Something Extraordinary

This month my ward is celebrating the 171st Relief Society Birthday with the them, "We Are Going to do Something Extraordinary" (quote by Emma Smith). As I have been pondering this theme and studying it out, I have come to better understand what extraordinary things Sister Smith was talking about.

One of the most extraordinary things about Relief Society, to me, is that this organization is a place where women of all backgrounds, ages, interests, and circumstances belong. It is a place where we all find unity; not because we are all the same in every way, but because we come together in the strength of our mutual faith in Christ. Relief Society, when fully taken advantage of, is the place where we can stand together, firm and undaunted in the things that are eternally true.

I recently have been listening to a talk by Sherri Dew, "Five Things That Will Wreck Your Life, Five Things That Will Save It." In it she talks about what she would do if she were Satan to distract us women from returning to God. A few of her tools were: get the women to squabble (judge) one another, get the women to form cliques, confuse them about their gender roles and identity, make sure they never find out how to personally apply the atonement or personal revelation. When I heard her suggestions I just kept thinking, "yep! How many times has Old Scratch tried that on me?!"

One of the most destructive tools of the adversary against us women is to make us believe that we have no place in Relief Society; that Relief Society is for the really old ladies, or for the crafty stay-at-home moms, or the spiritually noble. All of those things are lies and deceptions. Relief Society may not be perfect; you may not leave every Sunday feeling like your heart is full of sunshine and roses. But you better believe that it is an organization inspired of God, and when looked at through the right perspective, it is the one place where you can gain untold strength to live your faith day in and day out.

Satan works his magic to deceive us into this notion that "we don't belong." Why does he do that? Because it is ten times easier to confuse, discourage, and subdue a woman of God into inactivity if she is not surrounded and bouied up by other friends and women of God.

Satan is a crafty man. He will stop at nothing to derail us from the fast course to heaven. But God is smarter, more caring, and more prepared than he is. Relief Society is extraordinary for many, many reasons. The purpose of unity, friendship, and hope in and through Christ is just one of those extraordinary things about Relief Society.

***
Just today I came across this YouTube video by, whom I feel has become a dear friend, Chieko Okazaki. She more perfectly and more visually describes and depicts what I was trying to convey in my above post. I truly want to be like this woman!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daLur3u6l9M&feature=youtube_gdata_player