Sabbath Devotional :: Relief Society and MWEG: Conduits for Learning and Accessing His Power to Do Good Work

I am a stake advisor in a YSA stake. In January, I had the fantastic opportunity of teaching Relief Society in one of our wards, comprised of members in the older YSA age range (26-35). I was asked to talk about what Relief Society means to me, which sounded easy enough. However, I have to admit that I’ve had mixed feelings about certain aspects over the years, especially as a young biracial woman from New York City who joined the Church in her early 20s without having grown up in any church. For many years I did not feel like I belonged; I was too different. And as the daughter of a prosecuting attorney mom, “Homemaking” did not resonate. In fact, I often felt bad about myself after those meetings. As I prepared my lesson, I decided that I needed to better understand the history and purpose of Relief Society to facilitate a meaningful discussion among the sisters. I also needed to check in with myself to see if I have been availing myself of the blessings of this sisterhood.

Through my study of the origins and purpose of the Relief Society, I now have a whole new appreciation for Relief Society as a divinely inspired organization. I am grateful for the incredibly faithful, intelligent and capable women of the early Church in Nauvoo who saw many needs and sought to organize themselves in order to address those needs at a time when women could not vote. I better appreciate the influence and inspiration that Relief Society has on the work women do in other parts of their lives. Today we see women of faith, with enormous capacity, committed to serving others, organizing in myriad ways like our Church foremothers. I know that women can tap into God’s power as they do the quotidian work of mortality and as they aim to grow toward exaltation.

Daily, women everywhere pursue interests, develop talents, care for families, work demanding jobs, become ever more educated, serve others, protect democracy, root out racism, and endeavor to be peacemakers. Additionally, many hope and strive to return to Heavenly Parents. On the day The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was organized, President Emma Smith remarked, “we are going to do something extraordinary. . . we expect extraordinary occasions and pressing calls.” The women of MWEG ARE extraordinary and we DO respond to the pressing calls of the day.

Because of all we have to do at home, in our communities, at Church and at work, and as we bring our values to the public square, I am grateful that we have the ability to access God’s power, even priesthood power, and that there are several ways to do so. After my lesson in Relief Society I now know in a deeper way that I need His help, grace and forgiveness to tackle what’s on my plate, and that Relief Society can be a conduit for me to learn more deeply about the Savior, His gospel and the covenants I can make with God. By developing a covenantal relationship with God, and working shoulder-to-shoulder with faithful, intelligent, capable women who are intent on serving their brothers and sisters on both sides of the veil, I can be empowered to do good work and hard things by accessing His power and being yoked with His Son. I believe that the spirit of Relief Society inspires and informs the work we sisters do in MWEG.

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Deirdre Straight is the UROR Advocacy Director at Mormon Women for Ethical Government.

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