Everything I Learned About Becoming a Disciple of Christ, I Learned From My Mother

(Here are some excerpts from my talk today in the Lawrence Station Ward- my "welcome to the ward" talk. It was a privilege to get to talk on Mother's Day. The title of my talk indicates how I feel about my mom- she is INCREDIBLE! I only shared some brief lines about her in my talk b/c I got too choked up to say anything else. I am very lucky... as are all of us in the Smith family. Happy Mother's Day mom!)

David O. McKay once said, “The noblest calling in the world is that of mother. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a masterpiece or who can write a book that will influence millions deserves the plaudits and admiration of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will be exerting an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give.

We all have mothers who have blessed our lives or have taught us, whether they are our own mothers, a friend’s mother, a teacher, women in our lives who have exemplified mothering/ nurturing characteristics, or other relatives such as a grandmother, aunt, and so forth. Not only do mothers bear children and nurture and feed them (spiritually and physically), but mothers also teach their children.

Our goal in this life is to prepare ourselves for eternal life by striving to become like Christ “for if we are not like him, we cannot become the sons of God, and be joint heirs with Christ.” Our only hope for eternal life comes through the help of Jesus Christ as well as through our obedience to the gospel.

How can we then become like Christ? We can follow the example of our mothers. I believe one of the greatest things a mother can do is to teach her children- directly and indirectly, to become like Christ and develop a testimony of Christ and his gospel. I also believe that through observing the lives of mothers and the characteristics that they exemplify, that we are able to learn about Christ and how to become more like him. The goal of my talk today is to FIRST talk about some of the characteristics that mothers have/or are developing and how they are similar to Christ’s attributes, and then SECOND I would like to talk about how we all can learn from the examples of these great women to cultivate these characteristics ourselves. After all, we want to become like Christ, so we will each need to cultivate these attributes in order to be exalted.

Attributes:
1. Mothers are loving (similar to how Christ is loving)- We all show love in different ways. Mothers show love through their actions and words- through hugs, kisses, expressions of “I love you” or through serving. Mothers not only serve their own families, but like Christ, mothers look outward and seek to strengthen those around them and cultivate lives of charity. Charity, the “love of Christ” is the Lord’s love for us shown through His acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding. The pure “love of Christ” also refers to our love for the Savior. Mothers not only show us how to be loving to others but they lead us to be more loving and more Christ-like through their example.

(story about Grandma Brown)

Elaine Cannon has said, “A woman’s significant role is that of being an influence wherever she is. It is her role not only to give life, but to shape life.”

So, as we look at the Christ-like examples of our mothers, how can we become more loving/more charitable?

a. We can love those around us and look for the good in them
- Elder Marvin J. Ashton beautifully observed: “Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.”

b. We can show appreciation for our family/friends
- In a recent conference address, Elder Russel M. Nelson also recommended that married couples (and I would generalize this to all family/friend relationships) work to strengthen their relationships by showing appreciation to one another, saying “thank you” and “I love you.”

c. We can serve others
My mom is a great example to me of service. Several years ago she began taking time each week to deliver meals on wheels to elderly residents in our community. After awhile she also began volunteering at SAGE, our town’s eldercare organization that provides tons of services to older adults and helps them to stay in their homes for as long as they can. She participated in daily activities with the clients, did shopping for them, and helped organize trainings for families and caregivers. Now after several years of her volunteer work, she is serving as the president of the board of trustees. Many hours of each day are devoted to serving these older adults and running the organization, hiring staff members, doing finances, etc. and yet she still volunteers several times a week to drive around and drop off meals on wheels or go shopping for the clients. I wonder sometimes when she sleeps, because she also spends hours serving members of our ward, sending weekly (if not daily) packages off to my brother on his mission in England, teaching a crazy group of teenagers in Sunday School, calling her daughters or visiting them, and also traveling with her husband on various assignments that he has for church. I often ask myself, how can I be more like my mom? She believes that when you are in the “service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God…” and she loves serving God. Just like my mom, we can become more like Christ by finding opportunities to serve and bless the lives of others.

2. Mothers lead their children in righteousness
Sister Sheri L. Dew
“As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation. How will our young women learn to live as women of God unless they see what women of God look like, meaning what we wear, watch, and read; how we fill our time and our minds; how we face temptation and uncertainty; where we find true joy; and why modesty and femininity are hallmarks of righteous women? How will our young men learn to value women of God if we don’t show them the virtue of our virtues?

Every one of us has an overarching obligation to model righteous womanhood because our youth may not see it anywhere else. Every sister in Relief Society, which is the most significant community of women on this side of the veil, is responsible to help our young women make a joyful transition into Relief Society. This means our friendship with them must begin long before they turn 18. Every one of us can mother someone—beginning, of course, with the children in our own families but extending far beyond. Every one of us can show by word and by deed that the work of women in the Lord’s kingdom is magnificent and holy. I repeat: We are all mothers in Israel, and our calling is to love and help lead the rising generation through the dangerous streets of mortality.

Few of us will reach our potential without the nurturing of both the mother who bore us and the mothers who bear with us.”

Just like mothers can help lead the rising generation, each of us can help lead with our examples. Some ways that I thought of that can help us do this better is through
1. Working daily to develop our own testimonies through prayer and scripture study
2. Magnify our callings (as teachers, leaders, etc.) and strive to get to know ward members.

(story of Br. McComber teaching Scotter's Sunday School class- magnifying his calling)

I believe as we follow the examples of mothers and we love and lead our families, friends, and other members of the gospel, we will become more like Christ. I am grateful for the example of my mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers, aunts, etc. that have taught me how to become a better disciple of Christ. I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ because of their influence. I know that as we look for the good in others, show appreciation for one another, and serve others that we can develop charity. I also know that as we read the scriptures and magnify our callings, our testimonies will grow and we will be led by the spirit to become better members of our church.