in each day and time with my son. And that was lovely! But the accolades were gone. I’m not naturally self-focused, so the degree to which this affected me, surprised me. I found myself telling people who asked me “What do you do?” all the things that I used to do. Now, I have found an internal balance, and love and joy in my current life. I really claim it! But as I look toward my future academic and professional plans, I catch myself caring about how sophisticated or smart or authoritative I would look in this or that hat. There, do you know how hard it was for me to admit that…to myself? So, I’ve been meditating on this tension. In Matthew 6, Jesus counsels against hypocrisy, warning that we should not “do our alms” that we may “have glory” and “be seen.” Recognition itself is not the issue here. If we never recognized each other’s good works (whether professionally or in the family and church setting) where would we find our role models? Who would inspire us to be extraordinary? What Jesus seems to care about is not whether we accept or even seek recognition for our good work, but what our motivation for doing good work is in the first place. If I were to mold my heart to be exactly what I want it to be, I would never say anything just to be heard, and never do anything just to be seen. I wouldn’t stop wanting to be loved and respected, even admired. I don’t feel guilt about that. But I want to be loved for all that is truly good and useful in me and not, “as the hypocrites,” project a false goodness — not choose to be good because I like a good audience. There’s a tradition about Rabi’ah al-Basri, my favorite female Sufi mystic (y’all got one of those?). It goes like this: One day, she was seen running through the streets of Basra carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When asked what she was doing, she said,”I want to put out the fires of Hell, and burn down the rewards of Paradise. They block the way to Allah. I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simply for the love of Allah.” May what we do this week be only for love. May we rejoice in the public love and approval we receive for what we have done truly. May we rejoice also in our “silent, selfless service.” The former may elevate not just ourselves but also those who are searching for a model of the good life; the latter most deeply enriches our sense of discipleship and our personal communion with God. And in the end, maybe such pure-heartedness is the ultimate key to success . Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Celebrating the Unseen Woman , Heather Farrell When I was really young, I told my mom I wanted a cause. I remember thinking I should have been a suffragette. I was angry that in Young Women’s we’d spend our time doing cooking or quilting. (We did whitewater rafting and rock climbing, too, but somehow to my young mind that didn’t count!) I had read in history about women who did big, important things to change the world, and that’s who I wanted to be! History never tells you about the women who stay home and raise the babies. Six in the City , Lorinda Goff Belnap There was a time where I kind of, I don’t know if “resent” is the right word, but I didn’t really enjoy being a mom. And I was always thinking, I need time for me, I need time for me, I have no time for me. Eventually, I had this epiphany that the time will come. I chose to be a mom. I chose this, and having little personal time is just part of motherhood. And that feeling of resentment or whatever it was kind of left. I felt that was a tender mercy for me. The Mind of a Mother , Lia Collings One of my goals is to get involved in education reform. I had started a master’s degree in public policy with an emphasis on education that I decided to drop out of because I had a little baby. At the time it was a big sacrifice to leave that program, but now I know so much more about myself as a person and about the world. I’ll make a much better student and professional when I go back to it. From Dancing to Diapers ,  Lisa Hess Jones I had to commit myself to this new life, not just try to work a baby into my career. It was a bit of a transition for me to go from performing to full-time motherhood, mostly because my career in the ballet had all been about me: how my body looked, what my costume was like, how strong I felt, if my make-up was on right… And then motherhood was all about focusing on someone else. Other Related Conversations The Decisions Made by Women of this Generation

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #10 focuses on some of Christ’s acts of mercy which expand the old, Mosaic Law to all people. The goal of the lesson from the manual is “to help class members understand that as we take the Savior’s yoke upon us and do his will, we will find the peace and joy that he has promised.” Our Objective To comment on Christ’s mercy and forgiveness paid to the “sinful woman” found in Luke 7:36-50 . His teachings in this passage show us how approachable He is, offer instruction on how we should evaluate others, and tell us how to experience peace. Commentary 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,38 And 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. It’s important to note the tenderness and humility of this sinful woman. Rather than cowering away in guilt when hearing that Jesus is near, she arrives prepared to greet, honor, and serve him, equipped with her alabaster box. She boldly expresses her awe and gratitude to stand before the Savior by washing his feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair and kissing them even in front of the pharisee’s judgmental gaze. This powerful scene made such an impression on me as a kid that I remember wondering whether my hair was long enough to wipe Jesus’ feet. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. The unfortunate thing is that it’s easy to feel and act like Simon the Pharisee here. The lesson manual asks, “How would Simon’s attitude toward the woman have made her burden seem heavier? How might we sometimes make another person’s burden or sin seem heavier?” I believe that the difference in social stature between the sinful woman and Simon is no coincidence. There are so many shame-bearing burdens that risk our reputations (maybe even particularly at church): divorce, misbehaving children, a misbehaving spouse, single-ness, weight gain, a messy home, struggles of faith, struggles with personal vices, etc, etc. That rotten list could go on forever. It’s important that we never compound others’ shame. It’s something I have to stay conscious of as I move throughout my life and find that my approach and opinions differ with those around me. Christ calls to all of us as he answers Simon and reaffirms his overwhelming love despite her weakness and lowly reputation: 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. We learn to love Christ, when we rely on him. From a traditional LDS perspective, some things may look amiss in my life. I am a previously divorced woman, now a working mother, married to a very sweet man who lost his testimony a number of years ago. My 1 year old daughter hates nursery. But this history of life turning out so differently than I’d ever imagined is what continually teaches me to rely upon the Lord and love him. I’ve learned that the peace He grants comes from inner strength and perspective, and less from the outside circumstances that I’d once dreamed I was entitled to for righteous behavior. I feel loved by the Savior as I honor and serve Him through prayer and service. I also feel His love when others serve me. I am grateful for my life as it is, most especially when I see it through the perspective of that love. In the next few verses, Christ chastises Simon the Pharisee for not treating Him with the same respect as the humble woman. (The lesson manual tells us that at the time it was customary to wash the feet of an honored guest.) He then turns to the woman and says, “Thy sins are forgiven…thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace.” I love the simplicity of this statement and command. He doesn’t tell her to go home and dwell on all of the ways that she should improve and worry about everything she might not be doing right. He’s saying, “We’re square, thanks to your faith and my mercy. Feel at peace.” 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Snapshot Portrait , Kristin Goodwin I couldn’t ignore the answer I had been given. I knew my son’s feelings were more important than his behavior, and that I could only change what he felt from me and not how he acted. He wasn’t hitting because he didn’t understand it was wrong; he was already trying so incredibly hard not to be ‘bad’. I had been focused on being so absolutely consistent in my discipline, he just felt like there was no loophole, no mercy, that the more he hit the less he deserved love. When he lost control, he instantly knew he had done wrong and was already feeling guilt and self-loathing in his little heart. He was waiting for me to show whether or not I, his mother, thought more of him than that, instead of just a lecture and public shame.I began to understand that his little heart was amazingly tender and open to love, that the knowledge that he was more important than his mistakes would work miracles. Setting aside anger and frustration and learning to replace it with love and affection right when someone seems least deserving is beyond hard. But it is possible, and powerful. I can testify of that. An Unfinished Story , Kimberly White The inspiring stories we tell in Church, they’re all true. There is no miracle the Lord can’t perform, He is full of mercy. But often, telling things in the form of stories leads to this idea that if you’re keeping the commandments and if you’re a good person, everything wraps itself up neatly. Life doesn’t have the structure of a story. It just keeps going on and on, like a movie where they keep making too many sequels.   When I went to the temple, I was taken totally by surprise. To be told that my sins were forgiven struck me so powerfully in my heart. Forgiven means forgiven. You don’t disqualify yourself. This is what life is for. Everybody messes up. I feel like I hadn’t understood what the Lord’s forgiveness meant until I was in the temple. Daughter of a King , Marnie Spencer We often look around and think we have all the trials, nobody else seems to have trials, and that’s just not true. We all may have different trials, but everybody has some, and I think we have what’s right for us. We have the trials we need to help us grow and to strengthen others. It’s easy to see it sometimes, but harder other times. I can remember after I found out that I had cancer the second time, doctors assured me I wouldn’t live long. Heavenly Father really helped me with a gift of clear sight at that point. I could see so clearly that in this life, what we think is hard is really not that hard. He sends us here, He tells us what to do, He helps us do it, and if we don’t do it, He allows us to repent and gives us another chance. It is a very merciful and loving plan of salvation. The plan of salvation is a plan of mercy, of happiness. It really is. We learn from our mistakes, we learn from our good choices, and we come out better most of the time. Other Related Women’s Voices Strength in the Savior , Chieko N. Okazaki My dear sisters, our circumstances will not always be ideal, but we can still strive to live up to them. From the bottom of my heart and from more than fifty years of experience in the Church, I testify that the Savior extends to us all the same mercy, the same healing power, and the same perfect love. He has assured us that it is his work and glory to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. Ward and Branch Families: Part of Heavenly Father’s Plan for Us , Virgina H. Pearce Heavenly Father expects us to participate in our wards. It is part of the plan. But, Sister Pearce, you may be saying, you have such an idealistic picture of a ward—that’s not like my ward! You mean, your ward has real people in it—ones who are sometimes selfish or self-righteous, unskilled or undependable? I’m so glad! How could it be a real laboratory for practicing gospel principles like patience, long-suffering, charity, and forgiveness if there were no people or situations that would require the use of these principles? The miracle of it all is that we are real people put into an ingenious structure, designed by God, to help us become like him.

Gospel Doctrine Lesson #11 discusses the parables taught by Jesus in Matthew 13 . The objective as stated in the manual is “to help class members develop ‘ears to hear’ so they can understand how Jesus’ parables apply to them.” Objective To comment on the special communicative power of parables, both scriptural and personal. Commentary The short parables of Matthew 13 are vivid vignettes, delicious in their real-life imagery: a priceless pearl, yeast in a loaf of bread, a fishing net cast wide. These images emerge out of all walks of life (wealthy merchants, homemakers, fishermen . . .). And if we can find ourselves in the stories, then their purpose is fulfilled: they have planted themselves in our hearts, and that stretch of imagination expands our understanding of God. As I read this lesson, I remembered images that have come to my mind in times of difficulty or confusion, clarifying a hard-to-grasp reality that could only be understood in a spiritual language uniquely suited for me. These mental images have stuck with me. They have become reference points, personal parables that articulate my relationship with God and my place in his kingdom. I remember the vivid personal parables that came to me on my mission, when I learned to see my struggles as a spiritual journey. Sometimes, during particularly discouraging experiences, I would imagine a little me in my mind’s-eye responding to the overwhelming difficulties. I would picture myself falling down flat on the ground in exhaustion while my real (bodily) self was setting goals, riding my bicycle, and talking to strangers in a foreign language. But at those times other images would come to mind as comfort and encouragement. In the early mission days when I was working so hard on learning Italian, I would picture in metaphor the sheer mental effort. It translated best into a physical reality: God’s kingdom is a huge and muddy mountain. I climb and climb, forced to use both hands and feet, dirt everywhere, slipping down and falling on knees and elbows. But at the top, isn’t it glorious! Later, in those days when I was learning how to take on more responsibilities and present myself as a leader, I would have a clear recurring image of the Statue of Liberty rising up from the New York Harbor: The worker in God’s kingdom is a tall statue on the shore of a new world, with girders of steel welded together on her insides, and riveted copper on the outside to last through decades of weather and wear. She is fearless in facing the world and in sharing God’s light. Every prayer was another girder in that inner structure that was building up inside me. Every day survived was another plate of copper in my armor. And then toward the end of my mission, after a particularly discouraging bout of sickness, my companion and I stood in the blustery cold on a Mediterranean piazza, trying unsuccessfully to find people interested in the gospel. I’ll never forget the vivid image that came to my mind’s eye as we stood there with our skirts blowing. Again, in parable-speak: The kingdom of God is a powerful wind, which carries us to a place of safety and strength when our own strength and courage fail us. That parable of grace, after the lying down flat, the climbing through mud, the girdered lady, is the most precious — and the most true. As Paul says, “we see through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12). The infinite divinity of our potential selves, the magnificence of the kingdom of God are things that can’t always be translated for us into neat and dry logical sentences. Christ’s parables, through their vividly imagined images, speak to the real world and to our lives as we live them. He will continue to speak to us in a language that we understand, sending His Spirit to illuminate our understanding of our place in His kingdom. Ours is the task to seek that understanding however it comes. Like the disciples, we ask Christ to “declare unto us” (Matt 13:36). the meaning of our lives and His kingdom. What are your own personal parables? Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Hooked on Creativity , Rebecca Knudsen Reading the scriptures themselves and interpreting the scriptures is very much right-brained activity. If we are too left brained we miss it. We miss what God is trying to tell us. The scriptures are so amazing: the imagery, the concepts, the paradoxes. One of my favorite scriptures is in Moses when it talks about all things being touched by Christ–all things in the earth, above the earth, and under the earth. Reading this scripture, I thought, “This whole life is symbolic. We live on another plane, and we let this symbolism pass us by day after day after day. If we watch, listen, and feel carefully we start to see how everything testifies of the Savior.” Daughter of a King , Marnie Spencer During the worst of the chemotherapy treatments, I had an experience where in my mind I saw an old-fashioned scale. On one side, there were beautiful gold coins that dropped when there was good that came from the cancer. On the other side were these heavy chunks of wood, which represented the negative outcome of the trial. At first the negative side was much heavier, but I saw that eventually the scale would balance and tip toward the positive. I shared that experience with a friend, who then asked what the wood looked like. I explained it was almost like pieces of railroad tracks, but kind of rough and broken. She said, “Like pieces of the cross?” That thought hadn’t occurred to me before, but I thought that was interesting. I know that all of our trials, all of our burdens, our sins, our pains, our embarrassment, and shame is covered by our Savior because of that cross, because of what He did for us. The wood pieces are falling less frequently now, but the gold pieces are still coming. Other Related Women’s Voices Eliza R. Snow I will go forward. … I will smile at the rage of the tempest, and ride fearlessly and triumphantly across the boisterous ocean of circumstance. … And the ‘testimony of Jesus’ will light up a lamp that will guide my vision through the portals of immortality, and communicate to my understanding the glories of the Celestial kingdom. Cat’s Cradle of Kindess , Chieko N. Okazaki Do you see this piece of string? It’s just an ordinary piece of string—not very interesting. When I was growing up on the big island of Hawaii, all of us kids used to keep a piece of string like this handy to play with. Now a string doesn’t look like much, but look what you can do with it!This particular cat’s cradle pattern is called four-eyes. Do you see how complex and beautiful it is? Do you see how each part supports the other parts and is connected to them? You cannot pick one part out without destroying the whole pattern. It is the same with our lives. We meet many people. With some, the association lasts for years. With others, the association is very brief. But in either case, we can make the pattern a beautiful one by making our encounter a kindly one, filled with the desire to serve. A Living Network , Chieko N. Okazaki This is a net, a fisherman’s net that my father, Kanenori Nishimura, made in Hawaii many years ago. It has been mine since he died thirty years ago, and I have cherished it for his sake. For me, that moment of casting the net is a supremely beautiful one. I loved seeing my father standing on a rocky point on the beach, the net close-gathered in his hands, then with a strong, graceful gesture, like a dancer, flinging the net up and out. It would unfold in flight, opening like a fan or an umbrella, then fall over the fish that were darting like silver arrows through the surf. The lead sinkers around the edge of the net would make it sink gently to the bottom, completely enclosing the fish.Then my father would jump down into the water and gather the net from the bottom, pulling the outer edges into his hands, until he had scooped it up like a bag. He would walk up on the beach holding the dripping net full of twisting fish in his arms, spread it out, quickly pick out the first for our supper and for the next day—very often a fish or two for several of our neighbors—then release the rest into the sea.I want to compare our sisterhood in the Relief Society to this net. Our living prophet is the net caster, directing the Relief Society in its mission. Then there are three ways in which the Relief Society itself functions as a net. First, every single person is important, just as every single strand is important. Second, a net needs to be tended. And third, the purpose of a net is to bring up abundance.

Gospel Doctrine Lesson #12 covers John 5 and 6. The objective as stated in the manual is “to help class members look to Jesus Christ as ‘the bread of life,’ the source of everlasting life.” Objective To discuss John 6 in the context of modern-day discipleship, and the transmission of the Gospel to our children. Commentary Somewhere in the symbol of bread is lodged the great contradiction of Christian discipleship. Bread is the “staff of life” — the staple of every day’s subsistence. It evokes simplicity and accessibility, the one food found on the tables of both rich and poor, the “daily” necessity (Prov 30:8). And yet, it can only be made by the strain of many months’ “sweat” and “labor” (Gen 3:19, Moses 5:1). We all know the story of the little red hen! When cultivated in Biblical times, grain was planted in fertile soil which was then plowed — with oxen or by hand tools. The field was tended carefully until the reaping, a tiring labor itself of either uprooting or cutting the stalks with a sickle. The stalks were then bound in sheaves and taken to the threshing floor, where they were trampled or rolled to loosen the grain from the straw. Finally, the grain was thrown into the wind to separate it from the chaff, a process called winnowing. Only then could the grain be ground into flour and baked into bread, a good morning’s work whether the end-goal was a standard near-eastern flatbread or a leavened loaf. Jesus tells his disciples that his yoke is easy, his burden light — yet he calls upon them to sell all they have, to forsake their families, to lose their lives. Simple as bread? In John 6, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.” He encourages those who are listening to partake of the bread — of him. What does it mean to put that bread on our tables? I didn’t realize how much my parents sweated and labored to serve us Christ daily, until I became a mother myself. (Adam learned to make bread “by the sweat of his brow,” and “Eve, his wife, did labor with him” — Moses 5:1). Now I know that bread doesn’t bake itself. Now I know that if my son is to taste even so much as a crumb of Christ, I have to plant, plow, reap, gather, thresh, winnow, grind, bake, and serve. I understand now what I didn’t understand fully as a young adult: my testimony in Christ formed step by step during Family Home Evening, family scripture study, family prayer, family church attendance, and daily family conversation about Christ and his doctrine. I could have found Christ on my own, without my parents’ support, but the labor would have been all my own too. Those “Sunday school” actions — crucially combined with Christ-like examples — are each a step toward bake day. And if we take ourselves back to the Biblical context of my metaphor, bake day is just about every day. (Interestingly, the one day that was certainly bake-free was the Sabbath day: the only day, in our modern context, that much of my parental Gospel teaching load is lifted from me and taken up by others.) Where is the grace in all of this? Where is the “light” and “easy” promised by the Savior if we come unto him? I do feel confidence when I pray for the Spirit’s help in conveying Christ to my son — for if I ask bread of my Father (Luke 11:11), will he give me a stone? In John 6:58 Jesus says of himself, “This is the bread that came down from heaven.” He compares himself to the manna that fed the wandering Israelites — the bread that fell, ready to eat, from the sky. Some days I am planter, thresher, baker. I am the only means by which my son or I will “eat of this bread.” Other days, and for this I humbly thank God, manna falls from heaven. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews The Love of Her Parents , Jamie Pon I love my parents. It must not have been easy for them to have a daughter like me who had doubts about the gospel. But during the time when I was not active in the Church, my parents continued to show their love to me. They continued to encourage me to pray even though I did not feel like doing it. They encouraged me to read the scriptures, even just a few verses every day. When I was not active in the Church, I did not pay much attention to their words. Now when I look back, I am grateful for their patience and persistence. They never gave up on me. Without them, I would not be able to be who I am today. Goodness Has a Lunge To It , Catharine Platt McGraw Every week, I had to put muscle and brain into figuring out how thirty plus people were going to fit in my house to worship, and into feeding them all afterwards. I don’t know if I would have been able to wrestle my way into a testimony if I hadn’t been asked for such a personal investment in the worship. Other Related Women’s Voices Keep Walking and Give Time a Chance , Virginia H. Pearce This week-after-week walking forward is no small accomplishment. The pioneer steadiness, the plain, old, hard work of it all, their willingness to move inch by inch, step by step toward the promised land inspire me as much as their more obvious acts of courage. It is so difficult to keep believing that we are making progress when we are moving at such a pace—to keep believing in the future when the mileage of the day is so minuscule. Strengthening the Family , Joanne B. Doxey Parents are their children’s first and most influential teachers. The responsibility of teaching proper values and sacred truths cannot be successfully delegated to anyone else. We must remember the sanctity of these children; they do not belong to us; they are children of our Father—his spirit children come to earth.

The objective of the Gospel Doctrine Lesson #13 manual is “to strengthen class members’ testimonies that Jesus is the Christ and that the priesthood keys bestowed on the Mount of Transfiguration have been restored.” Our Objective To comment on the priesthood keys as they relate to the Relief Society. Commentary Celebrating the Relief Society On March 17, I attended a Relief Society gathering commemorating the organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo. The speaker was Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt, assistant visiting faculty member in Brigham Young University’s Department of Ancient Scripture. Her address was masterful. Meaningful. Empowering. She shared the story of a spiritual impression she had as a thirteen year old — that God wanted her in Ethiopia. Eventually research for her dissertation led her there, where she observed the cultural rituals of Ethiopian women. She led her listeners through one of these rituals — the buna — wherein women gather daily to drink a hand-ground coffee and talk. Women of all ages interact in the ritual space, and younger generations are educated in the ways of the ritual and the ways of womanhood. Such a gathering provides a support system for women, which accompanies births and other momentous occasions, too. An American Mormon Buna The women of the East Millcreek Ward sat around circular tables listening to Sister Platt speak. Although we were in a stake center gymnasium, it was easy to draw parallels between Relief Society meetings and the buna. I felt reverence for the women who surrounded me. I was among holy women. Each had many years of incredible life experiences to share that I could learn from. Each made the time to come celebrate a gospel that welcomes and celebrates women. Priestesshood Sister Platt also mentioned the priesthood power Relief Society sisters have as they uphold their covenants. Who is to say that these powers do not constitute priestesshood? I think they do. The government is upon Christ’s shoulders and He allows men and women to govern with Him in the kingdom, each in their own sphere. Of Keys and the Kingdom “A Key Was Turned in Latter-days” is on page 310 in the green 1985 hymnal. Toward the end of the hymn-selection process, hymnbook compilers realized there were no hymns about women. They asked my mom, Jan Pinborough, to write one, and she chose to describe the first Relief Society meeting in 1842. Jan said the original lyric she wrote was “I now turn the key in your behalf,”  reflecting one quotation of Joseph Smith’s words.  When a reviewer looked over the hymn, she said that Joseph Smith actually said, “I now turn the key to you.” “I love the idea that he turned the key to women, rather than just for them,” she told me. “That women have keys. There is power in the keys and power in faith and power in complementarity, power in things working together.” The entrance to God’s kingdom is not through any earthly door. Baptism is the gate that leads to eternal life, and other priesthood ordinances follow in succession. So the believer is led from lamppost to lamppost into the kingdom. We live by the light we have and wait in faith for more. Read more from Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt: Pathways for Female Socialization Sisters in Transition: Moving from the Buna Coffee Ritual to Relief Society Living Your Covenants Every Day Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Reflections on the Divine , Fiona Givens I particularly love Revelation 12. You have this beautiful image of a woman with the stars and the moon… a gorgeous vision of this woman. She’s pregnant, she delivers her child… the child is caught up into heaven and then she is left to confront the dragon. We know the dragon is Lucifer because the scripture informs us that he took a third of the host of heaven with him. So you have this woman, who has just been delivered of her child, and she’s confronting Satan on her own. There is no way that she can withstand the assault. Verse 6 is the pivotal scripture and on that particular day when I read it, my whole universe was illuminated by joy and my Weltanschauung was forever altered.  It was pretty much like James 1:5 was for Joseph; it took my breath away: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” We read that she flees into the wilderness – what we call the apostasy – where she is fed of God. The church is not destroyed, it does not utterly disappear. It retreats underground, where the Spirit nourishes it. That was so overwhelming to me: how does God nourish a church in the apostasy? How does He nourish a church that no longer has priesthood keys and ordinances? Well, He sends her the greatest philosophers, poets, writers, composers and thinkers of all time. God doesn’t create ex nihilo; one can’t restore something that isn’t already there; the building blocks for the Restoration were always there…It was a garden in which goodness, beauty and truth were nourished until they were ready to come forth to be reunited with Priesthood keys and ordinances now restored. Women and the Priesthood , Sheri Dew Eliza R. Snow said that Latter-day Saint women have greater and higher privileges than any female on the face of the earth. I absolutely know that is true. We could talk about the issues of trying to work with priesthood leaders. I’m like everyone else: I’ve had glorious experiences working with priesthood leaders, and I’ve had terrible experiences working with priesthood leaders. I get that whole picture. But I also believe that when you look at the spiritual privileges we have, it’s just astonishing. The saddest imaginable thing is if we don’t realize what God has given us. And if we don’t realize it, we are in no position to learn how to draw upon the power of God and how to draw that power into our lives to bless us. Imagine how sad to get to the end of your life and find out that you had it all along, but didn’t access that power. The Priority is Family , Annie Bush What comforts me, in this completely crazy world that we live in, is to have women who are engaged in the gospel, who have superb priorities, irrevocable faith, who have suffered very hard trials, and who have maintained their faith, who serve others, who are examples. For me, that is very, very enriching and it strengthens my own faith. Other Related Women’s Voices  Partakers of the Glories , Elaine L. Jack Spiritual gifts are powerful priesthood blessings. They increase our capacity as we develop them by drawing on the storehouse in heaven.  Women’s Greatest Challenge , Barbara B. Smith As sisters in Relief Society, we have a noble heritage, a present challenge, and a vision of greatness to be. With the organization of the Relief Society came the Lord’s program for his daughters. The cornerstone of that work was to become deeply engaged in relieving suffering among his children.

The objective of Gospel Doctrine Lesson fourteen is “to help class members humble themselves, forgive others, and show charity for one another.” Our Objective To discuss the role of women in fulfilling God’s desire that no little children should perish. Commentary “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” – Matthew 18:14 Jesus’ statement in Matthew comes just after He tells the parable of the “lost sheep.” In this parable, Jesus emphasizes how important it is to search for one lamb missing from the fold, even if 99 are safe. For a moment, let’s consider that the “ninety and nine” are those children who are already in our care– whether they be our own children or others we are responsible for. With this in mind, the “wandering one” would be those children outside of that circle. What, then, is our divine role as women to reach those outside of our home or circle of immediate influence? What is our divine obligation to use our talents to nurture all of God’s fold? Sister Carole M. Stephens of the General Relief Society Presidency helped answer these questions with a story she shared in the General Women’s Session in March 2015. While visiting Arizona, Sister Stephens met a woman named Sister Yazzie whose love knows no bounds: “Sister Yazzie doesn’t limit her love and influence to her biological family. She understands what it means to expand her sphere of influence as she goes about doing good, blessing, nurturing, and defending the family of God.” It is a familiar role for LDS women to nurture children in our homes. But, if we are divinely charged to nurture children and to ensure that not one child is lost, then it is important to discuss ways in which LDS women can expand their sphere of influence. God never set a limit on a woman’s reach! On the Our Cooperative Ministry website it reads: “Women have been given the divine errand of nurturing. To nurture is to help something grow. This means that as women we are privileged with the responsibility to help all things with which we come into contact grow, whether it be ourselves, family, children, friends, organizations, companies, the Earth, etc.” The Young Women General Board includes many powerful examples of women who have nurtured on a wide scale. These are women have used their talents to rear their own children and also sought to protect God’s “little ones” by working as teachers, advocates, judges, and public health faculty. On the Mormon Women Project website you can read about the YW General Board as well as many other women who have expanded their spheres of influence to protect children. Legislators, social workers, principals, lawyers, doctors, and good neighbors are just some of the roles LDS women play to ensure children’s well-being. Some women’s work to protect children comes in the form of professional employment, while other women’s mighty efforts are performed as passionate volunteers. Corrie McArthur is an extraordinary example of the latter. Her first connection to the Foyer de Sion orphanage in Haiti came when she and her husband decided to adopt two little boys. But even after they had brought their own adopted boys safely home to the USA, Corrie couldn’t stop thinking about the other 300 children who were still struggling in the orphanage. Food there was scarce, and the ratio of staff to children was 30 to 1. Corrie decided that those “ones” who were outside of her immediate household were still part of her shepherding calling and joy. Over the last decade she has fundraised, advocated, facilitated adoption placements, managed the building of a new facility, coordinated the delivery of 5000 pounds food after the earthquake devastated the city (when the children were down to only a single meal a day), and more. Corrie is actively using her powerful nurturing talents to ensure that our Father’s little ones do not perish. In Matthew 18:10 , there is a brief scripture that contains some incredibly beautiful and enlightening perspectives. The verse says that children’s angels are always with God. “That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” To us this indicates a few profound ideas: 1) Children have angels and 2) Protecting children is such an important issue that these angels have God’s ear. Stunning information about the values of God. What can each of us do to be an angel on Earth to fulfill God’s desire that no little children should perish? Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Rescued from Exploitation , Stephanie Larsen The reach has really surprised me. It’s incredible that sex trafficking happened in my own family for four generations. Along with our history came this internal drive to combat it, to end it. It’s a passion that just doesn’t stop, to protect these kids. I feel like that comes from the Lord. Teaching Inner Strength , Marilynn Clark After a series of discoveries, I knew there was something about Africa’s educational system that wasn’t preparing people to face life, and solving this problem is where I ultimately decided to focus my energies….People should proceed with whatever work shows up on their path. It doesn’t have to be in Africa. It can be next door. All of us have little promptings. Don’t turn your back on them. Rooted In Learning , Shannon Cox Every time I go to Haiti, I become more passionate about education. I’m afraid to take credit for anything that’s happened because I see the Lord’s hands in it so much. I know I need to remain humble so He will lead us and help us. Our co-founder’s mother said, “You have no idea what you are doing for these families. It’s literally like angels have come down and lifted them out of the mud and set them on solid ground.” Help This Child , Vicki Dalia A little boy, Samuel, was brought to our orphanage by his parents. He was almost dead. They didn’t have the money to take him by bus into the city to the hospital. Our orphanage director called me and said, “If we don’t help them, this child is going to die within the hour.” And I said, “Give them the money to buy a bus ticket to the hospital.” They took him in. He ended up having spinal meningitis. With the help of the wonderful email support group we have for the orphanage, we were able to raise $2,100 and get him the medical care and the medicine that he needed. Read Mormon Women Project’s interviews with McArthur and Bethany. Choosing God and Abundance , McArthur Krishna Choosing Good and Making Change , Bethany Brady Spalding Other Related Women’s Voices The Words We Speak , Rosemary Wixom Everyone within the sound of my voice has the power to increase a child’s confidence in himself or herself and to increase a child’s faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through the words they speak. Are We Not All Mothers? , Sheri Dew As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation. How will our young women learn to live as women of God unless they see what women of God look like… The Joy of Womanhood , Margaret D. Nadauld Daughters of God know that it is the nurturing nature of women that can bring everlasting blessings, and they live to cultivate this divine attribute.

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #15 objective as stated in the manual is “to strengthen class members’ testimonies that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that by following him we can gain true freedom.” Our Objective To discuss the internalization of the light of Christ and how to be bearers of it. Commentary Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold, I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. ( 3 Nephi 19:24 ) One of U.S. history’s little-known legacies is that of the women who kept and tended lighthouses from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries. The first female lighthouse keeper (known) in the country was Hannah Thomas, who watched over the Gurnet Point Light Station in Massachusetts from 1776 to 1786. In 1792, lighthouses became federally owned, including the light at Gurnet Point. On ledgers dating from 1828 to 1905, around 122 women were listed in their own name as government-appointed lighthouse keepers. Twice as many assistant keepers were appointed to help their husbands or fathers. Many women unofficially served as interim keepers after their husband died and before someone new arrived. 1 Abbie Burgess Grant helped tend two Maine lighthouses for 37 years. During one particularly ferocious storm—she was keeping the lights with the help of her mother and sisters but without the usual help of her father—she rushed outside to save all but one chicken in the family coop before a fierce tide completely destroyed an old dwelling nearby. In her last letter, Abbie reflected on the task to which she had dedicated more than half of her life: “Sometimes I think the time is not far distant when I shall climb these lighthouse stairs no more. It has always seemed to me that the light was part of myself. . . . Many nights I have watched the lights my part of the night, and then could not sleep the rest of the night, thinking nervously what might happen should the light fail. . . . I wonder if the care of the lighthouse will follow my soul after it has left this worn out body!” 2 I love Abbie’s metaphysical question prompted by her decades-long dedication to watching the lamps—would her earthly duty continue after she dies? Abbie’s words offer such a perfect, ready metaphor for the life of the disciple of Christ and her relation to light. By walking in the light of Christ, by tending it within ourselves, it truly becomes part of who we are. We are literally lit from within. Our discipleship is eternal. Our quest for Christ’s light is ongoing and will continue after we die. We learn to always remember Christ’s sacrifice and to call on him for our every need. Our earthly task is to practice the daily transformation into eternal creatures, into bearers of the light that will grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day. 3 Surely President Uchtdorf’s poetic declaration will resonate in Mormon thought and culture for years to come—“In the end, we are all pilgrims seeking God’s light as we journey on the path of discipleship. We do not condemn others for the amount of light they may or may not have; rather, we nourish and encourage all light until it grows clear, bright, and true.” 1 See Clifford, Mary Louise, and J. Candace Clifford, Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers , 2nd ed. (Alexandria, VA: Cypress Communications, 2000), 2. 2 Abbie Burgess Grant, qtd. in, Clifford and Clifford, Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers , 53-54. 3 The transformation into spiritual creatures begins with a new birth and ongoing conversion to spiritual ways of seeing. M. Catherine Thomas says, “There is a perceptible world of Light beyond this one, but something must happen to our way of seeing our perception must be born again, in order that the spiritual blindness we’re subject to can give way to a comforting dimension of reality” (M. Catherine Thomas, Light in the Wilderness: Explorations in the Spiritual Life (Salt Lake City: Digital Legend Press, 2010), 7. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews We Are Made for Love and Light , Rachel von Niederhausern People are made for love and light. God is so mindful. He loves all his children, no matter where you are, and if you tap into that love then you can’t help but start seeing others who need love. But it has to start with yourself, and then with your family, and it’s all one circle of love. Let it be messy, and let it be real, and just don’t worry. Don’t even try to be perfect! It’s no fun! Rely on the Atonement and on Heavenly Father’s perfect plan and then love and joy will flow so much better. The Shining Light of Oakland , Betty Stevenson Coming into the Church was like walking into a bright light that hurts your eyes. In the community I was coming out of, everyone wanted to know, “What is it? You’ve got this glow. Why are you so happy?” But I really wasn’t happy yet. It’s a horrible feeling to be trying to make that change. I had to wait for years to feel the joy because all I was doing was losing, that’s how I felt. That was a scarier journey than being out there in the world. The Power of a Snowflake , Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill I wasn’t just interested in helping people overcome weaknesses or problems; rather, I was interested in the development of their minds. I was fascinated by the concept of repentance, which comes from the Greek word metanoia. The “meta” part means transformation, like metamorphosis of a butterfly. And the “noia” part means the mind, suggesting that the mind can be transformed from an inferior state to a superior state. I wondered a lot about how this transformation takes place, how human beings have the eternal capacity to grown and ascend. So much of the gospel is about growing and progression. Other Related Women’s Voices We Are Instruments in the Hands of God , Mary Ellen Smoot Our own conversion must come first. The most important conversion for any of us is our own. If we are to bring the light of the gospel into others’ lives, it must shine brightly in our own. Once converted, the sons of Mosiah labored without ceasing to share the gospel with others, “for they could not bear that any human soul should perish” ( Mosiah 28:3 ). Only when we are converted to the Lord Jesus Christ are we in a position to strengthen others. And only then do we begin to understand that our lives truly do have meaning, purpose, and direction, and that as sisters united in our devotion to Jesus Christ our calling is to be a light to the world. Your Light in the Wilderness , Sharon G. Larsen You know, don’t you, that prayer turns on the light? When you make prayer a regular part of your life, you begin walking in the light, in the straight and narrow way. Covenant of Love , Aileen H. Clyde We are, then, because of his great love and because of our desire to be guided by his light, part of the family of Christ. Because of our covenants, we have protection from loneliness and alienation. Because of our relationship with him, we can reflect light and tenderness to one another and we can possess our own souls eternally. Application of Welfare Principles in the Home: A Key to Many Family Problems , Barbara B. Smith Sadly, not all men and women enjoy the light that was intended for them. Not all who have the gospel know how to bring its radiance into their lives. For each of us, whatever our knowledge of the gospel, can continue to learn. But learning is just the beginning. The fullness of blessings comes as we adopt the principles and live our lives by them. When we make them our way, when we live the principles, we are promised that they will be a light unto us. As we come to know that light, it will lead us through the midst of darkness, and as we begin to bring that light into our homes, it can become a beacon to our children, and to their children, and to theirs.

The objective of Gospel Doctrine lesson #16 as stated in the manual is “to help class members have a greater understanding and appreciation of Jesus Christ as the Light of the World and the Good Shepherd.” Our Objective To discuss personal applications of Jesus healing of the blind man in John 9 . Commentary Before preparing to write about this Sunday School lesson, I came home from work and my almost two-year-old daughter was unhappy to see me. When I tried to feed her a bottle she rolled on the floor crying and screaming until her dad (& very favorite person) picked her up and fed it to her. When I tried reading her a book, she grabbed it out of my hands and threw it on the floor. When I tried with another book, she did it again. Then she sat on my husband’s lap and read several books in a row. This isn’t the first time this has happened and it feels like it’s becoming more commonplace. Even though she’s a toddler, it’s a heartache and a disappointment to feel rejected by her. I start thinking things like, “If only I could stay at home with her; if only I’d breastfed her longer; if only my personality were more like my husband’s…” It’s really easy to withdraw and just let him put her to bed. It’s very hard not to feel jealous. John 9 begins: 1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Small as my current situation is in comparison with what it meant to be born blind during Biblical times, this scripture brought me immediate comfort. Neither myself or my baby daughter have done anything wrong but it’s still difficult. I remembered a conference talk called “ Special Lessons ” by Ronald A. Rasband given in April 2012. He quoted John 9:3 as he spoke about his newborn grandson who was born with a rare chromosomal deletion. He said: To all of you who have challenges, concerns, disappointments, or heartaches with a dear one, know this: with infinite love and everlasting compassion, God our Heavenly Father loves your afflicted one, and He loves you…Trusting in God’s will is central to our mortality. With faith in Him, we draw upon the power of Christ’s Atonement at those times when questions abound and answers are few. It’s important to remember that bad things happen to us/good people/bad people and that God is aware of all of us. We need his mercy, strength and example. The best-built parts of my testimony were founded during my most difficult experiences. Before Christ continues to heal the blind man he says ( John 9:5 ): As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. He then puts clay on the blind man’s eyes and tells him to wash it off in the pool of Siloam. When the blind man returns with his sight, the Pharisees question whether he was ever truly blind, whether Christ truly performed the miracle, and if so, whether Christ ought to have done so on the Sabbath. The Pharisees tell the healed man: Give God the praise: we know that this man [Jesus] is a sinner. He responds: Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see…I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?…Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes ( John 9:25 ). The conversation between the blind man and the Pharisees continues, and lays out some of the common beliefs of their day about sin, which include mistruths that reflect so many of my biggest fears (annotated below): 31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. ( God doesn’t listen or care about you if you have committed a sin. You have to be perfect for Him to acknowledge you. ) 32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. ( Miracles aren’t real. ) 33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. ( Sinners aren’t worthwhile/incapable of doing good. ) 34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. ( You were born blind because of yours/your parents’ sins anyway; how dare you try to teach us?! Also, you’re now excommunicated. ) Jesus goes to find the blind man once he hears of his excommunication and Jesus lets him know that He really is the Lord, the Son of God. The blind man believes Him and worships Him. I love the chapter resolution that follows: 39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. There are many excellent takeaways from this chapter. We should be bold with our testimonies. Even when facing excommunication, the healed man bears his testimony multiple times and never backs down, unlike his parents. This chapter also reminds me of Jesus Christ’s radical disobedience in the name of truth and unconditional love. He reminds us that doing good is the right thing even when it breaks the established rules. He reminds us that bad things happen to everyone despite what others may say or think. He reminds us that He will be there for us especially when we’re “cast out” by everyone else. He is truly the light of the world, not just the centerpiece of various organizations and institutions. The simple effort I’ve put into studying this chapter has helped me change my perspective and feel at peace with being rejected by my grumpy toddler tonight. The manual reminds us that Christ performed the miracle of healing the blind so frequently as a symbolic reminder that His power will help us see spiritual truths. I know we can see spiritual truths in our lives through Christ’s power concerning whatever questions and injustices we face, big and small. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews We Are Made for Love and Light , Rachel von Niederhausern People are made for love and light. God is so mindful. He loves all his children, no matter where you are, and if you tap into that love then you can’t help but start seeing others who need love. But it has to start with yourself, and then with your family, and it’s all one circle of love. Let it be messy, and let it be real, and just don’t worry. Don’t even try to be perfect! It’s no fun! Rely on the Atonement and on Heavenly Father’s perfect plan and then love and joy will flow so much better. Seeking Peace that Passeth Understanding , Patty Gutshall Healing has come as I exercise faith in Christ. I also choose, day by day, to love and forgive my husband for all the years of neglect and abuse, and I watch his heart soften in return. Through the prayers of family and friends, and through the process of repentance and forgiveness for both of us, our marriage has been saved. I’ve heard that when Christ touches something it lives. I know for myself that this is true, and because He touched our marriage, it lives today. Other Related Women’s Voices Filling Our Homes With Light and Truth , Cheryl Esplin The answers to our prayers may not come dramatically, but we must find quiet moments to seek greater light and truth. And when we receive it, it is our responsibility to live it, to share it, and to defend it.

The Gospel Doctrine  #17 manual objective is “to help class members understand that we must be willing to sacrifice the things of this world to obtain a place in the kingdom of heaven.” Our Objective To consider how Jesus’ comments on the widow’s offering should shape our desires and actions. Commentary I’d like to consider the story of the widow’s offering (see Mark 12:41-44 ) on several different levels: Spatial Jesus is described as being “over against the treasury” ( Mark 12:41 ). Mark sometimes uses this kind of “stage direction” to make a theological point; in this instance, the point would be that Jesus was opposed to the temple. This might sound strange to Latter-day Saints, but the point isn’t that Jesus was “against” the temple, in general, but rather that he was against the temple organization in his day, which was corrupt. This raises interesting questions about how we deal with imperfect people, institutions, and programs. The fact that the answer to this dilemma is not always obvious is reflected in the fact that Mark’s Gospel seems to be more negative toward the temple than Luke’s, suggesting that even the gospel writers did not entirely agree on how to interact with a corrupt temple. (For more on this topic, see Reading between the Lines: Luke’s Omission of Mark 14:3–9 ) But note that Jesus’ (literal) opposition to the temple does not make it impossible for him to praise a woman who is donating to that temple. Nothing is black and white here. Narrative Structure Note this pattern in Mark’s text: A evil scribes denounced ( 12:38–40 ) B the widow’s offering ( 12:41–44 ) C teachings about true discipleship ( 13:1–37 ) B’ the anointing ( 14:3–9 ) A’ the plot to kill Jesus ( 14:10–11 ) Notice that the teachings about how to be a disciple in the face of suffering and trials ( Mark 13 ) are sandwiched in between two stories of model disciples: the widow’s offering and the anointing of Jesus. (For more on the story of the anointing, see “She Hath Wrought a Good Work”: The Anointing of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel ) There are many parallels between the widow’s story and the anointer’s story, including doubled references to the poor, the significant actions of a silent woman, the use of money, and a “verily I say unto you” saying from Jesus that proclaims that each woman has given all that she had despite the vast (on the order of 20,000 times) disparity in the value of the widow’s mites and the anointer’s oil. Each woman is praised for giving all that she has, whatever that might be. This praise from Jesus should be comfort for those who give all (however small) and a prod to those who hold back (however much they give). Then, each of these women’s stories is literally surrounded by an example of how not to be a disciple of Jesus, first with reference to the evil scribes and secondly with reference to the plot to kill Jesus. Note that the positive examples of discipleship are women and the negative examples are men. The widow sharply contrasts with the scribes who seek attention and recognition, but Jesus holds the widow up as a positive example while criticizing the scribes. Narrative Focus It is significant that the widow does absolutely nothing to call anyone’s attention to her. It is Jesus who notices her silent action and calls his disciples’ attention to it. Something profound happens in this story as the woman goes about her own business, not seeking attention, but earns it from Jesus anyway. All those who labor in obscurity should be heartened by the idea that Jesus notices them. Note how Jesus says that she has put in more than all of the wealthy people: clearly, Jesus’ math calculates value differently than the raw value. Echoes of 1 Kings 17 The story of the widow comes into sharper focus when we compare her to another widow in scripture: the famine victim in 1 Kings 17 who feeds the prophet her very last bit of food. That widow not only experiences the miracle of a replenished food supply, but also is able to call upon the prophet when her son dies; he brings him back to life. If the story of the widow’s mites was meant to echo 1 Kings 17 , then the comparison makes clear that everyone—even poor widows on the margins of society—are entitled to divine aid through all of their challenges. They are not exempt from trials of their faith, either. The implication of the comparison is that the widow in the temple has, through her faith and her choices, positioned herself to receive God’s blessings of watchcare. Sociological A major theme in the Old Testament is the importance of caring for widows and orphans as the most vulnerable members of society. In Mark 12 , this dynamic is inverted as the scribes devour widows’ estates and the widow supports the temple. On the one hand, this is condemned. But it also speaks to “the last becoming first and the first last” as the widow takes an opportunity to serve instead of being served; Jesus calls attention to her example of discipleship. A widow was regarded as a lowly estate; Jesus turns her into an example for all to follow and thus elevates her. He elevates her as a widow, acting as an agent unto herself, not as a potential wife or mother. Christological The widow can be understood as a “type” of Christ since she silently, humbly gives “all that she had” and “all her life” (KJV: “living”) to God. She is an example of consecrating all, despite the sins of those to whom she is giving this gift. To the extent that her gift seems illogical, extravagant, or wasted, the same could be said about Jesus! There are, of course, other prisms through which this story could be refracted and examined. But suffice it to say that her small gift becomes vast when Jesus consecrates it through his attention to her. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews The Heart of His Servant , Siu Man From the scriptures, I learned that there are still works for me to do in this life. I learned to accept God’s will and continue to have faith and hope. I am grateful that Heavenly Father gives me a strong mind, even though my body is weak, so that I am able to overcome the challenges in my life. I feel God’s love every single day in my life. In return I am willing to be His servant. I will continue to serve Him and His children with all that I can offer. Finding a Lifeline , Rhyll Anne Croshaw It’s like Elder Maxwell said: All that we have to give is our will, everything else is a gift to us, but we have one thing. I have one thing that is just mine and that’s my will. If I give that to God and I can trust Him because I know that He loves me, and He wants all the happiness in the world for me. If I can trust Him with my will, He will make wonderful things happen. That doesn’t mean that painful things are going to go away. In Mosiah 27 it talks about how the Lord didn’t remove the heavy burdens that were on the people’s backs. He didn’t remove them, but he made it feel as though they were not there. And I have written three dates next to that scripture where I knew that’s what God was doing in my life. Other Related Women’s Voices The Relief Society Role in Priesthood Councils , Barbara S. Smith The Lord herein points the way for the sons and daughters of God. If we who believe will give all that we have, a way will be opened so that we can alleviate suffering as it comes to our attention. None of us is exempt from dedicating our lives to this principle. Brethren, the Relief Society presidents of the Church are anxious to share of their abundance and even all their ‘living’ as you place them in a situation where they can act with you in the priesthood councils of the Church to successfully accomplish this great work of love. Sacrifice: An Eternal Investment , Carol B. Thomas Sacrifice is an amazing principle. As we willingly give our time and talents and all that we possess, it becomes one of our truest forms of worship. It can develop within us a profound love for each other and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through sacrifice our hearts can be changed; we live closer to the Spirit and have less of an appetite for things of the world. We Are Women of God , Sheri L. Dew With these privileges comes great responsibility, for “unto whom much is given much is required” ( D&C 82:3 ), and at times the demands of discipleship are heavy. But shouldn’t we expect the journey towards eternal glory to stretch us? We sometimes rationalize our preoccupation with this world and our casual attempts to grow spiritually by trying to console each other with the notion that living the gospel really shouldn’t require all that much of us. The Lord’s standard of behavior will always be more demanding than the world’s, but then the Lord’s rewards are infinitely more glorious—including true joy, peace, and salvation.

Gospel Doctrine Lesson 18 covers Luke 15 and Luke 17 . The objective stated in the manual is “to help class members understand the joy that comes when we repent and when we help others repent.” Our Objective To recognize the agency required by repentance and to more clearly understand God’s grace. Commentary Luke 15 gives us three parables, all illustrating God’s view of the worth of the human soul. On close examination, these parables reveal slightly different perspectives on our position as sinners in need of repentance. The first two parables are brief but pointed: A shepherd leaves his 99 sheep for the sake of the one that is lost. He carries it home and celebrates with his family and friends. In the next parable, a woman searches for her lost coin, likewise rejoicing when it is found. In comparing repentant sinners to a coin and a sheep, Jesus demonstrates their worth in concrete, measurable terms. But the last parable offers much richer narrative detail and introduces questions about sin and repentance that are absent in the earlier stories. Instead of a lifeless coin or a thoughtless sheep, the prodigal son is a man with a will of his own. Coins don’t have agency. Sheep get lost on accident. But this man knows exactly where he is and has chosen separation from his family. Seizing his independence and an early inheritance by his father, he travels to a “far away country” where he meets with disaster. In the first half of the story, the son’s agency gets him into trouble. But his free will becomes crucial in what follows. Remembering his father’s abundance and recognizing his shameful acts, he picks himself up and travels to that other far country, home. This runaway son chooses twice: he chooses to leave his family, then, he chooses to come back. Think how frightening and humbling that second choice must have been. We aren’t told how he even makes it back home. That journey must have required patience and effort. This is how I see repentance: not for the faint of heart, not as passive resignation, but as a supreme act of free will. But this story adds another compelling idea when the son returns home and is welcomed with open arms, a cherished child of a wealthy father. It’s at this moment that the adjective “prodigal” comes back into the picture, a fitting term in a cluster of parables about measuring value or worth. It’s important to clarify the definition: Prodigal does not mean “sinful” in the general sense, or “lost” in the sense of rebelling against authority; it means “wasteful,” particularly with regard to finances. In a chapter about the worth of souls, a discussion of prodigality is apt. In the earlier parables, the shepherd and the woman with the coin demonstrate good economy–they are decidedly not prodigal–when they devote their energy to find lost property. And, of course, the errant son learns hard lessons about the consequences of wasting money. If, however, our lesson is not to be wasteful, then what is the father thinking? He’s already given part of his fortune away to this son, and now at his son’s return he spends more money, gives him jewels and clothes, and throws a party for his friends and family. Who is prodigal now? This father doesn’t profit from his son’s return, and his joy cannot be measured monetarily. Instead, in this last parable, Jesus offers an interpretation of worth and value that is infinitely deeper than that of the first two parables. It is only by the end of the chapter that we understand that to our Father in Heaven we are not mere coins or even sheep . . . we are children. And as priceless children, we have a prodigal Father. He does not dole out a finite inheritance that gets used up, nor does he leave us to starve with the pigs. That can only happen if we choose to run away from him. Turning back to God means recognizing our divine inheritance, remembering our Father’s abundance, and understanding our dependence on him. Together, the prodigal son and his prodigal father give us a powerful lesson on God’s grace. Through our agency and God’s generosity, repentance works to bring us home. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Knowing Her Worth , Elizabeth Smart It is important to understand that, despite whatever happens, no matter what you do, you will always have value. That that can never be taken away from you and that can never be changed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will always be loved and that love and that value cannot be taken away from you, cannot be tarnished or will never grow old. It will always be there for you. The Cycle is Broken , Myrna Castellar To repent, I asked, “Please show me. I do not understand this.” And He did: All my kids came to my thoughts. And I thought, I have harmed them so much! I just cried and cried. I said, “God, please help me to change this part of my life so I can make amends.” He showed me so much love in those small moments. I felt like I was being embraced. He showed me His love! I couldn’t explain it to anybody, but I didn’t care. It was for me, it was mine. Other Related Women’s Voices Remembering the Lord’s Love , Kathleen Hughes I’m certain that each of you has felt, at one time or another, encircled in Christ’s arms. But if you are like me, there are times when you are fearful, when the stress and busyness of life seem to overwhelm you, when you feel adrift from the Spirit. Perhaps you even feel as though you have been abandoned. When I encounter those feelings, the best antidote is my memory of the moments when Christ’s peace has come to strengthen me. So tonight I invite you to remember with me what it is to feel the Lord’s love in your life and to feel encircled in His arms. Eternally Encircled in His Love , Bonnie D. Parkin I know of a young mother with five little children who called an older sister, her valued mentor, and asked, “Can we go on a hike?” Her friend knew that meant she needed to talk. Halfway through an eight-mile loop, the young mother finally said, “I just can’t believe that Heavenly Father loves me; I’ve made lots of mistakes in my life. I can’t feel that I’m worthy of His love; how can He possibly love me?” Sisters, this was a woman who had made temple covenants and was active in the Church. And yet she still felt unworthy of His love. The older sister quickly responded, “Of course He loves you. You’re His daughter.” There Is Hope Smiling Brightly before Us , Julie B. Beck I wonder sometimes if you remember that you are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves you.

There are people reading this who have dreams that have not been realized, expectations that haven’t been met. Others have experienced divorce, miscarriages, infertility, infidelity, homelessness, and job loss. Some of us have buried lovers, buried children, buried parents, buried sisters. When we find ourselves in these moments, we often ask, Why? Why does suffering happen? Why is sorrow in my life? What did I do? Why is God doing these things to me? In the October 2018 conference, Elder Neil L. Andersen said, “We search for happiness. We long for peace. We hope for love. And the Lord showers us with an amazing abundance of blessings. But intermingled with the joy and happiness, one thing is certain: there will be moments, hours, days, sometimes years when your soul will be wounded.”[1] The language of wounding the soul arrests me – it aptly describes how I’ve experienced the greatest challenges of my life. I’m not alone in this; we all know the sorrow of a wounded soul. What causes us sorrow and how we cope and respond to it is unique for each of us, but experiencing it is an unavoidable part of mortality. I’ve been contemplating what we learn about sorrow from the events in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew, we read about a time when Christ, “ began to be sorrowful and very heavy.”[2] He expresses this to a few of his apostles, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.”[3] In his sorrow, he turns to his disciples, his friends, and asks them to stay with him, to witness as he experiences this deep sorrow. Christ then prays to the Father, and the sorrow comes – it multiplies, it breaks open his soul as he takes on and experiences all of the sorrows – yours, mine, everyone’s. He takes it all, and it’s so intense that he pleads to the Father, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”[4] But the Father doesn’t take it away; He knows Christ’s capabilities. Instead, God sends a strengthening angel.[5] Angel of Strength by Paige Payne The knowledge of strengthening angels has been a touchstone for me as I have gone through the soul wounding sorrows of my life. It reminds me that I am never alone, even in the darkest moments. It also teaches me about the nature of God. I don’t believe in a God who doles out suffering, thinking – “You know, it’d be good for Liz if she experiences this really awful thing. That’d be really great for her.” Instead, I believe in a God who created an earth school that is subject to natural laws and values agency. Sorrow is a consequence of natural laws and human agency. The Godhead stays with us and bears witness to our sorrow. They provide comfort and guidance. They send strengthening angels. When teaching about the atonement, Alma says, “And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice… thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety.”[6] It was through the soul-wounding sorrow Jesus experienced in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary that he became the Christ. I’ve come to realize that sorrow is not only a mortal experience – it is part of immortal/eternal existence. We learn in the Doctrine & Covenants that the heavens weep for Lucifer.[7] In Moses, God shares the history of the world with Enoch. And in response to the consequences of nature and human agency, the heavens and God weep. Enoch asks, “How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?”[8] Even God, even exalted and immortal beings, experience sorrow. As I take that in and accept that sorrow is part of existence, I’m less compelled to ask why this is happening and instead ask, What am I supposed to learn from this? How does this develop my divinity, my godly attributes? This forces me to reckon with how I respond to sorrow. There are many ways that I/we respond, but, generally, it’s one of two ways – avoiding or facing. It is natural and understandable to want to avoid pain, to numb it. The world offers so many ways to do it – busyness, perfectionism, binge watching (my favorite), sex, substances, etc. We are much better at causing pain than we are at dealing with our own. Sometimes, when we are in pain, we’ll lash out at people, blame them; or we may distance ourselves, push people away, become bitter, angry, or resentful. The numbing and avoiding are only sustainable for so long. Until the wounded soul is faced, the sorrow will remain. The only way out is through. If we choose to go through it, we gain the gifts of the gods. In 2016, my soul was rent by the unexpected death of my sister, Lisa. I was forever altered by the grief that consumed me. Turning towards the pain and permitting the waves of grief to wash through me was at times harrowing. Tending to my grief through art, therapy, and love has gifted me with a deeper capacity and a sacred type of knowing. I am now more equipped to show up for wounded souls with greater compassion and empathy. Showing up from this place knits souls together and fosters further healing. I experienced this when, years later, I called on these sacred, godly gifts as I loved, mourned with, and bore witness as my best friend’s thirteen-year-old daughter died from a brain tumor. Being with her in this tragedy strengthened our friendship and mended parts of my brokenness. Healing our wounds is painful. It is scary. It can be the hardest thing to do. It is radical and sacred work. If we are brave enough to walk through the valley of shadows, we gain what is wholly divine. References[1] Anderson, Neil L, “Wounded”, General Conference October 218 [2] Matthew 26:37 [3] Matthew 26:38 [4] Matthew 26:39 [5] Luke 22:43 [6] Alma 34:15-16 [7] D&C 76:26 [8] Moses 7:28-29

The Gospel Doctrine lesson 19 objective is “to help class members develop greater faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ” Our Objective To discuss the enabling power of faith in Jesus Christ and the atonement as exemplified in the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Commentary By way of preamble, I want to say that I believe that the atonement of Jesus Christ is basically the universal law that makes all things, both physical and spiritual, possible. I believe that it binds atoms together with a physical force. I believe that it is the power that will enable our body and spirit to reconstitute as resurrected beings. It is the law of light and the moral law of the universe that allows sins to be remitted. It brings us each to a state of wholeness and to eternal oneness with God and Christ. Christ, and his atoning sacrifice, is in all and through all things, the light of truth, as Doctrine and Covenants 88 says. So how does faith interact with this universal law? Christ’s simple formulation “thy faith hath saved thee” in John 18:42 contains deep theological implications. Several times throughout the gospels Jesus vocalizes his healing miracles in this way: “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” 1 Christ does not laud his own miracles, proclaiming his Sonship and demanding fealty as our Lord. Rather, this phrasing seems to suggest that the power to be healed has been within those Christ heals all along. Their faith in this healing power allows that power to go to work. Our task is to believe in Christ’s Lordship and to surrender to it. This power can be active at any time. It is the ever-present force that enables, heals, redeems, resurrects at any moment, if it is God’s will to do so. Mary and Martha and those who are near at Lazarus’s death learn this lesson in John 11 . When Christ’s disciples question the wisdom of returning to Judaea, Christ responds with a commonsense parable about traveling during the day. It is easy to walk in light for twelve hours of the day. “But,” he continues, “if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him” (v. 10). This makes sense, but points to a deeper truth—if we have faith in Christ’s healing and atoning power, we need not walk in the dark, even at night. This truth is harder to grasp in extremis . Mary and Martha understand that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus’s death, and their words poignantly query why he did not. “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (vv. 20, 32). Thomas, nobly distraught, tries to rally the other disciples: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (v. 16). They would be together in death, sorrow for sorrow. But Christ’s atonement creates a better scenario. Jesus responds to Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (vv. 25-26). Martha believes this. She testifies, saying, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (v. 27). Even so, when Jesus comes to the tomb, Martha points out that it has been four days since Lazarus died, that he stinks. Jesus responds, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (v. 40). He is recalling his words when he is first notified of Lazarus’ death at the beginning of the chapter: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (v. 4). All along this has been about Christ’s glorification in raising the dead through his own death and resurrection, prefigured by his raising of Lazarus. Christ reveals his Sonship quietly, intimately in his prayer after Lazarus’s tomb has been opened: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me” (vv. 41-42). Christ wants to create the light of faith within his listeners. He wants them to trust in his present power as the light and life of the world, even in the darkest moments. Through our faith, we can access Christ’s light at any moment. The outcome of our current predicament might not be as we would wish. Maybe our prayer for health leads not to an immediate healing but to doctors and aides and graces to guide us along a healing path. Yet every circumstance exists so that God’s glory in Christ can be manifest in us. Christ and the Father are glorified in overcoming all. Our belief in their constancy now and forevermore serves as the constant light of faith burning brightly within us. And sometimes our prayer of faith does lead to miraculous reversals, reconstitutions, and resurrections. If we were saved without exercising any faith, would we truly be saved? Would it do us any real good? Like the baby chick who would die if she didn’t peck herself out of her eggshell, we exercise our faith to gain strength. Salvation is often in the pecking, in the believing, in the search for healing in Christ. The world into which we emerge, gaining a crack of light here and a crack of light there, is that enlightened gospel worldview illuminated entirely by Christ. We see a world without unlit horizons, a world with no more death. In the October 1999 General Relief Society Meeting,  Sheri Dew offered a hopeful call to women to leave this-worldly things behind in favor of the things of God’s kingdom: “We have such cause to rejoice, for the gospel of Jesus Christ  is  the voice of gladness! It is because the Savior overcame the world that we may overcome. It is because He rose on the third day that we may arise as women of God. May we lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better. May we commit this very hour to come out of the world and to never look back.” 1 Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34, 10:52; Luke 8:48, 17:19; Enos 1:8. Related Mormon Women Project Interviews Standing Firm When It All Falls Apart , Ashlee Birk I’ve always had faith, I’ve always known that Heavenly Father answers my prayers, I’ve always seen His hand in my life. But it wasn’t until I went through this total low point where all I had left with was Him that I realized how much He cared and was there for me. I’ve always known about the Atonement and known that the Atonement is there for me when I make a mistake. Whenever someone would wrong me, I knew I needed to forgive them. But as I have gone through this tragedy, in which three people wronged me on so many levels, my faith has helped me understand the Atonement on a much deeper level. The Atonement is there even if you’re just struggling with the fact that the story you’re living is different from the one you had planned. The Atonement is also there to help you forgive and feel compassion for a man who made a really bad choice. I think that’s been my greatest blessing, to understand the Atonement and the power that it can have on those hard days when it feels like your faith has been flat in the dirt for weeks and someone is just dragging you. If you pray for help, Heavenly Father will send you a little light, and He will send you the right person to say the right thing. In Darkness, In Grace , Hillary Stirling It has taken me a long time, but I have come again to a place of surety. I know my Father lives. I know that He loves me enough to let me struggle through the lessons I need to learn. I know He trusts me enough to try my faith. Above all, I know that despite how I felt, the reality is my Savior had already experienced every moment of my despair, frustration, and anguish. I never was and never will be abandoned. Playing from Her Heart , Tina Richerson It’s a happy coincidence that my preferring to be single lines up really with what the Church expects of me as homosexual, and perhaps a more faithful way of saying that is that God blesses me to feel this way. That’s what I think. The Great Creator can make us into whatever he wants of us. If we move ourselves in slightest right direction he will take it and he’ll magnify it for our good. I feel like I’ve been blessed to be at such peace about this. I have this incredible relationship with the Lord and with the Spirit. I’m just so peaceful. Peaceful! Joyful! I will take the gifts of the Spirit over the gifts of the flesh any day of the week. I’m all about it. Other Related Women’s Voices Seeing the Promises Afar Off , Anne Pingree Faith is the most personal reflection of adoration for—and devotion to—our Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Anchored by this first and all-important principle of the gospel, we look to our Savior, knowing “Jesus [is] the author and finisher of our faith.” ( Heb. 12:2 ) Show You Know , Coleen K. Menlove Make a decision today to show you know by following Jesus Christ in faith. The path back to Heavenly Father will not be easy. You will need courage to continue day after day as you follow the Savior. I bear my witness that as you make the decision to show you know by following Jesus Christ in faith, you will experience peace and happiness now and throughout eternity. Blessed by Living Water , Kathleen H. Hughes I have dealt myself with the debilitating effects of depression. But I have learned from my own experience, and I learn from those I meet, that we are never left to our own resources. We are never abandoned. A wellspring of goodness, of strength and confidence is within us, and when we listen with a feeling of trust, we are raised up. We are healed. We not only survive, but we love life. We laugh; we enjoy; we go forward with faith.