“Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God in Great Glory”
Ruth Todd
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This address was given Thursday, April 26, 2012 at the BYU Women’s Conference
© 2012 by Brigham Young University Women’s Conference. All rights reserved
For further information write:
BYU Women’s Conference
161 Harman Continuing Education Building
Provo, Utah 84602
801-422-7692
E-mail: womens_conference@byu.edu
Home page: http://womensconference.byu.edu
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How grateful I am today for the blessing of family—for the love and support of my good
husband, for my four daughters, my parents who are also here, sisters, aunts, nieces, and
dear friends who are just like sisters.
I even got a good luck e-mail last P Day from my son who is on a mission in Bangkok,
Thailand! My family and friends are here from California to Connecticut, and even
though I know the real reason is “any excuse for a girls trip,” I am truly buoyed up by
each of you, and I love you.
And how’s this for support? Not only are the women with whom I work in Young
Women’s in the Parley’s Stake all here for support, but I am told—I haven’t seen them
yet, but I am told my own stake leaders, from my youth, are here from Arizona, those
women who taught me everything I know about girls’ camp and more. And so I thank
them, wherever you are in the crowd.
But all of you, what a sight you are and what power there is in this room right now.
Can you feel the strength of all of you incredible women together in one place? Look
around for just a second—feel it. When you go home and you have some days where you
feel all alone, remember this.
Some of the most affirming moments in my own life have been right here in the Marriott
Center. My very first was in the fall of 1979 as a brand-new freshman here on the BYU
campus. (OK, I see you calculating…. Don’t bother with the math. YES, I turned 50 on
my last birthday).
But I shall never forget that day in this very building when several thousand new
freshmen all came together for a welcome devotional and we sang, “We Thank Thee O
God for a Prophet.” The prophet was Spencer W. Kimball at the time, and I was sitting
way up there at the top—somewhere where you sisters are.
It was at that very moment when the Spirit confirmed to me in no small way that
President Kimball was indeed a true prophet of God and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of
the world.
During my years at BYU, I came many times to the Marriott Center for firesides
and devotionals, right here. I was strengthened by the testimonies of university leaders,
church leaders, and spouses of church leaders. I shall never forget Sister Camilla Kimball
standing at this podium in 1980 at nearly 86 years of age. In her strong, rich, memorable
voice, she told the students at BYU, and particularly the women, to acquire all the
education that was possible, so that we would each be prepared for our life’s work.
That talk impacted me then and still resonates in my heart today.
I have felt the Spirit in rich abundance in this building at many sessions of BYU
Women’s Conference through the years, as I have stood next to you, shoulder to
shoulder, singing hymns about the Savior, Jesus Christ, and about our sisterhood in Zion.
Each time I come to Women’s Conference and join with you in these sessions, I am
imbued with your goodness, your charity and your strength. When this many covenant
women of faith are all together in a single room, it is beyond description and words truly
fail me.
Oh, and one more thing—did I mention that my husband brought me here to the Marriott
Center on our very first date, a basketball game? I really do love this place.
“And they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”
As a young girl, maybe five or six years old, I had a pretty active imagination. More
accurately, one might say I was a worrier. Often, when my parents would go out for the
evening and leave us children in the care of a favorite babysitter, I worried that something
would happen to them. I worried that my mother and father would never come home.
I have vivid memories of lying in my bed and hearing a siren outside and being
absolutely certain that it was coming to help my parents because they had gotten in a bad
car accident and had to be rushed to the hospital. (I told you I was kind of a worrier).
Even though my parents returned home safely every single time, it didn’t stop me from
reliving this same scenario for many months. I remember the absolute terror that gripped
my young heart. It was so real and so frightening to me that I dreaded my parents leaving,
and I can still recall minute details and feelings about those nights in my bedroom so
many years ago.
Well, like most of you, my good parents had taught me to pray when I was afraid. And
every bit as vividly as I remember the fear that I felt, I remember what happened to me
that first allowed me to experience comfort from a loving Heavenly Father who gave me
an answer that I knew was directly from Him and meant specifically for me.
As I lay in my bed, consumed—almost paralyzed—with fear, I would be prompted to
pray. And within seconds, I would see a scene in my mind and feel an outpouring of love
and warmth that would wash over me from my head to my toes and immediately calm me
and take away my dread. The scene in my mind and feeling of comfort were identical
every single time this occurred. And as this same experience was repeated, it became for
me a personal message of peace from a loving Heavenly Father to a frightened little girl.
Well, the years went by, and I outgrew my irrational fear. Not every single siren I heard
stopped me in my tracks. And although I could no longer relive the experience no matter
how hard I tried to summon it back, the memory of it was seared in my heart. I knew with
every part of me that there was power in prayer and that the Comforter is real! All of my
life I have known that prayer strengthens us and draws us to God, and indeed arms us
“with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”
I am humbled at the opportunity to present the theme of this conference. What a great and
empowering theme for the women of the world! Now notice I didn’t just say the women
of the LDS Church—you heard me right. We need the women of the world to be armed
with righteousness and to influence those around them with the power of God in great
glory. Sisters, the Lord needs all of us. And He is especially counting on you—you
women who already have testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He needs us all and
He needs us now.
This theme is part of a scripture found in the beginning chapters of the Book of Mormon,
1 Nephi 14:14—“And they were armed with righteousness and the power of God in great
glory.”
OK, let’s get some context here. Lehi, Sariah and their families have already left
Jerusalem for the wilderness. The brothers have gone back to the city. After some failed
attempts, some serious sibling rivalry, and some amazing spiritual experiences, the boys
have finally secured the brass plates from Laban. Now the family of Ishmael has also
joined Lehi’s family. Both Lehi and Nephi have seen the vision of the tree of life, and
now, Nephi, who delights in righteousness and is extremely obedient, has asked in faith
to see everything. And I mean everything.
In his vision, Nephi is blessed to see the Promised Land, the coming of the Savior to his
people. Nephi sees the great apostasy and he sees the restoration of Jesus Christ’s church
to the earth.
Nephi sees the building up of Zion, and he sees all of us in our day. Nephi, in this
unspeakable vision, sees the destiny of the Kingdom of God. He even sees things he can’t
tell us about. In chapter 14, verse 28 he says, “I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write
the remainder of the things which I saw and heard . . . and I have written but a small part
of the things which I saw.”
Nephi truly saw it all. One of the most salient parts of his vision gives us our theme for
this conference. Nephi sees the church of the Lamb of God in these latter days. He sees
that there are relatively few people who are living righteously and keeping their
covenants. Not only are they few in number, they’re also scattered about the face of the
earth. Contrast that to the vast majority of the people who, he writes, were choosing
iniquity and breaking the commandments.
How do you suppose this small, scattered band of saints could stay strong against such a
tidal wave of wickedness?
Well, Nephi tells us. “I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended
upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord,
who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with
righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 14:14).
That’s how! God himself arms His covenant people with all the tools we need to stand
steadfastly in our places and build the kingdom of God in our time. His protection is
around us as we seek to follow His will for us and stand up boldly for His purposes. We
may be relatively small in number and scattered around the world, but our influence for
good can be significant when it is magnified by the “power of God in great glory.”
Let me repeat that: We may be relatively small in number and scattered about the world,
but our influence for good can be significant when it is magnified by the “power of God
in great glory.”
Like Sister Burton, I love this picture. The pioneer woman depicted on the program for
this conference, painted by Minerva Teichert, has become almost iconic for us as Relief
Society sisters.
There she stands, one hand on her handcart and the other raised in determination toward
the Heavens, and perhaps toward us. Her fist pump is triumphant. We’ve said it before—
she signals to us that “We women can do hard things!”
As I’ve looked at her—a lot, while preparing this talk—sometimes I think she’s looking
right back at me, reminding me that both she and I can be armed with God’s power every
day of our lives if we live up to our spiritual potential.
Our trials and our trails are different because of time and place, but our shared faith and
commitment would bond us immediately, and we would stand together as we are today,
as sisters in the cause of Christ.
This summer, the young men and women in our neighborhood are planning to participate,
as you heard, in a pioneer trek reenactment as so many of you have done in your own
communities. I have been blessed to help with the planning of this event.
As I have learned and read the individual stories of these incredible men and women who
sacrificed literally everything, I have been moved again and again and again. The legacy
of their faith is foundational in our church today. Their sacrifices echo through the
generations and give us, in our day, examples to emulate of standing boldly in the face of
nearly every adversity imaginable. They share with us heroic personal narratives from
which we can draw strength and hope during our most difficult days.
I daresay that most of my problems look like trail blisters in comparison to what they
endured to walk west and build the Church in its early years.
I have always appreciated the pioneers on some level, and I am certainly grateful for my
own pioneer heritage. But as I’ve become more immersed in stories that are new
to me, and have read about experiences sometimes in their own words, people have really
come alive to me—these mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children. I love them and I
thank them. They too were small in number, but certainly armed with the power of God.
One of many women I have come to love is Elizabeth Jackson. She, her husband Aaron,
and their three young children were part of the Martin Handcart Company that trekked
across the Great Plains in the late summer and fall of 1856.
They were at a point in their journey where food rations were scant, attacks from wolves
or other wild beasts threatened their lives, and Aaron the husband had become very, very
ill. After barely—barely—making it across the freezing Platte River, they were met on
the other bank by a storm of snow, hail and wind.
Elizabeth had no choice but to lighten the load in that family handcart, so a good deal of
her bedding and clothing had to be discarded.
Elizabeth’s husband became sicker and sicker. One night he tried to eat, but failed. He
was too weak to even swallow. So Elizabeth put her husband to bed and lay beside him.
And these are her words:
“I was extremely cold. The weather was bitter. I listened to hear if my husband
breathed—he lay so still. I could not hear him. I became alarmed. I put my hand on his
body, when to my horror I discovered that my worst fears were confirmed.
My husband was dead! He was cold and stiff—rigid in the arms of death. It was a bitter
freezing night and the elements had sealed up his mortal frame. I called for help to the
other inmates of the tent. They could render me no aid; and there was no alternative but
to remain alone by the side of the corpse till morning. . . . Of course I could not sleep. I
could only watch, wait, and pray for the dawn. But oh, how those weary hours drew their
tedious length along. When daylight came, some of the . . . company prepared the body
for burial. And oh, such a burial and funeral service. They did not remove his clothing—
he had but little. They wrapped him in a blanket and placed him in a pile with thirteen
others who had died, and then they covered him up in the snow. The ground was frozen
so hard they could not dig a grave. He was left there to sleep in peace until the trump of
the Lord shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall awake and come forth in the morning of
the first resurrection. We shall then again unite our hearts and lives, and eternity will
furnish us with life forever more.”
Elizabeth goes on to write about her utter devastation at being a widow with three small
children, and about the horrible conditions that continued to plague this little company
until help from Salt Lake arrived. She did make it to the valley, and years later she
concluded her writings with these words: “…the Lord has blessed me, and rewarded me
with an abundance of the world's good, for all my sufferings, and has also blessed me
with the highest blessings of a spiritual nature that can be conferred upon man or woman,
in His holy temple . . . I have a happy home for which I thank my Father in Heaven.”
After all she endured, Elizabeth ends her life with words of faith, gratitude, and
testimony. Truly the examples of these incredible pioneer women of yesterday help arm
us with God’s power today.
Of course, our modern lives are certainly more comfortable, but make no mistake,
sisters—there are pitfalls and perils around all of us every day and every night. And it
will take every bit as much determination and action on our parts to be latter-day fist
pumpers. But we too, can do hard things.
Through His prophets and the scriptures, the Lord has provided us numerous strategies,
which we can employ in our own lives to ensure His protective power upon us and upon
our loved ones. There are too many to list here today, but may I touch on just a few that
have been powerful in my own experience.
For me, it begins with prayer. As I mentioned, I learned of its power as a young girl, but
my testimony of prayer has grown stronger with each passing decade.
President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of prayer’s power to arm all of us: “How wonderful
it is that you get on your knees . . . and pray in earnestness night and morning. . . . Prayer
unlocks the powers of heaven in our behalf. Prayer is the great gift, which our Eternal
Father has given us by which we may approach Him and speak with Him in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Be prayerful. You cannot make it alone. You cannot reach your
potential alone. You need the help of the Lord” (“Inspirational Thoughts,” Ensign,
August 1997).
It is also imperative that we arm ourselves each day by feasting upon the word of God.
Don’t let a day go by without serious study in the scriptures. I can testify that the more
we read, the more we realize we need to read and the more we want to read. We can
become like Nephi, whose soul delighted in the scriptures and whose heart pondered
them.
Sisters, we know there is doctrine and history, and the gospel of Jesus Christ written in
the scriptures, but today I want to testify to you, there are also answers—personal
answers to your individual questions. The scriptures will lead us along and provide
answers as we immerse ourselves in their holy words.
Service to others is also key, as we seek God’s power in our lives. We are counseled to
serve with no thought of recognition; serve others both in and out of the Church; serve
with members of our faith and serve alongside members of other faiths. With so much
suffering and tragedy all around the world, it will take the efforts of all good people
working together, who share a similar vision, to lift the downtrodden, help the needy, and
succor God’s children—our brothers and sisters.
We’ve also been counseled to acquire the skills and education that will allow us to serve
in a variety of areas. From the earliest days of the Church, women have been encouraged
to increase their learning and then use that knowledge to teach, influence and serve.
President Brigham Young said, “We believe that women are useful, not only to sweep
houses, wipe dishes, make beds, and raise babies, but they should stand behind the
counter, study law or physics, or become good bookkeepers and be able to do the
business in any counting house, and all this to enlarge their sphere of usefulness for the
benefit of society at large. In following these things they but answer the design of their
creation” (Journal of Discourses, 13:61).
Sisters, serve willingly, wherever and to whatever capacity you are called. Last year at
Women’s Conference, I had the privilege of sharing a speaking session with former Utah
Governor Olene Walker. Our assigned topic was “Magnifying Your Callings.”
While her talk (as you can well imagine) was just excellent, all she really needed to do
was stand there and tell you about her most recent church calling, at 80 years of age. Her
bishop had come to her house to welcome her (or so she thought) to the new ward. But
no, instead, she was called to be the new ward Primary president—at 80. Isn’t that great?
To hear Sister Walker bear testimony of the joy of her calling was something I shall
never forget.
I can look to my own mother for a similar example. Last Easter, our family was all
gathered at my parents’ home in Phoenix. While I was talking with one sister in the
family room, we could hear the delight in the voice of another of our sisters, who was
down the hall and out of sight. “Mom!” she exclaimed. “You look adorable! That is the
cutest outfit on you!” Now I was thinking my mother must have purchased a new spring
outfit for Easter. But I had missed the boat entirely. Indeed my sister was right. My mom
did look adorable—as she walked out in her khaki skirt, yellow button-down shirt,
and yes, den mother neckerchief.
My 76-year-old mother said, “I’m off to Cub Scouts! I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
And then she proceeded to gather all of her grandsons who were in the Cub Scout age
range and whisked them off with her own pack to the Easter activity. They had a ball.
What a lesson my mom taught her grown children that day. Surely no one would have
faulted her had she cancelled Cub Scouts over the holiday when all seven of her children
had come home from coast to coast to Arizona. But she didn’t want to let her boys down.
She loves them, and she served them with all of her heart.
No matter where we are in our life’s journey, each of us has the opportunity to influence
many people in our individual realms. That influence extends to people in our families,
our neighborhoods, our wards, our workplaces—everywhere we go. Sisters, it’s our
responsibility to be instruments for the Lord and empower others with the spiritual
confidence and strength that we value so much.
Just a few weeks ago, I was reminded of my own responsibility as a mother when I was
out shopping with my daughters. As if shopping for swimsuits is not dreadful enough,
right? We all know it ranks right up there with medieval torture, only it’s a little more
humiliating. Well, there we were in the store, we were looking, and one of my daughters
said, “Mom, I have found a really cute suit and I really want it.” She took me around the
corner and showed me what she’d found, and I could feel the spirit of our lovely morning
together beginning to evaporate. “You don’t really want that suit.” (I tried the easy
argument first.) “It’s not very cute.” (What a weak attempt.) “Yes I do,” she said. “It’s so
cute, and it’s much more modest than most of the other ones for sale.” She started
wearing me down. I had to dig deep. “True.” I said, “but it’s still not quite within the OK
zone for our family standards. What about this one?” (OK, now right here is where you
try to imagine two faces looking at each other, rolling their eyes in unison, and then
looking at me like I had just suggested some hideous thing out of the 1920s.) Then her
sister jumped to her defense. “Mom, it’s pretty modest, you’ve got to admit.”
We went back and forth, two against one, until finally I did what many worn-down
mothers do in similar situations. “Call your father,” I said. “Let’s see what he has to say.”
So we got on the phone and called my husband, and he said what every supportive
priesthood holder says to his children: “It’s up to your mother.”
Touché. He was helping me step up to my responsibility. Now in his defense, he couldn’t
see what we were looking at, but we’ve had these kinds of conversations before.
“OK,” I said. “Then the answer is no.” I was hoping the moment had passed. But come
on, ladies, we all know our kids don’t give up that easily.
“Mom,” one daughter said (a new idea had just popped into her young, agile mind),
“didn’t you listen to conference a few days ago when they told us kids should make
decisions and parents should let them learn from their mistakes? Huh, Mom, remember
the girl who had to decide whether to play soccer on Sunday? What about that?”
This needed to end, fast.
“Well,” I said, “I’ll have to let you make a mistake on something else, not this and not
today.” Pathetic, I know. But it was pretty much all I could come up with in the moment.
It was certainly not my best mothering moment, but thankfully on that day it was enough.
We left the store with exactly zero swimsuits. But on the plus side, both of the girls were
fine. And the experience led to a great discussion. We were able to verbalize that more
than any rule their parents could impose, what really mattered was for them to develop
their own good judgment.
Why do I even waffle? I only complicate things for myself and encourage my kids to try
to wear me down again on another issue a different day. Children need and actually want
strong parents who can set family standards and stick to them.
Strong women arm themselves, their children, and the youth over whom they have
influence. Sisters, go back to your homes and in the kindest way, be stronger. Set a
standard in your home and your life and stick to it. No waffling. You can do it. And you
will bless others’ lives in the process.
We all love the story of the 2,000 stripling warriors. And we all look to those mothers
who had such a strong influence on their sons. There are only just a few lines that
mention the mothers, but they are the critical lines that give us a clue about the character
of these young warriors.
Alma 56:47–48—“They did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did
upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt,
God would deliver them. “And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers,
saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”
OK, we love those boys and we love their mothers, but have you ever stopped to wonder,
what exactly did those mothers do so their sons knew with a surety that those women
were completely faithful and steadfast in the gospel? What was it about their mothers’
daily actions that led Helaman to say about the warriors, “Never before had I seen so
great courage, nay not amongst all the Nephites. … they never had fought, yet they did
not fear death” (Alma 56:45, 47).
Those few lines speak volumes to me. It is clear that those mothers’ daily lives must have
been living examples of faith and works. In addition to keeping the commandments,
personal and family prayer, studying the scriptures, I would imagine there was a great
unity and shared commitment among those women. You simply couldn’t have 2,000 boys
from one community all faithful and courageous if their mothers hadn’t been unified in
their love of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
It could never have worked had the women been judgmental of each other, compared
themselves to each other, or spoken ill of one other. It would be just about impossible.
If we are to be those kinds of covenant women and raise those kinds of children for the
next generation, we have got to be as unified as those women were. How would we stack
up if we were asked to be a mother to one of the stripling warriors? I don’t know about
you, but I’d need to step up my game.
Another of the tools that empowers us with the glory of God is certainly the house
of God—his holy temple. When we are endowed, we are blessed with God's protective
power.
Our church’s effort to build temples all around the world is a mighty validation of our
theme scripture. If Nephi saw our day and observed how God’s covenant people scattered
across the earth could be armed with righteousness, surely he saw temples.
The pioneers, who sacrificed nearly everything to build the Kirtland Temple, understood
the importance of these buildings. In the dedicatory prayer revealed to Joseph Smith, we
read the fulfillment of a portion of Nephi’s vision:
D&C 109:22—“And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this
house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be
round about them, and thine angels have charge over them.”
And in Nauvoo, pioneers sacrificed again, building a temple even when they knew they’d
have to turn westward and leave it behind. They understood the blessings of the temple
endowment would give them the strength to endure the inevitable trials that lay ahead of
them.
Likewise, regular temple attendance today offers us protection in the midst of our
adversities. If you want to be armed with righteousness, get to the temple.
So let’s recap. To arm ourselves in these latter days, we supplicate through prayer; we
study the scriptures; we serve willingly and abundantly, using our education and acquired
skills for good; we stay strong, and we empower those around us; and we seek the Lord
in His holy house, the temple.
The last thing I’d like to discuss is support—or in other words, no judging or grudging.
As sisters in Zion, we all must work together. That’s the way the Relief Society was
organized in 1842, and I firmly believe that’s how the Lord wants it to be. Though vastly
different in many ways, we are united in the purposes of Relief Society recently reiterated
in the book, Daughters in my Kingdom. Six million strong and in more than 170
countries, we sisters of the Relief Society work together to increase in faith and personal
righteousness. Together we strengthen homes and families. And together we provide
relief by seeking out and helping those in need.
Each of us is unique and walks our own individual path. Each of us is given different
talents and abilities. Some of us are married; others are single. Some are divorced; others
are widowed. Some of us work outside the home; some work full time, double time in the
home. Some of us sew, or run marathons; others bake and blog. There are sisters who are
great gardeners, readers or writers! It takes all of us, and we don’t want to be without a
single one of our sisters.
Our job is not to judge another’s situation or her choices. Quite the contrary. Agency and
personal revelation are two of the most beautiful and ennobling doctrines in our entire
church. We should celebrate the principle that each of us gets to search for the path the
Lord has in mind for us.
As individuals, we can turn to our patriarchal blessings, our marvelous church leaders,
and especially our Heavenly Father for inspiration, guidance and personal revelation as
we walk our individual roads.
We were not given the Holy Ghost “just in case.” He is there to guide us. We are to learn
the language of the Spirit and seek to understand its promptings so that we can be in tune
with the Father’s will for us.
In a recent conference talk, Elder Quentin L. Cook counseled us to support each other
with love. Speaking about the difficult choices women have to make, he said,
“These are very emotional, personal decisions, but there are two principles we should
always keep in mind. First, no woman should ever feel the need to apologize or feel that
her contribution is less significant because she is devoting her primary efforts to raising
and nurturing children. Nothing could be more significant in our Father in Heaven’s plan.
Second, we should all be careful not to be judgmental or assume that sisters are less
valiant if the decision is made to work outside the home. We rarely understand or fully
appreciate people’s circumstances. Husbands and wives should prayerfully counsel
together, understanding they are accountable to God for their decisions” (“LDS Women
Are Incredible!” Ensign, May 2011).
There is no place in Relief Society for criticism, for holding grudges, or judgment.
Only compassion.
Let us apply to each other President Uchtdorf’s recent conference admonition, and if you
feel any negative feelings toward another sister or hold any grudge toward another, “Stop
it.” Stop it today. You can if you choose.
There is simply no room for negativity that would drive away the Spirit from among the
women of Relief Society. We sisters must be one in Christ and replace any divisiveness
with a celebration of our diversity.
May I conclude today with one final thought and a personal story? As a frightened child
in my bed, waiting for my parents to get home from the hospital—you know, after their
car accident—I knew from personal experience that the Lord wanted me to be happy and
filled with peace. Isn’t that what He told his disciples when He came to see them a final
time after His resurrection?
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). What a gift—His
peace. It is no small thing for us to know what His peace and His joy feel like. It’s not the
world’s peace—it’s His.
Although we all will have bumps in the road so we can grow from adversity, the Lord has
told us He wants us to rejoice and have joy in this life. Think about that, Sisters.
As latter-day women of the Church of Jesus Christ, we are tasked with so many important
responsibilities. And yet these duties are not drudgery. There is joy to be found in study,
in service, in supporting and strengthening each other, and in our personal
communication with our God. That is joyous. And whether we find that joy is truly up to
us.
Early this year, a cousin of my mother’s sent my mom a letter. It was a letter about my
mother’s mother, so my grandmother, Elizabeth Layton Anderson. She was called Aunt
Beth. And it’s a story our family had never heard. Here’s a portion of that letter from our
cousin Phyllis:
“Nearly 65 years ago, I drove from Tucson to the Gila Valley for the final fitting on my
wedding dress. After the fitting, I visited Aunt Beth Anderson. She was so very gracious
and happy to see us. I was bubbling over with excitement, and I told Aunt Beth, ‘I am so
happy. In a week I graduate from the University of Arizona. In five days, my fiancé
arrives home from the Navy after serving the past three years in World War II. In two
weeks we’ll be married in the Mesa Temple, and I have a high school teaching job
waiting for me.’
“Aunt Beth replied, ‘I can see why you’re so happy, Phyllis. But you know, you can be
this happy every day of your life if you choose to be.’
“I was surprised at her answer, but gave it deep thought and determined that I would take
her advice. Each morning of my life, I would wake up, thank the Lord for my blessings
and then say, ‘This is going to be the happiest day of my life. How can I make it so?’ My
children even remember me going up and down the hallway singing, ‘Oh What a
Beautiful Morning,’ which, now they say, made them happy first thing in the morning.”
She goes on, “All of my life, I’ve tried to make each day happy. Even now, after losing
my husband five months ago and being told by my oncologist that I have an incurable
cancer and have only a few months to live, I keep myself happy. I believe death will be
sweet for me because I will meet my husband, our son, our son-in-law and our grandson .
. . and of course my parents. I also look forward to seeing Aunt Beth and Uncle Guy
because they always made me feel happy. For me, death will be sweet because I believe
in Christ and know He will be there to judge me.” Signed, Phyllis Blake Larson.
What a sweet reminder from my grandmother.
Two words: Choose joy. May we all live so that we may be counted among the faithful
women of Jesus Christ’s church, which is the ultimate joy. And may we understand first-
hand what it feels like to be “armed with righteousness and with the power of God in
great glory.” This is my prayer for all of the sisters of the Church, in the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.