The Virtuous Woman

May 2010 Issue

By Christopher Deaver
Who is the virtuous woman? In our lives, we each have
seen and known examples of virtuous women. When I started dating Julia, my wife, she told me of a situation in which she was dating a young man who was not being respectful toward her and how she had promptly ended that date. After relating that experience to me, she looked me in the eyes and declared firmly, “I am a virtuous woman.”

The virtuous woman is bold, full of conviction and moral courage. She is found serving the Lord. And she is an “Elect Lady” (D&C 25:3).

She considers her work on the earth as a mission–to bless the lives of others. Her greatest joys are found in bringing lasting happiness to Heavenly Father’s children. With Lehi, she partakes of the fruit of the tree of life, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, without shame and shares it freely with her family, friends, and neighbors (1 Nephi 8:12). And she is never found wishing that the iron rod ran through the great and spacious building. She is not perfect, but she strives to be. She is spiritually fit. And through her rigorous exercise of faith, repentance, and service, she finds perfection in the
Savior Jesus Christ (Moroni 10:32).

Though tempted by the demands of the urgent and often unimportant, her day-to-day decisions are not based on shifting circumstances or fleeting emotions. Her eyes are fixed on eternity, focused on that all-important objective of Eternal Life. As a result, she has no time for worldly temptations or pleasures, and she does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance (D&C 1:31). And yet, while she hates sin, she reaches out to bless and hope and pray for the sinner.

Like a polished, precious stone that inspires reverence, she dresses modestly, and speaks carefully, in a manner that edifies. Instead of following the fashions of the world, “she wears everywhere the most attractive accessory a woman can have: happiness” (Elder Lynn G. Robbins, “True Beauty,” New Era, Nov 2008, 30-33).

The Lord “delights in [her] chastity” (Jacob 2:28) as she seeks first the kingdom of God (3 Nephi 13:33) and is found to be “of good cheer” (Matt. 14:27). She is about the Lord’s business, “anxiously engaged” in good works (D&C 58:27).
As a prophet has encouraged, she stands “strong and immovable against the evil that is growing in the world” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Standing Strong and Immovable”, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 10, 2004).

She honors her parents and all the good traditions of the Restoration that she has inherited from them or others, but is quick to free herself from any false traditions.

Like Ruth of old, she is above reproach. She possesses a sacred, powerful witness that as she stands with the Savior, she stands with all the Angels of Heaven on her side (D&C 84:88).

She stands for something. And her testimony of the Savior burns in her countenance like fire that spreads to all who know her. She knows the Savior to be her Master, Brother, and Friend. She follows Him by doing as He would do. He is her Rock (Helaman 5:12). And, because of her faith in Jesus Christ, she is a Rock to others. And yet, she willingly provides empathy to catch the falls of those around her. Her mere presence empowers others to reach deep inside themselves and become better–to improve, and to willingly live like the Savior.

Having known trials herself, she knows how to reach out to others who suffer. And her love for others is not bound by any clock or stopwatch. She “suffers long, and is kind” and she “is not puffed up and seeketh not her own” (Moroni 7:45). Like Mary, mother of Jesus, she lets her will be swallowed up by that of Heavenly Father, as she agrees to be “the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). She is “like a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world” (Mother Teresa).

She immerses herself in the word of God daily, knowing it to be the ultimate source of virtue. As a result, she speaks with the tongue of angels (2 Nephi 31:13), and shares glad tidings to those she meets at Church, at home, and in her community. Her faith is clearly part of who she is, as she preaches the gospel eloquently with the simple sermon of her good works. When called upon to defend her faith, she does so decisively.

She is dedicated to the Lord and seeks to be taught from on high. Her prayers are as much for listening, as they are for thanking–and sometimes asking. Spending all her time counting her blessings, she has no time left over to complain. She fasts with purpose. And she acts on the promptings of the Spirit.

She loves the Temple so much that she fashions her home and her heart after it, carefully decorating each with cleanliness, kindness, order, and peace (D&C 88:119).

Her price is far above rubies (Proverbs 31:10). Her morals cannot be bought at any cost. She is priceless, worth far more than any earthly thing.

Who is the virtuous woman? Sisters: She is You. You. You are blessed with the heritage of a direct line to Heavenly Father.
You are a daughter of Our Father in Heaven, possessing divine DNA. Your destiny is to become like Him.