Testimony: Women Need to Be Beacons

by Melanie Humphries
The book Daughters in My Kingdom gives me much to think about as far as my role as a mother, wife, and daughter in modern times. I feel the urgency to be better, to strive for more, and give of all I have more often. We, as women, need to be united; we need to set the example for the rest of the world, we need to be better role models with our own kids in our own homes, and we need to take a stand against all the unrighteousness that is surrounding our families.
This is the time for us, as daughters, to start living on a higher level and actually be a beacon for the rest of the world to look to for guidance and direction—it’s going to take one daughter doing one thing better, one experience at a time. I loved this book.

These are some of my favorite quotes.

1. Page 12: The phrase that stuck out to me profoundly was the admonition to the men, but I think it applies to women today, “to assist by connecting the morals and strengthening the virtues of the…community.”

2. Page 11: Also, women have always “eagerly sought ways to contribute.” How we are eagerly seeking ways to lift others and build the gospel?

3. Page 5: As exemplars of Christ, we should always remember, “The cultivation of Christlike qualities is a demanding and relentless task—it is not for the seasonal worker or for those who will not stretch themselves, again and again.”

4. Page 14: Counsel to Emma from the Lord (this was given for us women) “to heed warnings, to be faithful and virtuous, to not murmur, to comfort her husband and be a help to him, to teach from the scriptures and exhort the Church, to write and learn, to lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things a better to keep covenants, to be meek and beware of pride, and to keep the commandments.” Here is a pattern to live by from the Lord.

5. Page 20: I think men really need to adhere to the council, “a husband’s duty is to love, cherish, and nourish his wife and regard her feelings with tenderness.”

6. Page 25: Council from Joseph Smith’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, “We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit down in heaven together.”

7. Page 29: We need to be as the ancient people of Ammon “distinguished for our zeal towards God and firm in our faith in Christ.”

8. Page 45: “Retrench in everything that is bad and worthless, and improve in everything that is good and beautiful.”

9. Page 66: “Lead especially the women of the world, in everything that is praise-worthy, everything that is God-like, everything that is uplifting and that is purifying to the children of men.”

10. Page 85: Great advice from President Howard W. Hunter, “You are chosen to be faithful women of God in our day, to stand above pettiness, gossip, selfishness, lewdness, and all other forms of ungodliness.”

11. Page 157: “It seems to me that there is a great need to rally the women of the Church to stand with and for the Brethren in stemming the tide of evil that surrounds us and in moving forward the work of the Savior.”

12. Page 160: President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “It is so important that the women of the Church stand strong and immovable for that which is correct and proper under the plan of the Lord...If they will be unified and speak with one voice, their strength will be incalculable…Stand together for righteousness…Begin in their our homes...Teach it in their classes…Voice it in their communities.”

13. Page 161: Best advice for mothers from President Ezra Taft Benson, “A child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy. Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all.”

14. Page 172: I love what Mary Ellen Smoot expressed – what it means to be daughters of God, “We are beloved spirit daughters of god, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:
  • Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ through prayer and scriptures
  • Seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost
  • Dedicate ourselves to strengthening marriages, families, and homes
  • Find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood
  • Delight in service and good works
  • Love life and learning
  • Stand for truth and righteousness
  • Sustain the priesthood as the authority of God on earth
  • Rejoice in the blessings of the temple, understand our divine destiny, and strive for exaltation”
15. Page 173: President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “We are too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance. We are capable of doing so much better.”