The Power of Righteous Influence

At our stake Relief Society woman's conference this past weekend the theme was the righteous influence of women. I have been thinking on that all this week and certainly have positive personal experience with the good influence of women. Case in point, three examples of women I have come to know recently:

An adorable young mother of three, thirty-something, in my ward competed two weekends ago in Houston in the national running championships for the half-marathon. She finished third in the nation. In other words, her average mile (x 13) was 5:30; she finished all 13 miles in an hour and 12 minutes. The first-place finisher is a two-time Olympic medalist. My friend has qualified herself for the 2012 London Olympic games in long-distance running (marathon and/or half-marathon)! Yet, she is an amazingly unassuming, humble person. When I expressed my shock and excitement, she seemed to sort of shrug it off. "Running is what I do," she said simply. "But none of it would be possible without God's help." Think what kind of powerful influence for good she will have (and is having) on her coach, her teammates, her fellow runners, her sponsors, her country!

Another friend was born and raised in China and grew up Buddhist with near governmental approbations for atheism. As a young married woman living in Singapore, she felt the desire to seek higher education and picked, of all places, Brigham Young University. Soon after, she found the gospel and after a lengthy investigation, joined the church. She told me she felt, from her very first Sunday meeting, a kind of all-encompassing peace that she had never known before. She said she felt at once secure and settled and somehow more hopeful for the future than she ever had before. Think what a blessing she can now be for her family and friends as she has opportunity to share her testimony. Think of the ripples she could create for good. Think of the power in her righteous influence.

Finally, just this last Sunday a woman was invited to share her thoughts on a certain Christ-like attribute she was trying to gain. For her, a young mother of two, patience with her three-year old son was the single-most important thing on her mind. She shared how she had made it a goal and a matter of prayer and fasting for over a year. Her greatest desire was to have the patience in mothering to respond with compassion instead of anger. I found her simple example very inspiring. That is righteous influence.

I have known women on school boards, city councils, and as attorneys in high places. I have known women who initiated child advocacy reform in their local and state government. I have known women who started charitable organizations for leper communities in India. I have known women as presidents of organizations and principals of high schools. I have also known women who perhaps never ventured beyond their own neighborhoods, but had righteous influence at their own kitchen tables and in their own living rooms. Whatever the realm of responsibility, how ever large the sphere of influence, there is power in living righteously.

Righteous womanhood is everywhere in the world. I am greatly encouraged by the goodness in all women, and have blessed by many, many good women of all walks of life. It is especially encouraging for me to think of the influence of "the covenant [women] of the Lord, who [are] scattered upon all the face of the earth;...armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory."

My life has been richly blessed by the power of righteous influence, beginning with my own mom.