On Saturday morning Julie B. Beck, General Relief Society President of the Church, came to speak to 6 stakes in American Fork. What a treat that was. I was amazed by her once again. Her husband started by introducing her and bearing his testimony. You can tell that he is a real character. He said that he had been to most every speech she has given...except one time he missed because it was in the middle of the Superbowl.
She began by talking to us about the craziness of life and our priorities. She said that we are ordinary people who have been given monstrous responsibilities. She said that we can all think of someone else more qualified, but that is why we must pray and when we do Heavenly Father "illuminates our path". She also talked about the purpose of Relief Society...it is to: increase our faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and seek out those in need. She later went on to take questions from the audience. I was amazed at her ease and grace and kindness and boldness in answering those questions. She was able to turn to the scriptures to answer each one. Truly an amazing example.
Here are a few of my favorite bits from her talk:
"Relief Society is a way of life, the way the Lord determined to organize his daughters."
"We are not in the entertainment business, we are in the business of salvation."
"Blogs weren't created to waste time or neglect children. Use them to lead and influence for good."
"Little things we do to build the kingdom are big things."
"My biggest concern for the women of the Church is that our priorities are not always aligned with the Lord."
"We must guard against anger, apathy and entitlement."
"We must focus on the essential things everyday for us to gain eternal life: covenants, serving, scriptures, prayer, revelation. I had one woman ask me, 'Do you really expect me to read my scriptures every day?' I responded, 'I expect nothing, that is what the Lord expects."
"We must become self-reliant spiritually and temporally so we can build the kingdom of God."
"Moms must provide the spirit, order and preparation of the home. We must know what the most important time of the day is in our home so we can be prepared to be at our best when our children need it most."
"We must live with intention and precision."
