Women
of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women
who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who
are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are
rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and
fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more
goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough
popularity; we need more purity. - Margaret Naduald
What do Mormons believe about Womanhood?
Here are a few segments from a talk given by Sister Margaret Nadauld, which share how we feel about this sacred and important role:
"You
can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their
outward appearance. These women understand their stewardship over their
bodies and treat them with dignity. They care for their bodies as they
would a holy temple, for they understand the Lord’s teaching: “Know ye
not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).
Women who love God would never abuse or deface a temple with graffiti.
Nor would they throw open the doors of that holy, dedicated edifice and
invite the world to look on. How even more sacred is the body, for it
was not made by man. It was formed by God. We are the stewards, the
keepers of the cleanliness and purity with which it came from heaven.
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the
temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:17).
Grateful
daughters of God guard their bodies carefully, for they know they are
the wellspring of life and they reverence life. They don’t uncover their
bodies to find favor with the world. They walk in modesty to be in
favor with their Father in Heaven. For they know He loves them dearly.
You
can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their
attitude. They know that the errand of angels is given to women, and
they desire to be on God’s errand to love His children and minister to
them, to teach them the doctrines of salvation, to call them to
repentance, to save them in perilous circumstances, to guide them in the
performance of His work, to deliver His messages.
They understand that they can bless their Father’s children in
their homes and neighborhoods and beyond. Women who are grateful to be
daughters of God bring glory to His name.
You
can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their
reverence for motherhood, even when that blessing has been withheld from
them for a time. In those circumstances, their righteous influence can
be a blessing in the lives of children they love. Their exemplary
teachings can echo the voice of a faithful home and resonate truth in
the hearts of children who need another witness.
Grateful
daughters of God love Him and teach their children to love Him without
reservation and without resentment. They are like the mothers of
Helaman’s youthful army, who had such great faith and “had been taught
by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47).
When
you observe kind and gentle mothers in action, you see women of great
strength. Their families can feel a spirit of love and respect and
safety when they are near her as she seeks the companionship of the Holy Ghost
and the guidance of His Spirit. They are blessed by her wisdom and good
judgment. The husbands and children, whose lives they bless, will
contribute to the stability of societies all over this world. Grateful
daughters of God learn truths from their mothers and grandmothers and
aunts. They teach their daughters the joyful art of creating a home.
They seek fine educations for their children and have a thirst for
knowledge themselves. They help their children develop skills that they
can use in serving others. They know that the way they have chosen is
not the easy way, but they know it is absolutely worth their finest
efforts.
They
understand what Elder Neal A. Maxwell meant when he said: “When the
real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes
of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made
by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in
neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be
more controlling than what happened in congresses?”
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.
Surely when a woman reverences motherhood, her children will arise up
and call her blessed (see Prov. 31:28).
Women
of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women
who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who
are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are
rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and
fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more
goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough
popularity; we need more purity. - Margaret Nadauld, The Joy of Womanhood
