PROVO, Utah — Through the examples of women in the scriptures and women throughout history, Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and Sister Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the Primary general presidency, taught about the value and purpose of covenant, faithful women in the kingdom of God.
During a BYU Women’s Conference session on Friday, May 3, President Freeman and Sister Wright shared how one way to come unto Christ — and find one’s worth through Him — is to study His interactions with women.
Said President Freeman: “The stories of women in scripture are not filled with passive bystanders. Instead, these stories define difference makers who were courageous, empowered and crucial to moving God’s plan forward. In the most critical of situations, their role was often to lead out with testimony, instill belief and build up the kingdom of God.”
Eve
Eve made the brave choice to come to mortality, explained President Freeman, to learn wisdom and fulfill an important role in God’s plan.
“She is the mother of all living. She delivered man into mortality. In the eyes of the Lord, Eve was valued,” President Freeman said.
Mary, the mother of Jesus
About Mary, the mother of Jesus, President Freeman said, “Mary is known for delivering the Son of Man into the world. In the eyes of the Lord, she was beloved.”
Long before her birth, prophets knew of Mary’s sacred role, explained Sister Wright.
And Mary demonstrated her faith in God by choosing to obey His will: “When the call came, Mary was a woman who answered. Her answer was not an expression of resignation but one of commitment, consecration and love,” Sister Wright said.
The woman at the well
John 4 tells of a Samaritan woman who went to a well in the heat of the day to obtain water — and Jesus asked her for a drink. Then, Sister Wright said, the woman at the well “was a woman who listened.” She grew in understanding and testimony of the Savior and went and invited others to do the same.
President Freeman said the woman’s purpose was critical — she was the first recorded person to hear Jesus Christ declare His mission as the Messiah, and in the eyes of the Lord, “she was seen.”
Mary of Magdala
The first person to see the risen Lord was a woman — Mary of Magdala. Her “place was pivotal in the moving forward of things,” President Freeman said. In the eyes of the Lord, “she was known.”
And Mary Magdalene was “a woman who knew,” Sister Wright said. “Our understanding of Jesus Christ’s mortal ministry could not be told without including Mary Magdalene.”
Other women who knew Jesus Christ
Sister Wright said Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was “a woman who believed.” The woman who had sinned and then anointed Jesus’ feet in Luke 7 was a precious daughter of God and “a woman who changed,” while Joanna in Luke 8 was “a woman who followed,” proving her integrity through her enduring discipleship, Sister Wright shared.
The story of the widow’s mite is an example of “a woman who sacrificed.” The widow of Nain was “a woman who mourned.” Anna was “a woman who waited,” and the woman with an issue of blood was “a woman who persevered.”
Sister Wright said all of these attributes and examples can help women know their worth and know how to become more like Jesus Christ. But becoming more like Him is a gradual, lifelong process.
“God knows that change and growth take time. He is pleased with our sincere desires and will bless us for every effort we make. As we seek to become more like Jesus Christ through the power of His infinite Atonement and the power of the Holy Ghost, our very nature will be refined.”
Emma Smith
President Freeman said the Lord’s counsel to Emma Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 25 shows the worth and value of all women in God’s plan.
“The Lord tells us, ‘This is my voice unto all’ (Doctrine and Covenants 25:16),” President Freeman said, explaining that women are daughters of God — called and chosen with a work to do, both individually and collectively in His kingdom.
Women are critical to God’s purpose
Sister Wright invited women to pray and ask Heavenly Father to help them see what He sees and to better understand “not only who you truly are, your divine worth, but also what through Jesus Christ you can become.”
Women are all around right now who are righteous, articulate, distinct and different — women of strength, conversion, conviction, leadership and wisdom, President Freeman said.
“You are one of those women,” she said. “God needs you. He needs your voice. He knows you are a woman with spiritual power to change the world.”
