Like many others, I just saw Unplanned at the movie theaters. It’s an interesting dilemma to watch people do something about a problem and go home and resume a normal life. What do “normal” people do when they want to change the world? It’s too overwhelming to even think about. This post is not about changing the world, but it is about figuring out what steps we can take to make a difference. Isn’t that what Relief Society has always done? Isn’t that what the early sisters did?
I, like many of you, don’t even know where to start. I, like you, have a busy schedule of things I prefer doing. I, like you, am scared and uncomfortable with the idea of standing in a crowd of protestors.
As a Latter-day Saint, we know marriage is sacred. We know motherhood is divine. And we know we’ve been commanded to “be fruitful and multiply.” In fact, this commandment has been given to every dispensation since the beginning of time. The Family: A Proclamation to the World reminds us once again, “We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. … We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.”
We live in a Judeo-Christian society that believes in family. So, what is happening? Why are there so many young girls forgetting their roots, becoming pregnant, and looking for a so-called easy fix? And how has our country allowed a business organization (Planned Parenthood) to become so powerful that they dictate our government laws and even a whole new belief system?
My mind has a hard time understanding how a woman could be so caught up in something for eight years and suddenly realize how heinous her life has become. The more I think about this particular point, the more I realize this is where we all are. We continue going on with our lives, assuming we’re doing good things, eating the poison in little, tiny increments. What Abby Johnson has become is an example that we can turn our lives around at any stage of life.
If our Relief Society is supposed to be a light in the world, and women of the world will look at us wondering what we have that makes us so happy, what can we be doing to make the difference shine through us? We can show the joys of motherhood. We can raise good, moral children. We can set the example of standing up for what is right. And we can step away from the world and its ugly influences.
Do we know the laws surrounding abortion? Do we know what bills are being presented to be passed by our government leaders? Do we know who our representatives are, those who represent how we feel about the laws of the land? Are we brave enough to stand for families and against people who seek to destroy families?
Can we ever become like our early sisters who fought for religious and righteous freedom? Our voices need to be heard because motherhood is divine.