Life in Preview

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Divine Roles of Women




"Women wind their attributes of charity, love, compassion and kindness around others."



It seems that much of the world views women as being weak and unsubstantial. Because of this, us females in our "girly" ways sometimes tend to view ourselves as weak and silly, and to think there is a problem, that something is wrong with us. But the truth is that there is nothing wrong with the ways of being a girl.

Men and women are different. One is not better than the other. There isn't anything bad about the way we were created in our differences. This difference serves a great purpose. Men and women are halves and when they come together, man with woman, they form a whole. "The man and the woman contribute differently but equally to a oneness and a unity that can be achieved in no other way" (Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).

There are certain things men can do that women can't (or do as well), and there are also things that women can do that men can't (or do as well). "The Lord has blessed women with divine attributes of love, compassion, kindness, and charity" (Silvia H. Allred).

Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president, said: "I have a testimony gained from pondering and studying the scriptures of a plan of happiness given to us by our Father in Heaven. That plan has a part for His daughters. We have the female half to take care of, and if we don't do our part, no one else is going to do it for us. The half of our Father's plan that creates life, that nurtures souls, that promotes growth, that influences everything else was given to us. We can't delegate it. We can't pass it off to anyone. It's ours. We can refuse it, we can deny it, but it's still our part, and we're accountable for it. There will come a day when we will all remember what we knew before we were born. We will remember that we fought in a great conflict for this privilege. How do we meet this responsibility? We daily put our energies into the work that is uniquely ours to do."

Our role is divine. Our role is different than the role of men. We should embrace and use these different attributes to serve and help others. We shouldn't, however, try to abolish these divine attributes the Lord has blessed us with and strive to become more like men and what we think of as being "stronger." We are strong. We are powerful. We are different, and that's okay! We cannot give up our role of being loving, compassionate, kind, and charitable. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being such! These are great gifts from our Heavenly Father and we should embrace them and learn from them and use them to bless the lives of others. We are special. The Father loves His daughters. We must be who we are and let it benefit the world.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Just believe and you'll see.


Believe.
What do you see?
A great mountainous glacier setting itself free
Nothing holds it back from being what it wants to be
Neither frost nor liquid nor man can compete
Leaving behind no sense of defeat
Believe.
What do you see?
A stone so small winds could take it away
But happy it sits wherever it lay
Pondering what the next move it will make
All the while cheerful though without no mistake
Believe.
What do you see?
A wrinkle, a smile, eyes that shine as the light
Glorious will that can always take flight
No wrestle of heart can outtake the delight
Onward, press onward can be the next fight
Believe.
What do you see?
For always the triumph seems too far to see
But take and believe what you know you can be
Always, forever, we'll stand and we'll live
To fight for our souls and to serve and forgive
Believe.
What do you see?
I see a strong spirit who knows what to do
Who knows how to fight and to hum the right tune
Someone who'll take a bad blow as it comes
And turn and press onward no matter the sums
Believe.
What do you see?
Believe in yourself and your power within
To strike at the foe with your goodness and grin
You know what is right and you know how to play
Life isn't the game but no need for delay
Believe.
What do you see?
A past that might hurt and a future unsure
Unstable you think yourself, scared with no cure
Questions with answers that cannot be heard
Ensnaring the soul, allowing the lure
Believe.
What do you see?
Hope can rise up if you let it be seen
No need to hide or think low your esteem
Greatness exists inside you and in me
Just let it go and let yourself free
What do you see?
Believe.