In the October 1986 Priesthood session of General Conference, President Ezra Taft Benson gave a talk on the “Godly Characteristics of the Master.” What a powerful talk! Seeing this talk through the eyes of a woman makes me see clearly that my most important responsibility, in this earth life, is in becoming like the Savior.

As women, we have been given power and authority to act in God’s name through our callings, our roles as mothers, and our temple service. From this power and authority, we have great obligations and responsibilities, as well as blessings and privileges.

So, what do we owe God? As partakers of the divine nature, striving to develop godly characteristics, we strive to show:

 

Our Faith

Faith is trusting absolutely in God’s will and timetable and not knowing the outcome. When we are confused, heartbroken, or numb, we can pray to our Father in Heaven who will hear us, comfort us, and bless us. He, through Jesus Christ, will answer our faith action with greater faith and ability to receive Their strength in times of need.

 

Virtue

People erroneously think virtue has to do with sexual purity. It is so much more. Virtue is definitely having “pure thoughts and clean actions,” but this is what allows us to have the spirit with us. We cannot expect the spirit to be with us when we are indulging in pornography, profanity, or vulgarity. Those of us who are victims of abuse remain pure and clean as long as we do not indulge in the self-defeating aftereffects. Forgiveness and faith will always bring us back to being virtuous.

 

Knowledge

We are on this earth to become the best we can be. In spite of our various birth situations, we are all blessed with purpose, ability, and opportunity. It is God’s hope that we will make the most of our lives. Too often though, we become narcissistic and think our accomplishments are of our own making. Gaining knowledge in this world will stay with us in the next world, but it won’t really matter if we don’t remain close to the spirit and show appreciation and gratitude to our Savior, who is the true bestower of our opportunities that increase our knowledge.

 

Regular Study of the Scriptures

Pres. Benson mentions Seminary and Institute, but after that comes life-long regular study. It helps to take on a teaching calling. That’s when I really feel like I have to know more than my students, whether it comes up in class or not. I’ve also taken on a personal study of certain important church books that take me to the scriptures. And more than just reading the scriptures, we are invited to “learn the doctrine and master the principles” of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Temperance, Patience, Kindness, and Charity

As the world accuses us of having a lack of these attributes (including tolerance), they are missing a key element: These attributes only meet their purpose when we put the Lord first. He is the reason why we act a certain way. Pres. Benson says, “A member of the Church must be different from the world.” How do we do that? By demonstrating all of these characteristics because we want to emulate the Savior, we want to please God, and our concern is being obedient to them.

What manner of women are we? We are women of faith, spiritual servants of the Savior, ever showing our gratitude through our humble actions on this earth. Let our godly characteristics define our purpose on this earth.