One of my goals for 2014:
"Contemplate finding what my womanhood means as a Latter-day Saint--Contemplate, research, write, and discuss."
Let's get the discussion going. (:
As a woman, I've longed for understanding my entire life. I've ached for the outside societal voices to hush, the religious cultural whispers to cease, the self blame and doubt to melt away. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, it was easy defining myself based on certain men's choices. It was easy placing blame on myself. It was easy looking at other women and comparing myself.
I still have hope that can stop. I have faith it can be done, for myself and other women, both Latter-day Saints, and not. It is imperative I find and grab hold of my divine worth as a woman.
My mother sat across from me on her bed just a few weeks ago. She said, "You're a feminist." Her eyebrows were raised and I blushed. Someday I'd love to be a Young Women's leader. I'd love to help girls think about the temple in regards to a relationship with God, rather than being worthy solely for a man. I wish I could have a re-do with some bishops as a teenager, who left a bad taste in my mouth toward patriarchy for years. But repentance and sincere humility does things--it changes your heart.
I'd love to apply the Atonement to my life in searching for my identity as a woman.The areas I'd like to focus my thoughts on throughout the year:
- Mother Eve
- The Historiography of Relief Society's Past and Present
- Changing Your Heart
- Temple Worthiness For You First
- A Woman's Testimony
- Loving Your Spirit and Your Body
- Career and Marriage
I hope you'll join me on my journey this year. This itch won't go away. I'd love for your thoughts, ponderings, opinions, and experiences. I love you.
"I desire the Spirit of God to know and understand myself, that I might be able to overcome whatever tradition or nature that would not tend to my exaltation in the eternal worlds. I desire a fruitful, active mind, that I may be able to comprehend the designs of God, when revealed through His servants without doubting."
-Emma Smith, First President of the Relief Society
1 comment:
I have been blessed with beautiful daughters and I remember my years of beauty in my youth. I was in my thirties when I discovered that physical beauty can be more of a curse to a woman's self image than plainness or even ugliness. With beaity comes attention and the opening of doors
It means dates and parties and dances and the expectation of happiness and an easy life. Because physical beauty is obvious it is first to be recognized and remarked upon. One comes to expect it, crave it, and define onesself by it, and because beauty comes mostly through the happenstance of a positive combination of genes, one cannot claim one's success through talent or hard work. It came easily, without effort and therefore is of less merit.
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