Our Mothers

Kansas City, KS - Mother's Day 2000,   https://goo.gl/maps/8nY1M

In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, it states;

"ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

Daughters of God have been given divine nature and destiny that can bless them and those around them. This special set of skills are premortal, mortal and eternal identity and purpose.

Women ARE mothers as they leverage this divine nature and destiny for the benefit of God’s children, whether it be for their own children or the children from the greater Family Tree of our loving Heavenly Father.

Mission (Fear and Respect)

 

Member's firebombed car during my time in KC, MO.

I had the pleasure to serve in the Independence Missouri Mission and many people ask me if I had the opportunity to serve in the visitors’ centers and the answer is no – they leave that to the Sisters who have been given a special set divine nature.

I did however serve most of my mission in the sometimes rough inner cities of Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas. In these areas we interacted with a wide spectrum of people from all different places, background, race, religious beliefs, political persuasion and economic status.

Some of the people I encountered had leanings towards the shadier side of life or living a rougher lifestyle then some – gang members or drug dealers or rough characters. They might make people nervous but like most missionaries will tell you, they knew who we were and were not about to bother us.

One rather large rough looking gentleman by the name of T-Bone explained it to me this way. He told us that he feared only God and his mother. As he felt that we were doing God's work and and he could respected that. I appreciated T-bone’s respect.

Interesting concept, fearing God and our mothers.

Good fear?

In this last General Conference, Elder Bednar spoke about the Fear of the Lord being something that... “encompasses a deep feeling of reverence, respect, and awe for the Lord Jesus Christ (see Psalm 33:8; 96:4), obedience to His commandments (see Deuteronomy 5:29; 8:6; 10:12; 13:4; Psalm 112:1), and anticipation of the Final Judgment and justice at His hand.” (David A. Bednar, “Therefore They Hushed Their Fears,” (April General Conference 2015)

I would like to suggest that T-bone’s fear of his mother grows out of the similarities between the Lord and the divine role of motherhood. Mothers sacrifice, serve, teach, help us pick ourselves up when we fall and love us in spite of our imperfections… the list could go on and on.

Again in this last April’s General Conference, Young Women General President Bonnie Oscarson quoted President Thomas S. Monson, regarding mothers. (Defenders of the Family Proclamation, April General Conference 2015)

“May each of us treasure this truth; one cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and [our earthly] mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.” (Thomas S. Monson, “Behold Thy Mother,” Ensign, Jan. 1974, 32.)

Strong Influencing Powerhouse – Force of Good

My Mom and the 2 month old me

This fear or love of and for our mothers can direct us to our better selves.  Have you ever been asked, “Does your mother know you are doing that?” “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” I know I have.

President Monson shared a story about Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson (a surviving Union & Confederate officer). (Thomas S. Monson, “Behold Thy Mother,” Ensign, Jan. 1974, 32. as well as Pushing to the Front, Orison Marden)

"A famed officer from the Civil War period, Colonel Higginson, when asked to name the incident of the Civil War that he considered the most remarkable for bravery, said that there was in his regiment a man whom everybody liked, a man who was brave and noble, who was pure in his daily life, absolutely free from dissipations in which most of the other men indulged.

One night at a champagne supper, when many were becoming intoxicated, someone in jest called for a toast from this young man. Colonel Higginson said that he arose, pale but with perfect self-control, and declared: “Gentlemen, I will give you a toast which you may drink as you will, but which I will drink in water. The toast that I have to give is, ‘Our mothers.’”

Instantly a strange spell seemed to come over all the tipsy men. They drank the toast in silence. There was no laughter, no more song, and one by one they left the room. The lamp of memory had begun to burn, and the name of “Mother” touched every man’s heart."

My Mother-In-Law

Who can think of a Mother’s day where the Sons of Helaman were not mentioned? As it was shared by Helaman to Moroni. (Alma 56:45-48, 56)

45 … never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall…

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

…

56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength…

How is this done? – Mothers give comfort.

My Grandma Curtis

These young men were taught and comforted by their mothers and made mighty in faith. It goes beyond bandaging boo-boos and kissing owies – even though it does help.

As this life is a test – there will be trial, hardship, challenges and pain. These are for our benefit. As part of our baptismal covenant all of us have made the promises spoken in Mosiah 18.

Alma preached by the waters of Mormon challenging us to give comfort …

8 Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. (Mosiah 18:8-9)

Elder Eyring of the 1^st Presidency taught in the General Women’s Session. (Henry B. Eyring, The Comforter, April General Conference, 2015)

My Grandma Youngquist

"That is why you have a feeling to want to help a person struggling to move forward under a load of grief and difficulty. You promised that you would help the Lord make their burdens light and be comforted. You were given the power to help lighten those loads when you received the gift of the Holy Ghost."

It is the power of the Holy Ghost along with the divine nature is instrumental in bearing one another’s burdens and bring about peace and joy in this test called life. This covenant with promise along with women’s divine nature and destiny lighten burdens and bring about Relief Society’s “Charity Never Faileth.”

Equal but opposite

We know that it was not good for man to be alone but to have a complimentary partner.

18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18)

Eve was created and the role of women was introduced on the earth for the first time with the role of motherhood soon to follow.

The phrase help meet means “equal but opposite.” Think of your hands. Imagine trying to work a shovel or a rake with two hands that are positioned the same way. Or think of an airplane’s wings. Both are the same but opposite and equally important in achieving flight. Equal but opposite. (http://emp.byui.edu/satterfieldb/PDF/RoleManWoman2.pdf)

The beautiful glow of a mother

The role of women and mothers is not one in competition with men and fathers. Instead the roles of mother and father, man and woman perfectly compliment one another.

Both men and women must work together to fulfill the plan of happiness. In General Conference President Linda K. Burton of the General Relief Society Presidency shared a Quaker proverb loved by Elder Robert D. Hales, “Thee lift me and I’ll lift thee, and we’ll ascend together” (Quaker proverb).

Please make sure that the words spoken, the service rendered, and kindness extended is sincere - on both sides of the equation. Both sides should support and sustain the other just as each airplane wing helps the other to generate lift. 

“Thee lift me and I’ll lift thee, and we’ll ascend together”

Perfect Example

Remember the perfect example of our Savior at the meridian of time. As John’s account provides an amazing point of emphasis on the importance of remembering mothers.

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. (John 19:26-27)

My amazing wife and mother of our children

John states that “After this… all things were now accomplished” ( John 19:28)

I am humbled to remember my mother and grateful to say she is my mother.  I am the happiest man on earth being the husband to talented and beautiful daughter of God. The more I learn about motherhood and am blessed to observe it through different phases of life, the more I am in awe of those faithful practitioners of womanhood/motherhood that give so much of themselves to those around them.

-Our mothers.