Sister Julie B. Beck: "And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit"

This talk, by Relief Society General President Julie B. Beck is excellent. Although she addresses primarily the sisters, everything she says about our duties and ability to find happiness applies to Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood holders also.

She notes from her travels around the world and visits with sisters that, "there is much distraction and not enough peace and joy. Despite popular media messages to the contrary, no one is rich enough, beautiful enough, or clever enough to avoid a mortal experience."


Sister Beck continues with an observation of sisters around the world that could also be applied to the brothers: In my visits with the sisters, I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increase faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes. There has never been more that could be done to help others who are in need.


Continuing, and talking about "a good woman" and revelation (but what could be also applied to "good men") she states:  A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worth things her heart years to do. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.


The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. So that is why we are here. Sister Beck then describes the things that sisters (and brothers) can do to receive personal revelation. The list includes:

• Qualifying for the Lord's Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. (1) Keeping the commandments, (2) repenting, and (3) renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord's Spirit with us.
• Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman's life.
• Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.
• Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord's Spirit with us. Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.
• Being in the right place allows us to receive guidance. It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions.

Having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times. Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it, and go forward in faith, trusting that it will be poured out upon us.


Sister Beck talked directly about the proper role of Relief Society: When Relief Society functions in an inspired way, it lifts women up and out of a troubled world and into a way of living that prepares them for the blessings of eternal life.


Sister Beck talked about measuring success. She paraphrased a list found in Preach My Gospel. I would like to include the list directly from the manual. On page 10 it starts out, "You can know you have been a successful missionary when you . . ." I would like to insert "priesthood holder" where "missionary is:

• Feel the Spirit testify to people through you. (This could family members, church members, or non-members. 
• Love people and desire their salvation. (See the above list!)
• Obey with exactness.
• Live so that you can receive and know how to follow the Spirit, who will show you where to go, what to do, and what to say. (Just as Sister Beck counseled the sisters.)
• Develop Christlike attributes.
• Work effectively every day, do your very best . . ., and seek earnestly to learn and improve.
• Help build up the Church wherever you are assigned to work.
• Warn people of the consequences of sin. Invite them to make and keep commitments.
• Teach and serve . . . 
• Go about doing good and serving people at every opportunity.

Sister Beck finished with a reference to Joel 2:28-29 and the sons and daughters of God prophesying. She then quoted President Spencer W. Kimball on the same topic. It is good for us as priesthood holders to remember so that we can support the women (and girls) of the church:

Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers.  This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different - in happy ways - from the women of the world . . . Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.