Young women all
over the world repeat the Young Women theme each week. Their theme begins: “We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who
loves us, and we love Him.” Young women
understand that Heavenly Father loves His daughters as much as He loves His
sons and has given them important roles to play in life.
Sister Elaine S. Dalton,
recently released Young Women general president, spoke in General Conference about
the fact that all girls and women are daughters of God (Ensign, May 2013, pp. 12-14).
She said that every time she hears the words “We are daughters of our
Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him,” she feels the Holy Ghost
affirm to her soul that they are true.
“It is not only an affirmation of our identity –- who we are -- but also
an acknowledgment of whose we are. We
are daughters of an exalted being!”
Sister Dalton continued: “As daughters of God we are each unique and
different in our circumstances and experiences.
And yet our part matters – because we
matter. Our daily contributions of
nurturing, teaching, and caring for others may seem mundane, diminished,
difficult, and demeaning at times, and yet as we remember that first line in
the Young Women theme -- `We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves
us’ – it will make all the difference in our relationships and our responses.”
Do you know that you are a
daughter of a loving Heavenly Father?
What difference does it make in your life to know that you have Divine
Parentage? Sister Dalton’s mother was a
widow for 47 years and supported her family by teaching school in the daytime
and then giving piano lessons in the evening.
She also cared for her aging father and made sure that her daughter and
two sons received college educations – all without complaining about her
circumstances. “She kept her covenants,
and because she did, she called down the powers of heaven to bless our home and
to send miracles. She relied on the
power of prayer, priesthood, and covenant promises. She was faithful in her service to the
Lord. Her steadfast devotion steadied
us, her children. She often repeated the
scripture: `I, the Lord, am bound when
ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). That was her motto, and she knew it was
true. She understood what it meant to be
a covenant keeper. She was never
recognized by the world. She didn’t want
that. She understood who she was and
whose she was – a daughter of God. Indeed,
it can be said of our mother that she acted well her part.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley
once said about women and mothers: “We
must never lose sight of the strength of the women…. It is mothers who most directly affect the
lives of their children…. It is mothers
who nurture them and bring them up in the ways of the Lord. Their influence is paramount….
“… They are the creators of
life. They are the nurturers of
children. They are the teachers of young
women. They are our indispensable companions. They are our co-workers in building the
kingdom of God. How great is their role,
how marvelous their contribution” (“Standing Strong and Immovable,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, January
10, 2004, 21, as quoted by Sister Dalton).
Sister Dalton encouraged
mothers, fathers, and leaders of Young Women to instill in the young women “the
ennobling and eternal truth that she is a daughter of God.” She said that “young women need women and men
to `stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all
places.’ Never before has this been more
important than now. Young women need
mothers and mentors who exemplify virtuous womanhood. Mothers, your relationship with your daughter
is of paramount importance, and so is your example. How you love and honor her father, his
priesthood, and his divine role will be reflected and perhaps amplified in your
daughter’s attitudes and behavior.”
I was recently in the temple and
met a young woman whom I taught in Seminary approximately ten years ago. We spoke for just a few moments before she
and her groom were taken into the sealing room to be married for time and all
eternity. That evening I attended her
wedding reception. She was a beautiful
bride; her makeup, hair, and dress were all modest and very becoming to
her. As beautiful as she was, I was even
more impressed with her inner beauty. She
beamed with moral cleanliness and happiness.
After the dancing started, the bride’s very young nieces and nephew as
well as a couple of their friends wanted to dance with the bride. My young friend gathered all the children
together and made a circle with them.
The bride and circle of children went around several times before the
children lost interest and wandered away.
I was impressed that she would take the time on her wedding day to bring
happiness to several little children.
Her actions bore testimony that she recognized the importance of even
the smallest members of her family. Even
though she is not yet a mother and may never have children of her own, she was
exercising her divine role as a woman in nurturing and teaching the little children.
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (Ensign, November 2010, 129) states: “By divine design, fathers are to preside
over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide
the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the
nurture of their children. In these
sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another
as equal partners….
“We warn that individuals who
violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to
fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God.”
Sister Dalton concluded her talk
with a “call for the return to virtue. Virtue is the strength and power of
daughters of God. What would the world be like if virtue – a pattern of thought
and behavior based on high moral standards, including chastity – were
reinstated in our society as a most highly prized value? If immorality, pornography, and abuse
decreased, would there be fewer broken marriages, broken lives, and broken
hearts? Would media ennoble and enable
rather than objectify and degrade God’s precious daughters? If all humanity really understood the
importance of the statement `We are daughters of our Heavenly Father,’ how
would women be regarded and treated? …
“In an extremely challenging
world, that is what I see young women and women of this Church doing. They are an influence for good. They are
virtuous and exemplary, intelligent and industrious. They are making a difference because they are different. They are acting well
their part….
“Today as a daughter of God, I
stand as a witness that He lives. Jesus
is the Christ. He is our Redeemer. It is through His infinite atoning sacrifice
that I will one day return to live with Him – proven, pure, and sealing in an
eternal family. I shall ever praise Him
for the privilege of being a woman, a wife, and a mother….”
I too am grateful for the role
given to me by God. I am grateful to be
a righteous woman in these latter days.
I am grateful for the opportunity to be a mother and grandmother. I am grateful for the many opportunities I
have enjoyed in teaching the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ to many
young men and young women. I know that I
am a daughter of God, and I rejoice in my role of being a woman.
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