How are you doing? How are you feeling? Sometimes we are doing ok but feeling overwhelmed, or directionless, or forgotten. Sometimes we feel ok but not doing great. Maybe we aren’t functioning at a great capacity, but we aren’t shutting down. Maybe we can’t pinpoint something that is a burden for us to carry but we aren’t living as we would like. Life is up and down, forward and backward, success and failure, happy and sad. It’s all of it, and that’s ok. How are you? 

It’s hard to ignore Paul’s words this week about women. 1 Cor 14:34-35 “Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” This verse is all sorts of problems. And if anyone (even Satan) uses it to get you or any other woman to be quiet in meetings then they are out of line. Truly. Just a couple chapters back Paul calls on women to prophesy. Obviously these two things are at odds with each other.

There are scholars that believe this “keep silent” sentiment was added to the letter during one of the translations or a copying of the letter in order to inject a misogynistic agenda into the worship process. Others believe this instruction was given to this particular congregation in Corinth because the women there were inclined to chatter at inappropriate times, participate in sharing that led to gossip, and focus on secular things during worship meetings. Joseph Smith translated “speak” to “rule” and in a priesthood, administrative approach that could apply. But I think we need to hold fast to the words of our living prophet and work to fill his call to the women of the church. In A Plea to My Sisters President Nelson said:

“We … need 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 make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!

“President Packer declared: ‘We need women who are organized and women who can organize. We need women with executive ability who can plan and direct and administer; women who can teach, women who can speak out. … We need women with the gift of discernment who can view the trends in the world and detect those that, however popular, are shallow or dangerous.’

“Today, let me add that we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world. We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly.“

These are not women who keep silent at church, or in life. They are not limited to asking questions at home, of their husband. These women are not under obedience, but live in and celebrate obedience to the commandments and their covenants. Sometimes, as women, we may feel inadequate because we didn’t serve a mission, or we weren’t a zone leader on a mission, or we don’t have adult conversations everyday, or our exposure to new thoughts is limited. Perhaps we feel we are inarticulate, or uninformed, unknowledgeable, or simplistic in our understanding, and so we don’t raise our hand, we don’t speak up, we don’t volunteer information or thoughts. Let me reassure you, as someone who has been blessed by conversations with women just like you, you have within you great things worth sharing! Your thoughts, feelings, experiences, insights, and words will bless others as you follow promptings to speak with power and authority, courageously defend, call upon the powers of heaven, and teach fearlessly. You have extraordinary things within you that others need to hear and will benefit from hearing. The world (and ward) is better when you share!