In October 2018, our prophetPresident Russell M. Nelson made it clear how essential women are in building the Kingdom of God, telling the sisters, “We need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices.”
In celebration of International Women's Day, we’ve collected other empowering messages from general conferences talks, devotionals, and women’s conferences that celebrate the divinity and influence of women everywhere and in every circumstance.
"Sisters, we were indeed born for such a time as this. We came trailing abilities and assignments from our premortal existence. And the truth about finding our mission is this: Because we love the Lord and have faith in Him, we want to be obedient to Him. We want to do whatever He asks us to do. We are willing and happy to be, as Paul described himself, 'a prisoner of Jesus Christ' (Philemon 1:1). It is our obedience to the Lord that positions us to fill the measure of our creation. The more obedient we are to Him, the more we grow into our true selves, and the more we are able to do what we came here to do. Increasingly impeccable obedience is key to finding our missions."
"There is nothing more vital to our success and our happiness here than learning to hear the voice of the Spirit. It is the Spirit who reveals to us our identity—which isn’t just who we are but who we have always been. And that when we know, our lives take on a sense of purpose so stunning that we can never be the same again."
"As daughters of God we are each unique and different in our circumstances and experiences. And yet our part matters—because we matter. Our daily contributions of nurturing, teaching, 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."
"Latter-day Saint women are courageous, particularly when they have been emboldened by the knowledge that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and that He will qualify us to do the work that lies before us. Once we know what God wants us to do, we are fully capable of following the counsel of President Hinckley to 'sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to . . . train [our] minds and hands to become an influence for good as [we] go forward with [our] lives.' We will seek every good gift in the service of our God. All we ask is that others not stand in our way as we pursue the Lord’s errand."
"My dear sisters, whatever your calling, whatever your circumstances, we need your impressions, your insights, and your inspiration. We need you to speak up and speak out in ward and stake councils. We need each married sister to speak as 'a contributing and full partner' as you unite with your husband in governing your family. Married or single, you sisters possess distinctive capabilities and special intuition you have received as gifts from God. We brethren cannot duplicate your unique influence."
"We must stop concentrating on our differences and look for what we have in common; then we can begin to realize our greatest potential and achieve the greatest good in this world. Sister Marjorie P. Hinckley once said, 'Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young. And, hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old. It is a sociological fact that women need women. We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other.' Sister Hinckley was right; oh, how we need each other!"
Find other empowering and inspiring messages in At the Pulpit, which contains fifty-four discourses given by Latter-day Saint women throughout the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, available at Deseret Book stores and on deseretbook.com.
