Conclusion: Why is This Important?

So here we are at the end of the book. What are the conclusions?  Why is this message important? What do I hope that you, my reader, are going away with?

You Have Great Power Available from God through the Holy Ghost            

Well first, I hope that you found in its pages a confidence that YOU (every single one of you) have a mind-boggling, wonder-filled connection and conduit to Heavenly Father’s power. That when you closed the back cover, you sighed in relief, and said, “Hey, I can do whatever I have been asked to do because I, personally, have direct access to God’s astounding, boundless strength and faculty through the precious gift of the Holy Ghost.”           

I hope that it is empowering to know that you can ask in righteousness for magnification of your abilities. That He is lovingly there with you and wants to help you work miracles, even when life is baffling and you are aware of your insufficiency. That in whatever way you are being stretched right now that you don’t have to worry that you are left alone with the skills you know you have and/or skills that you know you don’t have. But instead, that you can be augmented to know and do things that you shouldn’t be able to do and know because of the true wellspring of brilliance and omnipotence which is Heavenly Father.           

I hope that you can say with more conviction than before that you have heavenly access in your day to day life, in your ministry, and in your callings and responsibilities to God the Father’s total priesthood power and authority. That the gifts of the Spirit are available to be poured upon you, assisting you in a most generous way. 

The Work of the Kingdom is NOT a Competition           

I hope that you are leaving these pages more confident in your divine life-mission, roles and responsibilities. That you fell in love again with womanhood and with manhood. That you cherish and have more respect for godly institutions like marriage, the family, and the Church.  That a beautiful something, new or renewed, bumps in your chest as you ponder the privilege of mothering and fathering. That you can see your influential role as a Relief Society sister, or priesthood quorum brother.           

I hope that you know better than you did before that God’s work of saving mankind through the family and The Church of Jesus Christ is no competition between genders. In some cases, we seem to have borrowed a gender-rivalry philosophy from society that isn’t productive in the Church. We need to guard against this because men and women are not rivals. God is not a separator. He is a respecter ALL of His children. We all have a space in which to do the work. 

I have a favorite children’s book called, “Grasshopper on the Road” by Arnold Lobel. The story tells about a fine grasshopper gentleman who walks bravely out on an adventure one morning.  The first friends he finds is a group of singing and dancing beetles who are marching around holding signs. The posters say enthusiastic, celebratory things like, “Morning is Best”, “Three Cheers for Morning”, “Make Mine Morning!” 

They ask Grasshopper, “Do you love morning?” Grasshopper got caught up in the moment and answered with a big smile that, indeed, he did! The beetles cheered! They gave him a sign to hold that said, “Morning in Tops”. They made him a wreath of flowers for his head. The beetles were full of joy that they have another lover of morning for their club. They did somersaults and chanted: 

"When does the clover sparkle with dew?" asked the beetle.
"In the morning", cried all the other beetles.
"When is the sunshine yellow and new?" asked the beetle
"In the morning", cried all the other beetles.                       

Grasshopper got so excited about these new friends and their commonalities, and in his enthusiasm started to share with the beetles other things that he loved, "I love afternoon, too!" and “I love evening”, said Grasshopper. 

The beetles stopped singing and dancing. 

"What did you say?" they asked.

All the beetles were quiet.

"Stupid", said a beetle.

He grabbed the wreath of flowers.
"Dummy", said another beetle.
He snatched the sign from Grasshopper.
"Anyone who loves afternoon and night can never, ever be in our club", said a third beetle. 

And so off Grasshopper went alone to continue his fine adventure. 

Mr Lobel and his grasshopper and beetle friends show how silly it is to love things in exclusivity. Surely we can cheer for more than one thing. While it may be ok in the world to divide down lines, there is NO place for competition in the Kingdom of God and in His plan. God is not a separator, He is a uniter. He has put both men and women to work. And just like Heavenly Father loves morning, afternoon and night, He loves men and women with all of His infinite heart. He believes in our influence now and our potential. Of course He does, we are His crowning creation. 

If You are Looking for Equality, You Can Find It 

Though, it wasn’t my objective, I still hope that if you came looking for equality, that you found it here. Mankind’s access to God the Father’s capacity through the Holy Ghost is equal. All are invited to come to Christ and partake of the spiritual blessings of His Atonement. All can take part in ordinances and the blessings that flow from them. Gospel principles, commandments, and covenants are dependent only on being a child of God. Characteristics of Deity and spiritual gifts are for all of us to develop.           

The work of men and women is coordinated and complementary. Not always, but usually, it is identical, too. And the objective is always the same. We all minister with power and authority under the direction of key holders. We all are called and set apart to work in the Kingdom. We all care about our families and our responsibilities within them. We sit together and contribute in a Ward Council. We all sing in the choir and lead the music. We all serve missions and work in the temple.           

The principles of righteousness are not gender-exclusive. The desire of our Heavenly Father is to save and exalt ALL of His children. 

Check Your Motives for Power

I hope that you are leaving my book having dismissed society’s definition of “power” when it comes to anything relating to spiritual things.           

Like I said in the preface, far from the control, domination, and superiority that is characterized by worldly success and influence, God’s power works through righteousness, humility, and meekness. It hinges on great love, and is completely free of comparing and competing. It is not self-serving or self-promoting, but instead God extends men and women use when he or she is worthy and outward-focused, staring straight into the eyes of people who need help and nurturing. God’s power magnifies men and women to capacity beyond their own so that they can be tools in His work of salvation. I hope that you feel excited to play your part.  

Answers to Gospel Questions Can Be Unearthed           

I hope that you can see that the library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is vast and rich and delicious. That no one has sit in the dark and wonder, but that a student of it can be greatly enriched by searching and seeking. Through the scriptures and the words of prophets, what an inquiring mind wants to know can be unearthed. I hope you know that when you have questions, they can be answered through deliberate study, and kind, generous revelation. It is the right of members of the Church to receive revelation. Joseph Smith said: “… God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them. …” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 149.) 

The Gospel study that is represented here was never born of doubt. The wrestle was only against gaps in my learning. I echo for myself what Elder Corbridge has said, “I have a lot of questions.  I have no doubts.” (“Stand For Ever”, Elder Lawrence E Corbridge, BYU Devotional, January 22, 2019) 

But that is exactly the point, ask your questions and go directly to the source, which is more than 6000 years of prophetic writings that literally lay at your fingertips. Included in that is almost 200 years of modern revelation that is, seriously, prolific and it is easy to understand by the sincere seeker who has the Holy Ghost helping him or her.           

When you have questions about plumbing, go to the plumber. When you have questions about gardening, go to the man with the green thumb. When you have questions about the gospel or the Church or your place in it, go to the prophets. With a very special dispensation, they can speak for God and unveil celestial mystery. 

Lastly,           

I love you. I don’t know your face or name, but I know your heart. I know that we are sisters and brothers and that if we had just a minute to visit, we would be fast friends. That is the beauty of the commonality that is so easily cultivated with children of God.           

Thank you for trusting me with your time.  Thank you for reading through these thoughts. And now that we know we have access to God the Father and His magnificence, that we can be cleaned and enabled by Jesus Christ, and that the Holy Ghost will ferry to us God’s power, let’s get busy doing our part in God’s tender work of salvation.