A Women Praying in General Conference

General Conference was amazing as usual. I loved all of the talks given. I have taken General Conference for granted most of my life. It wasn't serious until I met Kyle when I started to take it seriously and listen to the counsel given by the Lords appointed. When I introduced him to the church, I told him about the famous semiannual event, and he thought it was the coolest thing.  I then began to change my viewpoint about it, and listened to the wise words of our General Authorities.

I had the privilege to attend the Saturday morning session of the 183rd General Conference. I was so excited and felt the spirit the whole drive there! The talks were all amazing, but the one that spoke to me the most was Sister Dalton's talk on women and their virtue. She quoted "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us and we love Him." from the Young Women's theme. From the time I was 12, this has been stuck in my head and I have NEVER felt oppressed by men or unequal in the eyes of God. As soon as conference was finished, a women behind me said, "Well there it is! The first woman to pray in a General Conference. My life is complete!" Yes, that is verbatim. I immediately became discouraged. Why would you focus on just that, out of all the wonderful talks and words of wisdom that were just given to you? My favorite quote that morning was this. "Our daily contributions of nurturing, teaching and care-giving and caring for others may seem mundane, diminished, difficult and demeaning at times. And yet, as we remember that first line in the Young Women theme, 'We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us...' it will make all the difference in our relationships and our responses." -Sister Dalton

Some people in the church are making a huge deal out of the fact that a woman prayed in conference. To be honest, as a woman, I don't understand it. Why does the gender of a benediction or invocation matter?  Isn't it the words within the prayer that count? I think Sister Dalton put a woman's value very well in the following quote. "We must never lose sight of the strength of the women. It is mothers who most directly effect the lives of their children. It is mothers who nurture them and bring them up in the ways of the Lord. Their influence is paramount. They are the creators of life. They are the nurturers of children. They are the teachers of young women. They are our indispensable companions. They are our co-workers in building the kingdom of God. How great is their role, how marvelous their contribution." I feel empowered by this statement. 

Why must we focus on the gender of a benediction rather than the wisdom from witnesses of Christ? Because some of us are seeking equality from the wrong source. Some woman are seeking acceptance or equality from man rather than God. I think Elder Cook summed this up in one simple statement. "For those who reject God, there is no peace." Instead of wanting to be equal to man in the eyes of God, they throw God out of the equation. The majority of the uproar are coming from women within the church. So let us break this down. 

                          

If women seek equality from men, they will never be satisfied. That is a promise. Why? Because they do not give it. How can they? What can they honestly do? They do not have the power to comfort you in the ways God can. Equality comes from God. God see's us all, men and women, equally. I have a testimony of this. I firmly believe that something as good as a prayer can be perverted by the contentious spirit of Satan. Satan's spirit has turned this (for some) into a power struggle. Something as holy as a prayer. I encourage those who struggle with this feeling of oppression to turn to the Lord and not to man. Turn to Him and He will comfort in the ways you need. 

I have felt nothing but loved and blessed being a woman in this church. Being a wife in His holy bond of marriage. Preparing to be a mother. These are blessings that I am privileged to obtain. Let us not focus on something as simple as the gender of a benediction/invocation. Let us focus on the message within the prayer and more importantly on the message  of the talks given through divine inspiration!