Sheri L. Dew - The Beginning of Better Days: Divine Instruction to Women From the Prophet Joseph Smith

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2012 Sheri Dew and Virginia H. Pearce.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City Utah 30178. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book. Deseret Book is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dew, Sheri L., author.

The beginning of better days : divine instruction to women from the prophet Joseph Smith / Sheri Dew and Virginia H. Pearce.

pages cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60641-851-2 (hardbound : alk. paper)

1. WomenReligious aspectsThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2. Relief Society (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) 3. WomenConduct of life. I. Pearce, Virginia H., author. II. Title.

BX8643.W66D49 2012

248.8'430882893dc23 2012003586

Printed in the United States of America

Lake Book Manufacturing, Melrose Park, IL

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

Introductory Essays

Sermons of the Prophet Joseph Smith to the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo

Preface

The record kept by Eliza R. Snow of the proceedings of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo has been referred to for years, but it was not readily accessible to all interested parties until its relatively recent inclusion in the Joseph Smith Papers project. Now photographs of the original pages appear online alongside their typed transcriptions in a document titled Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book at josephsmithpapers.org.

Latter-day Saint women are incredibly fortunate that Eliza was foresighted enough to preserve the Minute Book and carry it across the plains with her, allowing access to the original, historically significant document exactly as it was created. And when that document was being prepared for inclusion in the Joseph Smith Papers, people who had long been associated with the Minutes suggested to the two of us that perhaps something should be done to bring them even more into the light. Specifically, buried within the Minutes are notes of six sermons that the Prophet Joseph delivered to the Relief Society between March and August 1842. This priceless record of instruction delivered by the Prophet of the Restoration directly and particularly to women has been quoted in bits and pieces, but too few people have studied his words in depth.

Each of us became acquainted with these teachings at different stages and for different reasons, but we both came to them with high motivation to try to come to grips with the kinds of questions that almost inevitably occur in the lives of faithful Latter-day Saint women. We wanted to know where women fit in the plan of salvation. What did the Lord expect of His daughters? What blessings did He have in store for us, and how could we lay hold upon those blessings? In Joseph Smiths teachings to the Relief Society, we each found a treasure of guidance, motivation, pure doctrine, and wise prophetic counsel.

So we were intrigued by the opportunity we saw to provide some context for these sermons and especially to help open them up to a wider readership. Our first task was to comb through the Minutes and attempt to extract the sermons themselves from the general business of the Relief Society. This we have done to the best of our ability, trying in most cases to include only the portions attributed to Joseph Smithalthough in the case of the inaugural meeting (March 17, 1842) we have included the energetic discussion between the women and their priesthood leaders that led to the official name of the Relief Society. With a handful of exceptions (noted in brackets) we have retained original spelling and punctuation, presenting the words just as they appear in Elizas record.

As it turned out, that proved to be the easy part. As we began to put our personal insights on paper, we were both, quite frankly, terrified. Our fear at being seen as embellishing and interpreting Joseph Smiths words caused each of us to stop, dead in our tracks, more than once. But then our excitement over the power of his words in our own lives would eventually drag us back again and again to this project. After all, the possibility of being misunderstood is an occupational hazard for anyone who attempts to arrange words on paper.

One challenge is that the six sermons delivered by the Prophet Joseph Smith do not read the way talks in our modern era do. As with most of the talks attributed to him, they were written down by someone in attendancein this case, Eliza R. Snow. They come across very much as notes, lapsing in and out of the first-person voice, filled with shortcuts and abbreviations, with little attention to stylistic consistency. We can almost see Eliza writing as fast as she could, trying to keep up with the instruction coming from the Prophet, capturing as much as possible the key points and the spirit of his messages.

Reading these talks, then, is not like reading the conference issue of the Ensign. We encourage you to move slowly, considering individual statements, seeking confirmation of the Spirit for conclusions reached, studying, examining, treasuring. Space has been provided at the bottom of each page in the section containing Joseph Smiths teachings so that you can make your own notes. In the introductory essays, we have attempted to share a little about our own processes of discovery regarding the sermons. This is what worked for us. What works for you may be similaror it may be completely different. The important thing is to dig in.

We encourage you with all our hearts to accept the unique opportunity to be taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the man foreordained to open the dispensation of the fulness of times. The spirit in his words flows from his generation to ours, offering rich blessings to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Sheri Dew

Virginia H. Pearce

Introductory Essays

Angels and Epiphanies

Virginia H. Pearce

Standing at the kitchen sink several months ago, with the spring sun warming my face, I had an epiphany. It was a flash of insight: a sudden understanding of my contentment, gratitude, and wonder at being a woman in the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had walked in the back door a few minutes earlier, returning from the Salt Lake Temple, where I had just been set apart as an ordinance worker. Absently, I turned off the faucet. Wow. I had just been set apart to officiate in sacred ordinancesto help those on both sides of the veil receive Gods power through priesthood authority! Short, slightly pudgy, inconsequential mea middle-aged widow and ordinary mortalwould be in the temple several hours every week, an authorized player in the great drama of the Restoration! How could this be? My wonder could not be contained.

In a sudden flash of enlightenment I saw the importance of my personal path toward the temple and the sacredness of its ordinances. I saw all of my life as a journey to the templeand the temple as a bridge on my continuing path back to God. Now, that sounds just like church-speak. I dont know how to express that this time I really got it!

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