At times I have wondered if women’s roles and responsibilities – and women themselves – are less important to God since they are mentioned relatively infrequently in scripture. But I know that can’t be true because I feel the Lord’s love and esteem for me and for all His daughters. Still I wonder if the gospel could not be taught just as well through the perspectives and experiences of women along with those of men. When I pray and ask Father in Heaven to help me understand why the scriptures are the way they are, He first reminds me that He is perfectly just. There is no injustice in Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, so when something in God’s plan seems unfair to me it is because of my limited perspective. Then the Lord reminds me that He does not rate importance the same way the world does. He tells us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). The world equates worldly prominence and recognition with importance, but that is not the Lord’s way. Every knee did not bow to the Son of God during His mortal life – that comes later (Isaiah 45:23). So women who follow His way should not be surprised if we do not receive full recognition for our work here in mortality, important though it may be.
Another lesson comes from remembering the purpose of scripture: “But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31, 1 Nephi 19:18, preface to Book of Mormon). The Lord makes it very clear that all people are invited to receive this gift of life through Christ: “He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). Though many righteous people and their significant responsibilities are recorded in scripture, the ultimate purpose of scripture is not to honor them over those who are not mentioned; it is to persuade us all to believe in and be saved through Christ. Our ultimate goal is not to have a place in scripture; it is to receive eternal life, which is the greatest of God’s gifts (D&C 66:12, Romans 6:23), the ultimate happiness (Moses 5:11) and the goal of the plan of salvation (Moses 1:39). The Spirit confirms that the relatively few references to women in scripture do not mean that women are less righteous or less important than men in accomplishing God’s work.
The Lord also reminds me that He has given women the gift of being especially sensitive to nuance and to the Spirit. As mothers learn to keep one part of their mind listening for the waking cry of a sleeping baby, they also cultivate their ability to always have one part of their mind listening for the guidance of the Holy Ghost. As mothers develop their capacity to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of their children – even when those needs are not expressed verbally – they also nurture their gift of being sensitive and responsive to the promptings of the Spirit – even when that inspiration is not expressed in words. These gifts help us understand truths even when they are not spelled out plainly or repeatedly, and they more than compensate for the extra work we have to do to apply male perspectives and experiences in scripture to our own lives.
As I study the scriptures for subtle confirmations of God’s appreciation and honor for women and their responsibilities, I find plenty of evidence. The Lord established the importance of righteous wives and mothers in the life of the prophet Abraham, who sent a trusted servant far away to find a faithful woman to be the wife of the chosen son, Isaac. When this servant prayed for a sign to identify the right woman, the Lord acknowledged the importance of his task by guiding Rebekah to fulfill the sign (Genesis 24). Through Isaac and Rebekah the covenant promises of the Lord to Abraham were and continue to be fulfilled. It feels very significant to me that Jesus’ mother was given a place in Nephi’s vision about the love of God (1 Nephi 11). She stood as a first witness of God’s love, just as mothers have throughout history and continue to do today. Though we do not find much information about their mothers, we see that the miracles that blessed the 2,000 stripling warriors occurred because of the foundation of faith and obedience laid by these faithful women (Alma 56:47-48, Alma 57:21).
Many confirmations of God’s respect for womanhood and much guidance on how to fulfill our roles come from the example of Jesus during His mortal ministry. The book of John has been described as God’s love letter to His children, and I feel this especially applies to His daughters. John records that the “beginning of miracles” occurred in response to a request from Jesus’ mother, Mary. It is helpful to note the clarification from Joseph Smith about Jesus’ response to her request, “Woman, what wilt thou have me do for thee? that will I do; for mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4, Joseph Smith Translation). Surely the One who gave the commandment to honor both father and mother (Exodus 20:12) would speak to His own mother with great respect. Can you imagine how noble and revered the word ‘woman’ must sound when He speaks it? Mary Magdalene was honored to stand as the first mortal witness of Christ's resurrection at the completion of the Atonement, the most significant event to occur in all of history (John 20:11-18). John’s teachings on the importance of charity, or Godly love, gain greater meaning for women when we remember that the prophet Mormon used a female pronoun to describe charity (Moroni 7:45), and the motto of the church’s organization for women is ‘Charity Never Faileth.’ When we enlist the guidance of the Holy Ghost and search the scriptures for the Lord’s perspective on women, He will guide us to truths we have not noticed before. While the scriptural references to women may seem small and simple (Alma 37:6), the Lord through His Spirit is prepared to make up for the lack of detail and truly bring about great things in the hearts and lives of His beloved daughters.
