When
I was a little girl, I decided I wanted to be a vet. I wanted to heal. But then
I realised by the great age of 11, that what I actually wanted, and indeed felt
a strong need to be was a doctor. So I worked really hard at school. I did all
my assignments, my class work, and I studied really hard. So by the time I
finished school, I was able to apply to university to study medicine.
Now,
don’t for a moment think that all of this was dead easy. It would have been so
much easier to take an easy ride to get through school and perhaps, have chosen
not to even finish school.
The
Lord has in fact commanded us to study, to gain knowledge, which we will take
with us into the next life.
It’s
all too easy to believe that the responsibility to study and to be able to
provide for one’s family is the responsibility of men. But we’ve moved into a
different era. Most of the sisters here are working women. The thing is, are we
all that we can be? Are we gaining wisdom with our knowledge, and more
importantly, as we gain wisdom and knowledge, are we growing spiritually? There
is no commandment given to us by the Lord that is not spiritual. Our spiritual
gifts have been foretold, but we need to choose to seek for them.
Mother Eve had a very difficult decision to
make in the Garden of Eden. If she didn’t partake of the fruit of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, the human race would not have been able to go
forward. She needed the gift of discernment to realise that that difficult
choice was necessary.
The
Lord has commanded us to get all the education that we can. The prophets and
apostles have emphasised the importance of this and specifically directed to
the women of the Church “that we make no distinction between young men and
young women in our conviction about the importance of an education.”
Prophetic
counsel to women has repeated the benefits of education in case of being called
upon to become the sole bread winners in the home. Indeed, even if both husband
and wife are employed, there may be times when the wife is in a situation to
earn better that the husband. That is no bad indication that the husband is
doing his part, but her qualifications may allow it to be so. Or there may be
illness or injury that prevent the husband from earning. In a situation like
that, if the wife is not well educated the family will suffer.
President
Russell M. Nelson has said “Your mind is precious. It is sacred. Therefore the
education of one’s mind is also sacred. Indeed, education is a religious
responsibility. In light of this celestial perspective, if you cut short your education;
you would not only disregard a divine decree, but also abbreviate your eternal
potential” close quote
Our
learning is of value not only if we become mothers, church leaders or community
activists. We are of value because of our divine heritage and because that will
one day be our divine inheritance. Our value is intrinsic, it is essential
President
Henry B Eyring has said that “part of the tragedy that you must avoid is to
discover too late that you missed an opportunity to prepare for a future only
God could see for you.” Close quote
That
could have happened to me. When I had Shelly I was still studying, and I was
tormented by the feeling that I should stop my studies to be a full time
stay-at-home mom. That that would be the best thing for my children. That.was a
righteous desire, but at that time our stake was being formed and Elder L. Tom
Perry was the apostle who came out to do this. He interviewed the priesthood
holders in the stake to see who the Lord inspired him to call to the positions
of leadership in the new stake. Les was one of those interviewed, and he took
the opportunity to ask Elder Perry about our situation, asking for guidance
regarding whether I should leave university to devote all my time to my
children or not. Elder Perry directed him that I should definitely continue and
complete my degree. I agonised over this long and hard, wanting to be the best
mother I could be. Hopefully, however, I was able to make a difference in the
lives of the patients who I was given the opportunity of serving and who came
to mean so much to me. And doing my best with the help of the Spirit’s guidance
in bringing up our children in the best way I felt able to do. Without my
employment, I wouldn’t have been able to earn well enough for us to be in a
position to make investments, so that when my health deteriorated some 10 years
ago, it meant that we had been able to invest sufficiently to survive and
retire with what we needed.
Not
every woman needs to get a university education to make that difference to
society or her family or, even to herself. But there are ways to get an
education, such as Pathway, provided by the church through which you can get an
education which will make you more employable and increase your skills in your
work place, as well as increasing your spiritual growth. You may also find out
from your employers what learning opportunities they may provide. All of these
different opportunities will enable you to have satisfying and productive
employment. You can live your dreams.
President
Nelson has said that “the church needs your strength, your, conversion, your
conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom and your voices. The kingdom of
God is not and cannot be complete without women who can speak with the power
and authority of God. He continues: I plead with my sisters of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints to step forward! To take your rightful place
in your home, in your community, and in the Kingdom of God –more than you ever
had before. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will magnify your influence in an
unprecedented way” end quote.
A
Pakistani education advocate (whose name I cannot pronounce), whose daughter,
Malala joined his fight for the education of women in the face of Taliban rule
– a difficult societal norm. Said that for a woman to enrol in school means
recognition of her identity and her name. Admission in a school means that she
has entered in the world of dreams and aspirations where she can explore her
potentials for her future life. He said that people ask him what is special
about his mentorship which has made Malala so bold and so courageous and so
vocal and so poised. He tells them, ‘Don’t ask me what I did. Ask what I did
not do. I did not clip her wings, and that’s all’.
There
are some thoughts in my talk which have been inspired by a talk given by Eva
Witesman, associate professor, BYU Marriott School of Business.
May
we all realise the value of our women and our education and never get in our
way. Sisters, never give up and never settle for less than you can be.
In
the name of Jesus Christ.
