We are not afraid of work

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Relief Society Session of the October 2007 Conference.

This post will be published on Christmas Eve, and during this season with so many family gatherings and  adult kids home for the holiday, I've been thinking a lot about the gift of families. I am constantly in awe of the wisdom of God's plan. My family brings so much happiness, so much fullness into my life. At the same time I am so constantly challenged and stretched by trying to love and understand such a multitude of personalities, opinions, talents, and needs! Somehow Heavenly Father designed our families to be simultaneously our work, and our reward for the work. They provide the challenging "clinical material" we need in order to learn patience and sacrifice…but they are also (in the ideal, anyway) a shelter of love and comfort to us when we most need relief. It's just such a surprising, but effective, system! With these thoughts in my head at Christmastime, I loved this Relief Society session focusing on families and women's role within them.

Sister Beck's talk was especially good! I love every word that comes out of that woman's mouth. I didn't know I liked her so much when I heard these talks for the first time; it's only on the re-reading that I've been so impressed. Maybe I just wasn't in the right stage of life for her wisdom before! She says:

Knowing and defending the divine roles of women is so important in a world where women are bombarded with false messages about their identity. Popular media figures on the radio and television set themselves up as authorities and spokespersons for women. While these media messages may contain elements of truth, most preach a gospel of individual fulfillment and self-worship, often misleading women regarding their true identity and worth. These voices offer a counterfeit happiness, and as a result, many women are miserable, lonely, and confused.

The only place Latter-day Saint women will learn the whole and complete truth about their indispensable role in the plan of happiness is in this Church and its doctrine. We know that in the great premortal conflict we sided with our Savior, Jesus Christ, to preserve our potential to belong to eternal families. We know we are daughters of God, and we know what we are to do. Women find true happiness when they understand and delight in their unique role within the plan of salvation. The things women can and should do very best are championed and taught without apology here.

This resonated with me so much. Motherhood (and marriage too, really) brings so much opportunity for self-doubt and discouragement as it seems perfectly designed to reveal your own shortcomings one after another! So it brings me so much comfort and peace knowing that I am supposed to fill these roles, I am designed to fill these roles, and their difficulty is not because I'm not suited for them, but because they're meant to stretch me and make me grow! I don't know how I could possibly face my own inadequacies if I didn't know that women are meant precisely for this—and thus I am meant to love and nurture—it is my heritage from Heavenly Mother! I find so much strength in knowing that as I continue working at these divine roles, they will bring me ultimate happiness! I think without this knowledge, I would certainly give up the fight!

Sister Beck continues:

We believe in the formation of eternal families. That means we believe in getting married. We know that the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. That means we believe in having children. We have faith that with the Lord’s help we can be successful in rearing and teaching children. These are vital responsibilities in the plan of happiness, and when women embrace those roles with all their hearts, they are happy! Knowing and defending the truth about families is the privilege of every sister in this Church.…

Families mean work, but they are our great work—and we are not afraid of work.

A friend of mine said that phrase to me once: "It will be a lot of work, but I'm not afraid of work." It has stuck with me ever since, and I've tried to make it true for me. I think it's mostly true for me. I am often afraid of the unknown, of disappointment, of falling short, all those things—but even if I may dread the work ahead and be daunted by the prospect of it, once I start doing it I can usually just buckle down and do it. I feel connected to my heritage, my grandmothers and great-grandmothers, when I work to bless my family. And I'm so glad to have that heritage, giving me the counterintuitive knowledge that such work, serving others, will bring great happiness to the person doing it! It's so hard to believe it when I'm feeling sorry for myself and overwhelmed and put-upon, but it's true and I've felt it! Sister Beck says that outright here:

Each of you has your own burdens and challenges, which give you the blessing of turning to the Lord for help. We also have the opportunity to assist the Lord by providing relief for others, which is the greatest, fastest solution to loneliness and hopelessness and a sure way to obtain the companionship of the Spirit.

I also loved this great line:

You will receive the help of the Holy Spirit as you focus on essentials and will be given the courage to forego the frivolous.

The "courage to forego the frivolous," to be unafraid of work, and to know exactly what her role is in God's plan! What more could a woman ask for? This gospel has everything we need to bring us the greatest fulfillment and happiness. I'm so grateful for it!