By Meredith Marshall Nelson

Commentary on Gospel Doctrine lesson #10

Doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

Not the divorced twenty-year old.

Not the young mother in forced labor, permanently separated from her home.

Not the high school dropout, or the homemaker who never got a college degree.

Not the woman who faces social stigma for her faith.

Not the wife or sister of an addict.

Not the practicing lawyer, who is also the mother of young children.

Not the primary president struggling with infertility.

Hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold I say unto you, Nay.

Not the daughter of two mothers.

Not the refugee.

Not the gay jazz artist.

Not the immigrant or the convert.

Not the single mother or unmarried professional.

Hath he commmanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay.

Not the sisters or the wife who survived abuse.

Not the adopting mother or the relinquishing mother.

Not the bishop’s wife betrayed by her husband.

Not the survivor of genocide, or the woman trapped in a conflict zone.

Hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay.

Not the young widowed mother of five.

Not the opera singer or performer’s wife who balance fame with family.

Not the podiatrist who put her career on hold to raise her children.

Not the grieving mother who broke down racial barriers in her industry.

Not the mother of four who took twenty years to finish her graduate degree in Mathematics.

Not the woman with a physical disability, or with special needs children.

He inviteth all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; He denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

The Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing.

Other Related Women’s Voices

That Our Children Might See the Face of the Savior, Cheryl C. Lant

What does it mean to seek the face of the Savior? Surely it means more than just recognizing His picture. Christ’s invitation to seek Him is an invitation to know who He is, what He has done for us, and what He has asked us to do. Coming to Christ, and eventually seeing His face, comes only as we draw close to Him through our faith and our actions. It comes through a lifetime of effort.

The Joy of Womanhood, Margaret Nadauld

Our lives reflect that for which we seek. And if with all our hearts we truly seek to know the Savior and to be more like Him, we shall be, for He is our divine, eternal Brother. But He is more than that. He is our precious Savior, our dear Redeemer. We ask with Alma of old, ‘Have ye received his image in your countenances?’.

Looking for additional perspectives on this lesson? We recommend Mormon Sunday School, Meridian Magazine and LDSLiving.