I
love General Conference. Always have. Conference was a big deal in our house when I was growing up. We set aside the whole weekend for special games and treats and activities associated with participating in Conference. I loved watching the way my mother "feasted upon the word" at Conference. She would sit quietly, usually cross-stitching, and listen intently. She would express aloud her love of Conference and her love of the Prophet. She would talk about the anticipation of General Conference and then the desire that it could continue when it ended after only two short days. She taught me to love General Conference.
Now, in my own home, Conference is a big deal. Big enough that we postponed departure for our long-awaited Spring Break vacation until after Conference is over. My kids totally look forward to General Conference. We have created our own family traditions associated with General Conference that I hope will help my children understand the privilege of hearing from living prophets of God. Conference is almost here.
One of the things I look forward to at General Conference is the sense of unity that I feel among millions of members in this worldwide Church. I've been particular cognizant of the principle and necessity of unity lately as the noise from a very small group of dissenting women within the Church has become louder. One of the things I have always loved about the Church is that I am encouraged to ask questions and seek for greater understanding. In our most recent General Conference, President Uchtdorf said, "It’s natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2013 General Conference.) The demands
(articulated here) of this fraction of a minority of women in our Church go beyond asking questions and seeking for understanding and have become distracting and damaging. As a result of the disproportionate attention these women have received, I have spent some time pondering and studying the principle of unity.
When I first heard of the organization
"Ordain Women" I immediately thought of the account of the king-men in Alma chapter 51. "There began to be contention" because "a part of the people desired that a few particular points of the law should be altered" (Alma 51:2). These few people caused a division (NOTE:
divide = opposite of
unite) among the people. These people "sought power and authority" (Alma 51:8). The most disheartening part about the obvious parallels is that "this was a critical time for such contentions to be among the people" (Alma 51:9). Because of the division among the people caused by this demanding minority seeking for power and authority in the Book of Mormon, thousands of people lost their lives. The contentious demands of the vocal minority can weaken our unity and even threaten spiritual lives. As we all do our part to establish Zion, we are reminded that "the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind" (Moses 7:18). A hallmark of God's people is unity.
I am so thankful to be a woman in this church. My knowledge, of course, is limited, but I know of no other organization on earth that esteems and respects women, and the divine rolls of women, more than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Our Priesthood leaders teach and model respect, even reverence, for women and for womanhood (see, for example "
LDS Women Are Incredible!" by Elder Cook). I am thankful for the inspiration and direction I get from our Relief Society, Young Women and Primary General Presidencies. I admire and revere these inspired women leaders and I am grateful for their examples. Hearing their testimonies, experiences, and seeing their examples has been a powerful motivational force in my life.
I am thankful for the unifying power of the Priesthood. I look forward
to unitedly sustaining our Priesthood leaders this weekend. I am
thankful for what I am learning about unity in the scriptures
(especially from the Apostle Paul) and from our living prophets (see,
for example "
Our Hearts Knit As One"
by President Eyring.) In an earlier conference of the church, the Lord
commanded, "Be one" and then warned, "if ye are not one ye are not
mine" (D&C 38:27). I am thankful that despite our many, many differences as members of God's worldwide Church, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
I hope to do my part in our efforts to become one.
