I recently read a wonderful talk given by the sweet and ever praiseworthy Gordon B Hinckley, given at the October 1989 Women’s meeting. I love President Hinckley! He always had a special place for the women of the church in his heart. In his talk “Rise to the Stature of the Divinity within You”, President Hinckley issued three challenges for us to strive to live by. He said, “ I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. Please don’t nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept of your effort.”
The challenges he left us with were to first, “educate your hands and your minds. Train yourselves to make a contribution to the society in which you will live. Whether it is applied to earning a living or not, education is an investment that never ceases to pay dividends of one kind or another.”
Having been a student for the last 8 years of my life and working through my master’s program during this time, I have come to learn the value of education, whether you get in a classroom, or just through life’s experiences. A woman who is educated holds the keys in her hands to change the world.
Second, President Hinckley asked us to “keep marriage and motherhood in their true perspective.” Not everyone will have the opportunity to be married in this life. But we can always prepare for it by educating ourselves and becoming women of virtue. We can become women who are attractive in word and deed.
Third, he suggested that we walk with prayer and faith, with charity and love. “Our Father in Heaven has endowed His daughters with a unique and wonderful capacity to reach out to those in distress, to bring comfort and succor, to bind up the wounds and heal the aching heart. Sisters, rise to the stature of that divinity.”
In my life I have been inspired by the many women of the church, throughout history and in today’s time, that dedicate themselves to living up to their divine potential. I have met young girls just barely 18 who have read through the Book of Mormon several times, dedicated themselves to study and earnest prayer, and are now serving full-time missions for the church. Serving a mission is a heavy task that requires so much giving. To be so devoted and so in tune with the spirit at that age truly is something worth noting.
I am impressed with young women entrepreneurs that have started their own businesses and are helping support their families from home or in their own offices. I am impressed with older women who offer their time and service to the world in serving full-time missions with their husbands and even by themselves if they are not married. I feel that every woman out there is full of talent and potential to truly shape this world!
I recently met an inspiring woman named Julie Farley from Spokane, Washington. Julie helped me come up with a project to assist women in my local area. From her words and the spirit from heaven, I created a 12 months of giving project called “The Divine Nature Project”. “The Divine Nature Project” is an effort to build confidence and empower women by providing them with beauty items that they would not other wise be able to have or afford. Julie Farley is the developer of “Project Beauty Share” in Spokane, Washington. I spoke with her and asked her how I could help contribute to her non-profit. Her suggestion to me was, “go out and help the women in your community. Make a difference where you are and get others to follow.” Thus the emergence of “The Divine Nature Project”.
So, for 12 months, I will be gathering beauty supplies and items from anyone interested in donating to this cause. At the end of every month, I will be making beauty gift bags to deliver to local women’s shelters. I am excited for this new year’s project, and hope to be able to inspire others to “lift where they stand” and find ways to build their own community this year! I truly believe that women are one of God’s most precious creations and we do need to rise to the divinity within! One thing I know every girl wants to hear is that “she is beautiful”! It certainly is something we are not told enough! Hopefully, with “The Divine Nature Project”, people who do not get told they are divine and beautiful often, if ever, will have the chance to feel that way-even if just for a moment!
You can join the project or follow and see how to start your own project at: https://www.facebook.com/divinenatureproject/. Rise to the divinity within you sisters! But make sure you bring someone up with you!
I am a wanderlust spirit who dreams of seeing every country! I love humanitarian work and hope to one day have my own self-sustaining nonprofit organization. I love to be outdoors doing outdoor recreational activities. I have a degree in Exercise Science from Brigham Young University-Hawaii, and I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration. I am a dancer, a singer, and yogi! I believe that this life is all about progression and not perfection. I also believe that every girl should be told she is beautiful often, because we really do not hear it enough. Finally, I believe that faith is not so much a belief, but something we live!