The right perspective

I have a confession. I was not always excited about being a woman. Don't get me wrong, I have always wanted nothing more than to be a stay-at-home mom and raise children (I know this is because I was raised by a mother who made it very clear that her greatest ambition and joy in life was to be our mother, and so that was my abition as well.) But, to be considered weak, less intelligent, flighty, and all the other words generally associated with womanhood was not something I desired.
But, that changed. I remember when too. When I was 17 I received my patriarchal blessing, which spoke of being a woman, and those things that I would experience as a woman and the importance of women. Unfortunately, at first, I scoffed. Great, I am a woman. But, the more I thought about it, the more I changed. Great, I am a woman! I cannot even begin to explain the joy I feel right now saying that - I am a woman. More importantly, I am stiving to be a woman of God! Wow, how good that feels.
As I contemplated tonight the laundry that needed to be folded, the bed that needed to be made, and the bathroom that needed straightening, all I could think of was sitting on the couch and relaxing after a VERY long week of taking care of two of the busiest boys ever. Then, I had an idea. Since I wasn't able to go to Women's Conference at BYU this year (I can't wait until I can!) maybe I could listen to it. So, I found it, selected a talk and went to work. *hint* I found work is a whole lot more enjoyable when the prophet is on in the background! Anyway, I listed to a talk by President Monson, which of course was great. Then, I wanted more. So I listened to a talk by Sheri Dew. I love how direct she is and how much she believes in women. If you have a half hour to feel renewed joy, strength and faithfulness in womanhood, listen to her talk: http://www.byub.org/womensconf/
I have so many feelings after this talk, so this might be jumbled. But, even though I am tired, I know that my willingness to express my feelings is definitely stronger at night, so I am going to try now!
I think that at least once a week I have a discussion with someone about how much the world is changing for the worst. I can't believe how bad it has gotten. My mom was just telling me about something she saw in a popular prime time show that just blew us all away. And so many commercials alone are awful to watch. Maybe it is because we live in Vegas so a lot of the wickedness of the world is on display, but I know it is prevalent everywhere else too, and in everyday life. In her talk, Sheri Dew continually emphasized the importance of being different from the world, from the women of the world. We are women of God who follow Him and that should be obvious in the way we live our lives, the things we watch, even what we wear. She told how important women are to building a faithful home, community, and ultimately the kingdom of God on earth.
But, we are not to believe this. The world tells us that to be successful we are to be like men. Success is measured by our title, our accomplishments, and our body. To be a mother is to just be a mother. What a huge tool in Satan's arsenal! If women are so integral to everything, then of course that is what he will target. He will tell us that fulfillment is outside the home. That we are failures if we are not successful in business or politics. That we are not worthy if we aren't a size 2. That we are chained down if we are at home with our families. If we believe all these things, we will not be fulfilling our role, our purpose. Sheri Dew said that there is a reason we are the center of the home and family. We are given unique characteristics as women - the ability to nurture, serve, be unselfish, be faithful, and others - that give us an immense strength. That strength is what is needed to raise future generations in righteousness and push forward the work of God on earth as women of God, not of the world.
I cannot imagine more joy than I feel about being a mother (okay, that I feel most of the time being a mother!) I cannot in all my thinking imagine anything else that could come close to replicating that feeling. Nothing. Being a woman is definitely a divine calling, one that is uniquely different from any other. Oh how grateful I am to say I am a woman!