…go to our updated site at mormonwoman.org

At one point or another, most of us reach a point in our lives when we know that we don’t know enough to make the decisions we need to make. It is at these times when prayer and personal guidance (revelation) from God are such a blessing and necessity. Although prayers aren’t always answered when or how we want them to be, we know that they are heard, and that they are answered, in God’s own way and in his own time. Usually, answers come through feelings of peace, clarity, and confidence. Sometimes, ideas can come into our minds. Sometimes, figurative doors open in our lives that let us know that God is involved and is guiding our path.

Hear one woman’s experience with receiving guidance and answers to her prayers when she was at a crossroads in her life. This video is entitled, “Does God answer my questions?”

Another woman shares how she found answers to her questions through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and through seeking God’s direction to know if she should join the Church.

It’s important to remember that not all answers — not even those about the gospel and its truthfulness — come immediately to everyone. A valuable part of the process of building a relationship with God is learning how He communicates with you. If you have struggled wondering when and if God will ever answer your prayer (which has been a struggle for most of us at some time or another), consider the following experience of one of the past presidents of the Church (as shared by Elder Robert D. Hales in a recent General Conference talk about receiving direction and guidance from God):

These miracles come to us as we endure what the scriptures call a “trial of [our] faith.” Sometimes that trial is the time it takes before an answer is received. When President David O. McKay was a young man herding cattle, he sought a witness, but it did not come until many years later while serving his mission in Scotland. He said, “It was a manifestation for which as a doubting youth I had secretly prayed . . . on hillside and in meadow. It was an assurance to me that sincere prayer is answered ‘sometime, somewhere’ ” ⁽Quoted in Francis M. Gibbons, David O. McKay: Apostle to the World, Prophet of God (1986), 50).

Through the Church’s organization for women, the Relief Society (the largest women’s organization in the world), we as Mormon women feel a connection with each other as a worldwide sisterhood. Our lives, personalities, talents, challenges, and opportunites may differ, but our faith in Jesus Christ and our desire to serve and reach out to others binds us together.

For more on this topic, please see the following links:

A Worldwide Sisterhood (The article summary reads: “Sisters from five different continents give us glimpses of what Relief Society’s mission means to them.”)
Our Diversity, Our Sisterhood
Remember Him through a Loving Sisterhood and Strengthening Our Sisterhood by Listening and Trusting (these are examples of avisiting teaching messages — we as Mormon women each visit a few sisters every month to discuss topics such as these, to build friendship and sisterhood, and to watch over and care for each other)
Barbara B. Smith: The Bonds of Sisterhood
LaRene Porter Gaunt: Welcome to Relief Society

You can also browse the following links on our website:
Relief Society

Eliza R. Snow on the Spirit

I had a visiting teaching appointment last night. As is often the case, I was rushed to get things done for my family, get myself presentable, and prepare the lesson. But reading the message almost stopped me in my tracks. It helped me remember the tremendous blessing that the Spirit can be in our lives. I was moved by all of the excerpts, but particularly appreciated this from Sister Eliza R. Snow:

When you are filled with the Spirit of God, … that [Spirit] satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart, and fills up every vacuum. When I am filled with that spirit my soul is satisfied. … The Spirit of God will impart instruction to your minds, and you will impart it to each other. … Remember that you are Saints of God; and that you have important works to perform in Zion” (Woman’s Exponent, Sept. 15, 1873, 62).

I wonder sometimes if we look in the wrong places and in the wrong ways when we feel spiritually unsatisfied, or have an unfulfilled ache in our hearts. There is so much in life that has a tendency to throw us off spiritually: illness, financial troubles, doctrinal questions, relationship struggles, worry about wayward family members, mourning, unfulfilled dreams…. The list could go on and on. I loved that Sister Snow said that the Spirit “satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart” and “fills up every vacuum” (emphasis added). I have to ask myself: Do I trust that the Spirit can help me that much? How often do I expect my voids to be filled by someone’s choices, or prayers answered according to my will, or receiving understanding (now!) about the ‘whys’ of life? Do I believe that I can find peace and strength along the way, regardless of what is happening in my life?

I have heard a quote by Brigham Young that basically said that we live far beneath our privileges when it comes to the Holy Ghost. Reading this quote by Eliza R. Snow seems to validate that teaching. She has motivated me to (“put my trust in [the] Spirit”) more!

“I can be married forever?” — Debbie shares her feelings about the knowledge that her marriage can last beyond “’til death do you part”

Relief Society is the Church’s organization for women. It is the largest organization for women in the world.

A recent article summarized how Sister Julie Beck, the general (worldwide) president of this organization, describes Relief Society:

“[R]egardless of the roles [women in the Church currently fill in their lives], each woman has in common the opportunity to be a part of an organization that teaches how to build faith in Jesus Christ, encourages study and self-improvement, emphasizes the divine worth of women, exercises charity and service, strengthens families and creates a system of support and friendship.”

For more on this topic, please see the following links:

President Thomas S. Monson: The Spirit of Relief Society
lds.org index entry on Relief Society
Relief Society Program Strengthens Mormon Women (“[Sister Julie] Beck [the general president of the Relief Society] says that regardless of the roles, each woman has in common the opportunity to be a part of an organization that teaches how to build faith in Jesus Christ, encourages study and self-improvement, emphasizes the divine worth of women, exercises charity and service, strengthens families and creates a system of support and friendship.”)
More Church newsroom articles on women and Relief Society can be found here

Sometimes when we are struggling and suffering, we may feel that God is not aware of us, or doesn’t care, or is too far away to access. Most of us have probably felt that way at one time or another.

The truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ help us have faith in times like this. They help us remember that God is there.

Hear one woman’s experience with her trials and finding the peace of the gospel after losing her husband on 9/11. This video is entitled “Does God care about my suffering?”

Here is another video about how God really knows and loves us, and that our lives have purpose.

Marriage is a central doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Mormon Women, we receive much counsel about the importance of marriage, the necessity to defend and sustain the institution of marriage, and nurturing marriage relationships.

There are many forces in the world today working against this important element in God’s plan for His children. People are significantly postponing marriage, or not getting married at all. Some want to redefine marriage to include same-sex relationships. Some have limited marriage relationships to not include children. Divorce is rampant, as is abuse and other ills that poison potentially loving relationships. And even the busyness of life can cause marriages to fizzle and fade into the background of other things that just aren’t as important.

We rejoice in the truths that we are taught about marriage and family, and the counsel we receive regarding these eternally-important relationships. Embracing these truths changes our lives for the better, and brings a greater measure of joy than we could ever have otherwise.

We should note that we repeatedly hear the recognition that some women, through no fault of their own, will not have an opportunity to marry in this life. Others may have marriage situations that are less than ideal. We are counseled to do all we can to strive for the ideal, to trust in God, and to be obedient and faithful. With that counsel, prophets of God have declared that no blessing will be denied those who receive and are true to eternal covenants. The greatest blessings God has to offer are tied to eternal family relationships. We can all hold to those promises, regardless of what our current family situations may be.

You can also search http://www.lds.org or mormon.org, or browse our website on the following topics:

Family
Purpose of Life
Temple
Covenants
Eternal Perspective

For more on this topic, please see the following links:

Hugh W. Pinnock: Ten Characteristics of an Educated Person

Katherine Padilla, My Stay-at-Home Education (one woman’s perspective on how “choosing to stay home with your children doesn’t mean stopping your own progress”

For more on this topic, please see the following links:

Elder David B. Haight: Faith, Devotion, and Gratitude (audio link)