I learned so much that night, some of which I can share and some which I would prefer to keep to myself. I was shown how much the Lord loves and honors women. I felt a shaking need inside me witness that the Lord has great blessings in store for me-and those blessings are only accessible to me if I am living in a way that I can receive them.
As I was considering this need to be better, I felt a need to be more... actually just more. A few posts (and a lot of months) ago, I mentioned wanting to return to femininity. I want to focus on becoming a better woman-a better daughter of God. So I am inviting you on my journey. I want to use this blog to share some of the things I am learning.
President James E. Faust once quoted President Heber J. Grant, saying, “The true spirit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives to woman the highest place of honor in human life. To maintain and to merit this high dignity she must possess those virtues which have always, and which will ever, demand the respect and love of mankind … [because] ‘a beautiful and chaste woman is the perfect workmanship of God.” President Faust continues, saying, "It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty."
I am thinking about President Faust's question of if we fully understand the greatness of our gifts. I don't know that I have developed some of these gifts as well as I would like. I am wondering about how femininity is manifested in me-but also how I would LIKE it to be manifested. I want to characterized as kind, resourceful and good (among other things.)
Maybe this is where I start. What does femininity look like for me? I guess when I know where I want to go, I can figure out how to get there.
2 comments:
YES. I love this. So much. And I love that you felt that at Savior of the World. I'm really excited to read all your future posts, too! :) Love you!
I end up with some mixed feelings about femininity. Grandma E was always a lady and I think her brand of femininity is easy for me to recognize and admire. Even people who didn't know her would have figured that out about her in not much time. It is weird to admire that about her and then recognize how different I am and to try to figure out how to feel about it. I remember wanting to chase a greased pig when I was about 13ish years old. One of my brothers stopped me because of the lack of class it would show. I am sure Grandma would not have dreamed of it, whereas I really wanted to try. I am louder, more socially clompy, and I do obnoxious things like show my stretch marks to my favorite 40 people. I once heard someone say that they believed that "God rejoices in the diversity of his daughters." Sometimes I wonder how much of my "diversity" is something to rejoice over and how much effort I should put into being a little more classy. I share these thoughts because what you wrote especially at the end makes me think that you have asked yourself similar types of questions as the ones I have asked myself. Not that you are cloppy the way I am, just that you are trying to define your own version of being a woman. I wish us both luck as we try to figure out our own brand of femininity.
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