Relief Society
The Relief Society in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is an amazing thing. Seriously. It boggles my mind. I won't go into too much detail simply because this post could wrap around the world and lasso the moon if I said everything I wanted to. So just know that the purpose of Relief Society is to: increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those in need.
Wham.
Git-r-done.
Simple. Straight-forward. Beautiful.
Every time I read that, it makes my heart happy. I think, "Yes! This is a worthy work that Heavenly Father has asked us as women to do. I can do this! Nothing can stop me now! It's not that hard." Shortly thereafter I usually fall on my face and drop the ball yet again because I allow myself to get distracted. It's surprisingly hard to constantly increase my faith and personal righteousness along with the sisters in my ward, strengthen my family and home as well as theirs, and seek out and help those in need inside and outside of my own family.
I get discouraged. Satan tells me that I'm not good enough to do those things because I'm not smart enough or creative enough. I'm scared of offending someone by offering my help. In fact, I don't even know how to offer my help. I don't know exactly what to do to accomplish the work of Relief Society, and so I simply don't do it. I try. . . but I don't do as well as I would like.
I need to do better.
I'm going to do better.
I happen to know that if I seek the Lord's help, He will give it to me. If I ask Him to help me know which sisters may need a boost, He will do just that. I've just been too busy to really, genuinely ask and sincerely want an answer. It's a lot easier to merely focus on my day-to-day schedule and leave all the other ladies to do the same. But there have been times where I needed help, and I'm thankful to have received it. So who I am to withhold my assistance when the Lord needs me to offer it?
In the book recently released by the Church titled "Daughters In My Kindgom: The History and Work of Relief Society", I learn something new every single time I pick it up. And it's not just that I learn some new, fascinating tidbit that strengthens my testimony, but I relearn the stuff I already knew. I understand it at a deeper level. And that, my friends, is a wonderful feeling. It's a feeling everyone can experience if you simply have a desire. And that's awesome. Come on. Face it.
President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
"The Brethren know they belong to a quorum of the priesthood. Too many sisters, however, think that Relief Society is merely a class to attend. The same sense of belonging to the Relief Society rather than just attending a class must be fostered in the heart of every woman." (Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 95-96)
It breaks my heart to think that, in my ward at least, that is the case. Relief Society is just a class full of weird women who cry, hug and fan themselves with program notes; talk about kids, cooking, and the complete bathroom redo they're single-handedly accomplishing using nothing but a cotton swab and an old piece of wire; all while passing around the handmade treasure that they teacher cooked up the night before.
It's not like that, I swear. We might cry on occasion, and we may even hug. Okay, okay, fine. On a warm day or when the heater is broken, you can find a few women fanning vehemently. But Relief Society is not just a class. It's a sisterhood. And it takes every single willing woman into its circle with eagerness {or it should. . . humanity and our incessant mistakes notwithstanding}.
The book continues by saying:
"All women in the Church belong to Relief Society, even if they have other responsibilities that make it difficult for them to attend all Relief Society meetings." (Daughters In My Kingdom, 138-139)
When I first read that quote I immediately thought of the sisters in our ward that are called to serve in other areas making it impossible for them to attend class on Sunday. They feel left out. And that hurts me. They don't feel comfortable coming to weekday activities because they no longer feel that they know anyone. And that hurts me, too.
If I had a magic wand, I would totally wave it and spray pixie dust on everybody and have the Relief Society function perfectly. But that would require perfect people. I haven't come across any pixie dust that works that sort of magic. The only thing that can do that is the Atonement of our Savoir and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Relief Society as an organization created "under the priesthood after the pattern of the priesthood" (Joseph Smith, quoted in Sarah Granger Kimball, "Auto-Biography", Woman's Exponent, Sept. 1, 1883, 51.) is perfect. Literally. But all that the Lord asks of us is that we try to carry out its purposes {which are, in effect, HIS purposes} to the best of our abilities.
I just need to keep doing all I can. I need to keep having a happy heart; to keep refreshing my determination. I'll still face plant it, I'm sure. I'll still end up disappointed that I couldn't do more. But I will keep trying. And that's all that matters! So what about you, ladies? {Sorry, gents. But you have your quorums!} Are you with me?
"Sisters, you must graduate from thinking that you only attend Relief Society to feeling that you belong to it!" (source)
(And P.S. Yes. I would SPRAY you with pixie dust. No 'sprinkling' here!)
Wham.
Git-r-done.
Simple. Straight-forward. Beautiful.
Every time I read that, it makes my heart happy. I think, "Yes! This is a worthy work that Heavenly Father has asked us as women to do. I can do this! Nothing can stop me now! It's not that hard." Shortly thereafter I usually fall on my face and drop the ball yet again because I allow myself to get distracted. It's surprisingly hard to constantly increase my faith and personal righteousness along with the sisters in my ward, strengthen my family and home as well as theirs, and seek out and help those in need inside and outside of my own family.
I get discouraged. Satan tells me that I'm not good enough to do those things because I'm not smart enough or creative enough. I'm scared of offending someone by offering my help. In fact, I don't even know how to offer my help. I don't know exactly what to do to accomplish the work of Relief Society, and so I simply don't do it. I try. . . but I don't do as well as I would like.
I need to do better.
I'm going to do better.
I happen to know that if I seek the Lord's help, He will give it to me. If I ask Him to help me know which sisters may need a boost, He will do just that. I've just been too busy to really, genuinely ask and sincerely want an answer. It's a lot easier to merely focus on my day-to-day schedule and leave all the other ladies to do the same. But there have been times where I needed help, and I'm thankful to have received it. So who I am to withhold my assistance when the Lord needs me to offer it?
In the book recently released by the Church titled "Daughters In My Kindgom: The History and Work of Relief Society", I learn something new every single time I pick it up. And it's not just that I learn some new, fascinating tidbit that strengthens my testimony, but I relearn the stuff I already knew. I understand it at a deeper level. And that, my friends, is a wonderful feeling. It's a feeling everyone can experience if you simply have a desire. And that's awesome. Come on. Face it.
President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
"The Brethren know they belong to a quorum of the priesthood. Too many sisters, however, think that Relief Society is merely a class to attend. The same sense of belonging to the Relief Society rather than just attending a class must be fostered in the heart of every woman." (Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 95-96)
It breaks my heart to think that, in my ward at least, that is the case. Relief Society is just a class full of weird women who cry, hug and fan themselves with program notes; talk about kids, cooking, and the complete bathroom redo they're single-handedly accomplishing using nothing but a cotton swab and an old piece of wire; all while passing around the handmade treasure that they teacher cooked up the night before.
It's not like that, I swear. We might cry on occasion, and we may even hug. Okay, okay, fine. On a warm day or when the heater is broken, you can find a few women fanning vehemently. But Relief Society is not just a class. It's a sisterhood. And it takes every single willing woman into its circle with eagerness {or it should. . . humanity and our incessant mistakes notwithstanding}.
The book continues by saying:
"All women in the Church belong to Relief Society, even if they have other responsibilities that make it difficult for them to attend all Relief Society meetings." (Daughters In My Kingdom, 138-139)
When I first read that quote I immediately thought of the sisters in our ward that are called to serve in other areas making it impossible for them to attend class on Sunday. They feel left out. And that hurts me. They don't feel comfortable coming to weekday activities because they no longer feel that they know anyone. And that hurts me, too.
If I had a magic wand, I would totally wave it and spray pixie dust on everybody and have the Relief Society function perfectly. But that would require perfect people. I haven't come across any pixie dust that works that sort of magic. The only thing that can do that is the Atonement of our Savoir and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Relief Society as an organization created "under the priesthood after the pattern of the priesthood" (Joseph Smith, quoted in Sarah Granger Kimball, "Auto-Biography", Woman's Exponent, Sept. 1, 1883, 51.) is perfect. Literally. But all that the Lord asks of us is that we try to carry out its purposes {which are, in effect, HIS purposes} to the best of our abilities.
I just need to keep doing all I can. I need to keep having a happy heart; to keep refreshing my determination. I'll still face plant it, I'm sure. I'll still end up disappointed that I couldn't do more. But I will keep trying. And that's all that matters! So what about you, ladies? {Sorry, gents. But you have your quorums!} Are you with me?
"Sisters, you must graduate from thinking that you only attend Relief Society to feeling that you belong to it!" (source)
(And P.S. Yes. I would SPRAY you with pixie dust. No 'sprinkling' here!)
Very well said. I was just put into a RS Presidency and I would love to share this with our President and 1st Councilor if you don't mind?
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you! And congratulations about your calling! It's really so much fun to be in the RS Presidency. . . a lot of work, but more fun than anything else! :) And you're more than welcome to share it! Thank you for asking!
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