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Spring 2004 Season to Strengthen
In This Issue
I have been given the divine calling, in this mortal life, to be the mother of four beautiful, precious daughters. I have witnessed their first breaths as I brought them into this world and I have witnessed the strained breaths of three of those daughters as they have brought their own beautiful children into this world. The wonderful miracle of motherhood is indeed an honor, a privilege and an awesome responsibility. Our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, recently gave an address at the Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting in January 2004. He shared his feelings that we are living in a very difficult season in the history of the world where nothing seems to be sacred anymore. And then, with power in his voice, he addressed the women of the Church: "We call upon the women of the Church to stand together for righteousness. They must begin in their own homes. They can teach it in their classes. They can voice it in their communities. "They must be the teachers and the guardians of their daughters. Those daughters must be taught in the Primary and in the classes of the Young Women of the values of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you save a girl, you save generations. She will grow in strength and righteousness. She will marry in the house of the Lord. She will teach her children the ways of truth. They will walk in her paths and will similarly teach their children. Wonderful grandmothers will be there to lend encouragement.
"I see this as the one bright shining hope in a world
that is We, as women, have been given a call from our prophet....a call to be guardians of our daughters. I have come to learn that if I really want to know the will of my Father in Heaven, I must ponder the guidance that has been given...one step or one word at a time. When President Hinckley issued a call to women to be guardians, I knew that it was my responsibility to know exactly what being a guardian entailed. So I opened my dictionary and found these words to guide me. To be a guardian I am to protect from harm or danger...especially by careful watching. I am to keep secure and to stand watch and act as a sentinel. I am to safeguard. When my children were born an overwhelming feeling of wanting to protect them was born also. Even to this day, my arms want to hold them tight against me and protect them from any harm. When my daughters were laboring in pain giving birth to my grandbabies, I would have given anything to trade places with them and protect them from the pain. Joseph F. Smith said, "I learned in my childhood that no love in all the world can equal the love of a true mother." There is no love greater than the love I have for my children...I would give my life to protect them from physical harm or danger. But, have I given my life to protect them from spiritual harm or danger? When the day has been hectic and I am tired and cranky, have I given my time and energy into preparing a meaningful family home evening or do I crash on the couch thinking that we can reschedule family home evening for another day that hasn't been so busy? Have I been consistent in gathering my family together for family scripture study and family prayer? By careful watching, do I notice when one of my children is struggling spiritually or am I too busy to notice the signs? Do I stand watch as a sentinel.....prepared and ready to fight the evil influences that may come sneaking into my home? Am I so busy in doing GOOD things all day long that I am missing the GREAT things that I must do to be a stalwart guardian of my children? As I have pondered the words of President Hinckley, I realize that he has a great concern for the welfare of our daughters. These precious daughters of God have a divine purpose and calling....just as we, their mothers, have. But, the way of the world is very enticing and without careful, watchful guardians, our daughters....who President Hinckley says are our one bright shining hope....will be led away and generations may follow. I am thankful that I am not left alone to find ways to carry out my assigned call as a guardian. As with anything else that we are asked to do, the Lord will provide the way for us to be able to accomplish that which He has asked us to do. In that same talk, President Hinckley went on to say: "We frequently speak of the strength of the priesthood, and properly so. But we must never lose sight of the strength of the women. It is mothers who set the tone of the home. It is mothers who most directly affect the lives of their children. It is mothers who teach infants to pray, who read to them choice and beautiful literature from the scriptures and other sources. It is mothers who nurture them and bring them up in the ways of the Lord." There are many ways that we can be guardians of our daughters, but, the greatest way that we can influence them is by our own examples. We must live in a way that our daughters will want to follow in our paths. If our attire is not that of modesty, how can we teach modesty to our daughters? If family prayer, scripture study and family home evening is not a priority in our homes, what will instill that priority in our daughters homes? There was once a time when just being together as a family was enough to build good children. But, Satan is more clever now. He has had a lot of time to work on ways to destroy families. He knows that the influence of a righteous woman is enormous and it spans generations. He is targeting our daughters and we have been called to stand watch, to protect, to safeguard...to be their guardians. I rejoice in being a mother and a grandmother. I rejoice in being a woman. I give thanks for the trust that my Father in Heaven must have in me to allow me to cherish and influence these special daughters. I pray that my daughters will speak of me as President Joseph F. Smith spoke of his mother:
"I am at a loss to know how it would be possible for
any one to love children more truly than did my
mother. Her love was life to me, it was
strength, encouragement; it was a love that begot love
or likeness in myself. I knew she loved me with
all her heart and soul. She would toil and
sacrifice herself day and night for temporal comforts
and blessings to provide for and give to her children.
No sacrifice of self...of her time, leisure, pleasure,
or opportunities for rest....was considered for a
moment, when compared with her duty and love to her
children. There are two divine personages that I
can scarcely think or talk about without it softens my
spirit, and brings me down to the similitude of a
little child; and those two beings are my mother and
Deb Cox
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