Throughout the years, many Church leaders have spoken during general conference about the influence of mothers and mother-figures and the power of righteous women.
In the general women’s session of October 2018 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson told the adult sisters of the Church how vitally important they are in Heavenly Father’s work of salvation.
Often asked why he became a medical doctor, President Nelson said his answer has always been the same: “Because I could not choose to be a mother.”
He further clarified that later in his message: “No one can do what a righteous woman can do. No one can duplicate the influence of a mother.”
In October 2015 general conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke about the divine role of motherhood in his address entitled “Behold Thy Mother.”
“You see, it is not only that (mothers) bear us, but they continue bearing with us. It is not only the prenatal carrying but the lifelong carrying that makes mothering such a staggering feat,” Elder Holland said.
In his “Because She is a Mother” address in April 1997 general conference, Elder Holland’s talk emphasized the divine nature of motherhood and the support each mother has from the Lord.
“Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be.”
Sister Julie B. Beck, then the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, when speaking in April 2004 general conference, underscored how every woman can develop a "mother heart," a term used in Proverbs to describe righteous devotion to progress and the preparation for the divine, eternal mission of motherhood.
“Every girl and woman who makes and keeps sacred covenants can have a mother heart," she said. "There is no limit to what a woman with a mother heart can accomplish.”
And in her October 2007 general conference address entitled “Mothers Who Know,” Sister Beck — then-Relief Society general president — shared how each mother can use her influence and power to be a force for good.
Sister Sheri L. Dew, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, gave an address entitled “Are We Not All Mothers?” in the October 2001 General Conference. She encouraged women in the church to be steadfast and to endure in a tumultuous world.
“Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us.”
In April 2010 general conference, then-Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told sisters how they are essential in the work of salvation in his talk, “Mothers and Daughters.”
“There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman,” he said.
In his “Your Greatest Challenge, Mother" address in October 2000 general conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley counseled sisters of the Church to teach children in the ways of the Lord.
“I know of no better answer to (the) foul practices that confront our young people than the teachings of a mother, given in love with an unmistakable warning.”
