Striving for 'A Mother Heart'...

What is a mother heart and how is one acquired? We learn about some of those qualities in the scriptures. To paraphrase Proverbs: “Who can find a … woman [with a mother heart]? for her price is far above rubies. … She … worketh willingly with her hands. … With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. … She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. … Strength and honour are her clothing. … She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Prov. 31:10, 13, 16, 20, 25–27). A woman with a mother heart has a testimony of the restored gospel, and she teaches the principles of the gospel without equivocation. She is keeping sacred covenants made in holy temples. Her talents and skills are shared unselfishly. She gains as much education as her circumstances will allow, improving her mind and spirit with the desire to teach what she learns to the generations who follow her.

If she has children, she is a “goodly parent” (1 Ne. 1:1) who lives and teaches standards of behavior exactly in line with the teachings of living prophets. She teaches her “children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord” (D&C 68:28). Rather than listening to the voices and partial truths of the world, she knows that gospel standards are based on eternal, unchangeable truths. She believes that to be “primarily responsible for the nurture of [her] children” is a vital, dignified, and “sacred responsibility” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”. To nurture and feed them physically is as much an honor as to nurture and feed them spiritually. She is “not weary in well-doing” and delights to serve her family, because she knows that “out of small things proceedeth that which is great”

"Mothers who know desire to bear children. Mothers who know honor sacred ordinances and covenants. Mothers who know are nurturers. Mothers who know are leaders. Mothers who know are always teachers. Mothers who know do less".

We have a lot of responsibility as Mothers in bringing up righteous children who follow the gospel and stand for truth. Sometimes it may seem like an impossible task to achieve especially when there are many outside influences pulling our children in other directions.

"When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children".

--Julie B. Beck

(to read the full talk, please click here)

Happiness