The holiness of women.

Wanted to share a little of what I pondered this morning, and something I have been thinking about writing for quite some time.


Mosiah 3
8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.


A simple yet profound realization came to my mind that in this scripture of discussing and informing the people (from King Benjamin's address) of the immeasurable greatness of the son Jesus Christ. What struck me was the only thing mentioned second to him and in this verse was

his human mother.

It's interesting that she was not mentioned again in the chapter, it continues describing the work that the savior would do, the atonement, and his love.

It was a testament and an understanding to my mind that women are holy. Women and mothers who are not perfect, who get emotional and angry and make mistakes, are still holy. People forget that Mary was a human, she probably spent nights crying on her knees, she might have gotten frustrated with the direction of her life when she was young, she probably got irritable when she was hungry, she probably forgot appointments, and snapped at people when she was tired, nonetheless she was mentioned with Jesus, she was trusted by God, and even though she is known for being JUST A MOTHER, she is forever considered the most holy woman in the world.

As a woman, I understand the seemingly unimportant role and value I have in our modern society. I understand that my gender is depicted as a sex symbol, a product, a doormat, and not much else at times. I understand how I could start to believe I fit and should place myself into these societal cubbies. I understand that I may be viewed to be insignificant because I value being gentle, I want a marriage, and I want children. However, I also want progression, I have strength, I have personal ambition, I work to obtain knowledge, and I value respect for people no matter what they believe. And just because I want some of these stereotypical "mormon mom duties" doesn't mean I am ignorant, close minded, or trapped into a state of submission. It doesn't mean that I will be protesting to get into the priesthood session, but I do wish that women had more of an apparent voice and value in decisions of the church. Did you know that no woman had any influence or addition on the proclamation to the family? I was just reading an interview with Chieko N. Okazaki (former first president of the general Relief society presidency) and she said that no one in the relief society presidency had ever been asked or even told it was being written by the first presidency. A staple in almost every LDS family's household describing mother and wifely roles all written by men with no female influence at all. Here's a little bit of the interview-

"In contrast, in 1995 when “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was written, the Relief Society presidency was asked to come to a meeting. We did, and they read this proclamation. It was all finished. The only question was whether they should present it at the priesthood meeting or at the Relief Society meeting. It didn’t matter to me where it was presented. What I wanted to know was, “How come we weren’t consulted?”
Greg Prince: You didn’t even know it was in the works?
Chieko Okazaki: No. They just asked us which meeting to present it in, and we said, “Whatever President Hinckley decides is fine with us.” He decided to do it at the Relief Society meeting. The apostle who was our liaison said, “Isn’t it wonderful that he made the choice to present it at the Relief Society meeting?” Well, that was fine, but as I read it I thought that we could have made a few changes in it. " 

She goes on to say that even she believes that women need to have more of a say in the church. If you have time, read the attached interview at the bottom of the page, she is an amazing woman who was way beyond her time. 

With this being said though, I personally do not believe that we as women should allow ourselves to be consumed with resentment, and anger for the seemingly shortcomings of the church and its leaders on the issue of equality in the church. I am not ignorant to the fact that women have been overlooked in our church for a long time. And I am pleased that women in our church are causing discussions to be raised, and addressed, and change is becoming apparent and necessary. As much as I know things need to change I know that if we as women let actions, comments, or beliefs of angered people in or out of the church consume us, we will be unable to perceive what we can do to help the issue. Feelings of being wronged or prejudiced shouldn't be shirked, but if dwelled upon they will cripple our ability to provide a productive means of change and recognition for our church. Yes, the church is becoming aware of their weaknesses, and there are many women who may have indeed been affected by this, but to let resentment overtake us blinds our minds with our focus directed inward. These thoughts, though warranted in many cases, cause women to be caught in a circle of anger, instead of genuine concern for helping each other feel valued, address what can be changed, or begin to decipher how this problem can be resolved. Recently to me it seems many people have been overtaken by the focus of their own agenda, and if those agendas aren't met, than there is nothing positive to say regarding the church. It is important to remember that no matter the social weaknesses and the problems needed to be resolved, this is still God's church. And when something offends you or occurs that you might disagree with, it would be more wise perhaps to spend more time approaching him in humility to explain what you can't seem to understand, and how to resolve your feelings whether it be through action or humility, and less time dwelling in your own mind of resentment, working yourself into anger and debating the issue of who's right and wrong in the matter. Replacing the mindset of anger with, "what has Heavenly Father planned for me individually to learn from and benefit this church, what can I do to help the church understand my feelings and help me feel like I have a place here, and am I trying to align my will to His with faith in His timing and plans?"

Anyways, these are the things I believe. I believe it is respectable for each individual to find their own personal truth for themselves. This is my personal space on the web, so I am expressing things that are important to me. If there are different beliefs reading this, I mean no disrespect and am not looking for a debate or to start contention, I am only adding my beliefs into the issue to possibly help the situation. I respect the desire to make spirituality important to people's lives and to find truth. This is only a sample of my own.

In this debate one thing is ever present. That women ARE valuable beyond measure. Don't let yourself give way to accepting that you are not holy from things you are told from people with less of an understanding than you. Your worth is not dependent on other people's decisions about you. You cannot do anything to diminish your worth in the sight of God, you can only live below it if you choose. Always remember that you are His most important work, and His love for you is unconditional. He loves you, and you are holy beyond what you may see at the present, even if what you see at present consists of muffin tops and hairy legs most days. You're still holy no matter your perceived imperfections. The most holy woman on the earth was "just a mother" and was once an unknown girl like you, trying to navigate this life as best she could. So take heart when you feel forgotten or unimportant. You aren't forgotten and your seemingly small presence on this earth is holy.


Here's the full interview with Sister Okazaki:
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V45N01_CO.pdf