Lesson for March 19, 2017

Today our lesson was given by Maggie Kopp on chapter 5 of the Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, “Daughters of God.” Yesterday, Maggie went to a funeral of a family friend--in-laws--she always made the family feel welcome and stepped in to help. It was fun to see how big an impact she made. Maggie asked about women we admire. Some of them we can be like and some not, but we can always try to be like them Some sisters talked about a mother or grandmother who had positive attributes that we can look up to. This week is the 175th anniversary of the Relief Society. The General Presidency invited us to think of our eternal role as a daughter of God, to know we are valued, and that we are sisters. So, our identity, our purpose, our examples of other female disciples, and our value. The women in our lives who inspire us. How have they helped us to become a better disciple. Diana Barker said that as she grew up she knew a woman who went on a mission and it inspired her to go on a mission. Lisa Anderson said she had a missionary companion who always believed Lisa was the best she could be and it inspired her to be better. Our identity as a daughter of God is basic. We sing I am a Child of God and it is explained in Church, but how does it give us strength. Emily Campbell said that she knows that if she is here and has things to do, so she will be able to do them. Another sister said it makes her feel special that she has qualities from someone who is so great. There is so much more to us than people think We have a spark of divinity. It helps us to treat others different from how we would otherwise. We should remember who we are at all times and who others are. It helps us not beat them up. If Heavenly Father loves them, too, then maybe we can, too. We can reflect on being patient, agreeable. We can know that Heavenly Father can take care of our loved ones, so we don’t need to be as worried about them. Joseph Smith said that if we live up to our promises, we can expect blessings The Relief Society reflects the relief we can receive if we are ill or need help. We are all each others’ blankets and the sisters wrap you up. It is the place where you can learn life skills. The community we have that enfold us. We can move anywhere in the world and go to Church and have friends and even babysitters. In our history, we learned that Godhood also meant womanhood, so our history is that we can do great things. We can take care of others, get an education, teach others, build cities, take care of our families, and a knowledge of people on the other side who are interested in us. In this life, we are the ministering angels in our spheres. President Hinckley said tremendous is our faith and great is our work. Rise to the great potential in us and don’t nag ourselves or beat ourselves up with our failures. How does that help us become more like our Savior? As we serve others and do our visiting teaching, we become more Christlike. The Relief Society is there to assist us, teach us, love us.