The underground train, in London, is much narrower than the tunnel it travels through, so much so, there is a gap as you step from train to platform. Signs and announcers remind you constantly to beware of getting caught in the gap.
As I saw the signs and heard the announcements, I remembered a talk given by Sister Barbara Thompson, called “Mind the Gap,” informing us of this interesting situation in London and how it applies to our gospel and Relief Society lives.
She focused on three things to help us mind the gaps in our own lives:
- Believing that we are true daughters of God.
- Young Women transitioning into Relief Society
- Being Valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ
Her talk is worth reading again, and I encourage you to do so. But I would like to explore these three areas even further. This talk is only ten years old, but since then life has gotten even harder and Satan is causing us to forget the gap is there, hoping we will fall in, now more than ever before.
We are future Goddesses
As daughters of God, we are future Goddesses and we have the right to envision ourselves, as well as every woman on this earth, as such. Do we? Do we treat each other with dignity? With love? With joy?
We’ve all read the scriptures. In them, we can know that God has so much to offer us. Are we willing to ignore His offering and throw it all away for a Snicker bar or something equally inconsequential?
Do we realize the power that is inside each one of us, His daughters and future Goddesses?
Look in the mirror (mirrors if you happen to be in the temple) and imagine yourself in a world where Goddesses will live. You will always be welcomed with open arms by your family that is waiting for you.
What is so special about Relief Society???
Do Relief Society presidents ever visit a Laurel and welcome her into the Relief Society anymore?
One time, I visited a Young Woman and bore my testimony of this great organization for women that belongs to the Lord. I happen to believe that the Lord needs us organized under the Relief Society in order to use His priesthood power to gather Israel. The spirit was so strong in that room, the girl’s mother looked at me and said, “Wow, I had no idea!”
Every woman and Young Woman (future Goddesses) need to understand the priesthood power that will come to us as we organize ourselves into a fearsome group of loving women willing to bring hope and relief to the world.
Valiant is a Godly word!
Whenever I say the word valiant, something spiritual instantly washes over me. Who, in this world, is truly valiant?
Let me clarify. Valiant isn’t about perfection. It is about someone who is repeatedly pushed down yet just as repeatedly stands up again and again. In looking up some synonyms of this word—valiant, I have now found even greater power and desire to be valiant. Maybe you will feel the same.
Tenacious
Steadfast
Clinging
Unshakable
Courageous
Powerful
Self-Reliant
Undaunted
Worthy
I hope you also feel the absolute power to mind the gap. As future Goddesses, we understand our role in the priesthood to help gather Israel and have valiantly set our minds to do it. As we set forth valiantly, may we ever be mindful of Satan’s gap, trap, and crap.