Not to long ago I came across a talk she gave in the opening session of the 2010 BYU Women's Conference. To read the whole talk you can go here.
In this talk she stated that
"women are like the lionesses at the gate of the home."
What an interesting comparison. I had never thought of myself as a lioness. I am not particularly fierce. (At least not if I have gotten an adequate amount of sleep.)
So, what does it mean to be a lioness at the gate of your home?
Sister Beck goes on to explain.
"Whatever happens in that home and family happens because she cares about it and it matters to her. She guards that gate, and things matter to that family if they matter to her.
For example, if the lioness at the gate believes in the law of tithing, tithing will be paid in that family.
If that family has a humble little portion of ten pesos coming in, that lioness will safeguard the one peso if tithing is important to her.
If that lioness at the gate knows about renewing her baptismal covenants with God, she will be in sacrament meeting on Sunday, and she will prepare her children to be there. They will be washed, cleaned, combed, and taught about that meeting and what happens there. It isn’t a casual event, but it is serious to her, and it will be serious to them.
The lioness at the gate ensures that temple worship is taken care of in the family. She encourages that participation. She cares about seeking after her ancestors.
If the lioness at the gate knows about and understands missions, missionaries, and the mission of the house of Israel, she will prepare future missionaries to go out from that home. It is very difficult to get a lion cub away from a lioness who doesn’t believe in missions, but if the lioness believes in a mission, she will devote her life to preparing the cub to go out and serve the Lord. That’s how important she is.
Service happens if she cares about it."
That is kind of a long quote, but very powerful. I have spent many days pondering what it means to be a lioness in my home and how I could do a better job.
I would love to know what your thoughts are on this topic.
What does it mean to you be a "lioness at the gate of your home"?
Do you think the comparison adequately describes our roles as mothers?
How can we be the kind of lionnesses that Sister Beck describes?
~Lisa~
How can we be the kind of lionnesses that Sister Beck describes?
~Lisa~
1 comment:
I have a masters degree in education, and this reminds me of something I learned while earning that degree. Two very important factors influence whether children value and achieve higher education: 1) whether the child was read to in the home prior to age two, and 2) the level of the mother's education. Ironically, even though it is often the fathers that provide for in LDS homes, there is NO correlation between his level of education and what the children eventually do. We were taught in my graduate program how immensely important it is for mothers to become educated and show/share their love for education to their children. I guess in this way, this is how I am a "lioness" at home. Because I love learning and sought out higher education, my children have a stronger liklihood of doing the same.
Post a Comment