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Emma Smith: An Elect Lady · The Divine Worth Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Divine Worth Podcast where we are letting go of our fear
0:03
SPEAKER_00: and self-doubt and other limiting beliefs so that we can embrace who God sees in us.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: I am your host,
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SPEAKER_00: Life Coach Karen Papin,
0:15
SPEAKER_00: and I am excited about today because we are diving into learning about someone from
0:21
SPEAKER_00: the Doctrine and Covenants And diving into Emma Smith and her story this week.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: I talked a bit about this on my Strength to Become podcast
0:31
SPEAKER_00: because this Sunday's lesson for the Strength of Youth also focuses on Emma Smith
0:37
SPEAKER_00: and how she was a covenant daughter of God and what we can learn from that
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SPEAKER_00: and Doctrine and Covenants section 25.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: And so, I dived into the lesson for the Strength of Youth on that,
0:49
SPEAKER_00: but I wanted to talk about Emma Smith on the Divine Worth podcast as well because of
0:55
SPEAKER_00: the lessons that we can learn from her about God's love for us and God's And so with
1:04
SPEAKER_00: that,
1:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to be sharing with you some of the lessons that we can learn
1:11
SPEAKER_00: from Emma Smith and from her story and from Doctrine and Covenants section 25
1:14
SPEAKER_00: and how we can hear the Lord speaking to us through the words
1:21
SPEAKER_00: that He tells Emma Smith.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: So with that, let's learn a little bit about Emma.
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SPEAKER_00: The first thing that I learned Emma Smith was how the Lord prepared her to fulfill
1:34
SPEAKER_00: the roles that He had in mind for her.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: Emma was someone who was raised in a wealthy family.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: And one thing that we can kind
1:45
SPEAKER_00: She knew how to be in society.
1:49
SPEAKER_00: I imagine that a lot of the grace that she had and her ability to lead actually was
1:56
SPEAKER_00: a result from And so she went on to become the First Lady of Nauvoo.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: She went on to become the Relief Society President.
2:06
SPEAKER_00: And also because of the great faith that she had growing up within the family
2:10
SPEAKER_00: that she did, all of those things helped to prepare her.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: To be able to fulfill those roles within the Relief Society and also as the wife
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SPEAKER_00: of Joseph Smith.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: She hosted diplomats in her home.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: She made public appearances with Joseph at different community events
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SPEAKER_00: and often had also supported her husband politically in various ways.
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SPEAKER_00: And so she had been guided by the Lord and So those were different ways that
2:41
SPEAKER_00: the Lord prepared Jesus.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: To be able to fulfill the divine roles that he had in store for her.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: Another thing that we can learn from Emma is that God saw her as his daughter.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: That's something that we can learn in Doctrine and Covenants section 25,
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SPEAKER_00: and so we're going to dive in and read that.
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SPEAKER_00: This is a section of Revelation that was given specifically to Emma through
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SPEAKER_00: the Prophet Joseph Smith.
3:25
SPEAKER_00: And it says in verse 1,
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SPEAKER_00: So right there, it is letting Emma know, you are my daughter.
3:43
SPEAKER_00: And not only is he letting her know that you are my daughter,
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SPEAKER_00: but that all who receive the gospel are my sons and my daughters.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: And as we read that, we too can come to know and understand and feel the truth of that.
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SPEAKER_00: In fact, just go back and read that verse.
4:03
SPEAKER_00: And as you say,
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SPEAKER_00: hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God while I speak unto you,
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SPEAKER_00: and then insert your name, my daughter.
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SPEAKER_00: For verily I say unto you, all those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: Okay, he is also speaking to you and letting you know that you are a child of God.
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SPEAKER_00: And why is that so important?
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SPEAKER_00: Because when we recognize and understand who we are as children of God,
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SPEAKER_00: it affects every aspect of our lives.
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SPEAKER_00: It affects what we believe.
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SPEAKER_00: It affects our capabilities.
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SPEAKER_00: It affects our behaviors and ultimately our environment as we truly embrace
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SPEAKER_00: that we are children of God because we have the divine qualities
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SPEAKER_00: that our Heavenly Father has within us.
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SPEAKER_00: That as we turn to Him and allow Him to lead us and guide us,
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SPEAKER_00: we can grow and with the help of the Savior be able to overcome all things.
5:03
SPEAKER_00: And our capacity to do our things grows as we put our faith and trust in the Lord.
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SPEAKER_00: And that is definitely something that we see throughout Emma Smith's life.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: She is someone who experienced much.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: And one quote that I want to share with you is from Emma's mother-in-law, Lucy Mack Smith.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: She said, quote,
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SPEAKER_00: End quote.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: Endless Smith went through so much in her life.
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SPEAKER_00: And she gave up this life of ease and comfort and wealth to marry Joseph Smith,
6:04
SPEAKER_00: which then turned her life completely upside down in a lot of ways.
6:09
SPEAKER_00: And she lived in a place of uncertainty because of the persecution.
6:15
SPEAKER_00: There were moms that would come into her home in the middle of the night.
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SPEAKER_00: She experienced losing several children, not just one or two, but several children.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: And so she experienced the grief and pain of that,
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SPEAKER_00: that she carried with her throughout her life, missing those kids.
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SPEAKER_00: She and Joseph lived as vagabonds in many ways.
6:39
SPEAKER_00: They were moving from city to city.
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SPEAKER_00: There were times her husband was in and out of jail and Because
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SPEAKER_00: of these false accusations that would be thrown at him.
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SPEAKER_00: And just this intense persecution being driven from home to home.
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SPEAKER_00: And there were times when Joseph was in jail and she had to pack up her family
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SPEAKER_00: and leave with her family and travel to a different town in order to escape
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SPEAKER_00: the persecution.
7:06
SPEAKER_00: And so she would have to move her family away.
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SPEAKER_00: Without the strength and support,
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SPEAKER_00: other than through the words that Joseph would write to her in letters.
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SPEAKER_00: And to give you just a little more of an example,
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SPEAKER_00: in August 1992,
7:21
SPEAKER_00: in the Ensign,
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SPEAKER_00: her great-great-granddaughter wrote
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SPEAKER_00: an article called My Great-Great Grandmother Emma, Emma Halesmith.
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SPEAKER_00: Her name was Gracia N. Jones, and she wrote this about Emma.
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SPEAKER_00: Quote, Emma did not know a settled home until Nauvoo.
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SPEAKER_00: Due to persecution and to further the Lord's work,
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SPEAKER_00: members of the church moved from state to state.
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SPEAKER_00: Emma suffered much tribulation.
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SPEAKER_00: She was robbed and ridiculed.
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SPEAKER_00: She and the children often went hungry.
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SPEAKER_00: Still, she struggled to provide for her children during Joseph's imprisonments
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SPEAKER_00: and long absences.
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SPEAKER_00: Many saints helped her,
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SPEAKER_00: but some took advantage,
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SPEAKER_00: severely increasing her difficulties and undermining her trust.
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SPEAKER_00: While Joseph and the other church leaders were unjustly imprisoned at Liberty,
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SPEAKER_00: Missouri,
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SPEAKER_00: Emma and her four little children became part of the major church exodus from
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SPEAKER_00: the state after the extermination order was issued on the 27th of October,
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SPEAKER_00: 1838, by Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs.
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SPEAKER_00: So that can kind of give you a little more of an example of the things that Emma experienced.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: And there's a song on the Nashville Tribute to Joseph, How much can one heart take?
8:41
SPEAKER_00: Even in this article,
8:42
SPEAKER_00: it talks about Emma's granddaughter realizing that Emma never really smiled
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SPEAKER_00: with her eyes because she was swayed down by all of the grief
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SPEAKER_00: that she had experienced in her life.
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SPEAKER_00: And yet, throughout all of her life, she had faith in God.
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SPEAKER_00: And she knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and she also knew that the Book of Mormon is
9:08
SPEAKER_00: And she never stopped believing that.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: And I think sometimes we as members of the church criticize Emma
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SPEAKER_00: because she did not come with the saints across the plains but stayed back in Nauvoo
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SPEAKER_00: after Joseph Smith's martyrdom.
9:23
SPEAKER_00: And yet when you really think about that grief and that pain that she had and all
9:29
SPEAKER_00: the times that she had to get her kids and take them to another home,
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SPEAKER_00: Is it really wondering that in the midst of all that grief that she carried,
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SPEAKER_00: that she did not want to do that again?
9:42
SPEAKER_00: I think also sometimes the Lord has a different plan for us than what we think.
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SPEAKER_00: And it is really not up to us to judge that plan that He has for someone else.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: And once again,
9:54
SPEAKER_00: in that article,
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SPEAKER_00: my great-great-grandmother,
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SPEAKER_00: Emma Hale-Smith,
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SPEAKER_00: Gracia says, quote,
10:01
SPEAKER_00: Quarreled with some church leaders over various aspects of settling Joseph's estate
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SPEAKER_00: and that hurt feelings resulted which were not resolved at the time.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: Yet through prayerful examination of materials and through refraining from judging
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SPEAKER_00: the people involved,
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SPEAKER_00: I have come to peacefully understand that in the threatening atmosphere
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SPEAKER_00: of persecution that prevailed at the time,
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SPEAKER_00: some of Emma's hesitation resulted because she feared for the lives of her children.
10:25
SPEAKER_00: End quote.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: End quote.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: End quote.
10:35
SPEAKER_00: How that impacted her decision in not coming across the plains.
10:39
SPEAKER_00: And yet,
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SPEAKER_00: Emma had this beautiful experience at the end of her life that can tell us that
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SPEAKER_00: the Lord loves us and that the way He judges is different from the way
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SPEAKER_00: that we judge.
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SPEAKER_00: Also from that article,
10:53
SPEAKER_00: around the time that Emma passed away,
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SPEAKER_00: It says, quote,
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SPEAKER_00: Sister Elizabeth Revel,
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SPEAKER_00: Emma's nurse,
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SPEAKER_00: explained that a few days earlier,
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SPEAKER_00: Emma had told her that Joseph came to her in a vision and said, Emma, come with me.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: It is time for you to come with me.
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SPEAKER_00: As Emma related it, she said, I put on my bonnet and my shawl and went with him.
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SPEAKER_00: I did not think that it was anything unusual.
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SPEAKER_00: I went with him into a mansion and he showed me through the different apartments of
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SPEAKER_00: that beautiful mansion and one room was the nursery.
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SPEAKER_00: In that nursery was a babe in the cradle.
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SPEAKER_00: She said, I knew my babe, my Don Carlos that was taken from me.
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SPEAKER_00: She sprang forward, caught the child up in her arms, and wept with joy over the child.
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SPEAKER_00: When Emma recovered herself sufficient,
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SPEAKER_00: she turned to Joseph and said, Joseph, where are the rest of my children?
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SPEAKER_00: He said to her, Emma, be patient, and you shall have all your children.
11:47
SPEAKER_00: Then she saw standing by his side a personage of light, even the Lord Jesus Christ.
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SPEAKER_00: Finding this testimony reminded me of how precious each soul is in the sight
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SPEAKER_00: of our Savior whose compassion and power to save is beyond all comprehension.
12:03
SPEAKER_00: All of us make mistakes and are in need of repentance.
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SPEAKER_00: Whenever we withdraw from the fellowship of the saints and cease to partake of
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SPEAKER_00: the sacrament on a regular basis,
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SPEAKER_00: we tend to lose our way and become subject to misunderstanding,
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SPEAKER_00: especially if our course has been set by real or imagined injury to our feelings
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SPEAKER_00: or pride.
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SPEAKER_00: This could happen to any of us, including my dear great-great-grandmother."
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SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a beautiful reminder that it's like it's really not us to judge.
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SPEAKER_00: I think, if anything, when we look at Emma's life, we can see just how difficult her life was.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: Also, that great love and compassion that the Lord has for her.
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SPEAKER_00: We already know from Doctrine and Covenants section 25 that he saw Emma as his daughter.
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SPEAKER_00: And then from reading the experiences,
12:54
SPEAKER_00: that experience that she had just a few days before her death,
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SPEAKER_00: we can also recognize and understand that the Lord still loved her enough to be able
13:04
SPEAKER_00: to send Joseph Smith to prepare the way for her to enter into the next life.
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SPEAKER_00: And so really what we can,
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SPEAKER_00: one thing that we can learn from Joseph, Emma's life is to not judge, right?
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SPEAKER_00: To not judge others so harshly and also to not judge ourselves so harshly,
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SPEAKER_00: but to recognize and understand that the Lord loves us.
13:28
SPEAKER_00: The Lord loves us and He is patient with us and He knows us.
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SPEAKER_00: And I know for me personally,
13:34
SPEAKER_00: when I experienced a miscarriage,
13:36
SPEAKER_00: I There was a period of time where I did not want to grow.
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SPEAKER_00: The grief was so strong during that time.
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SPEAKER_00: And the Lord was patient with me and He helped me and He guided me
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SPEAKER_00: and He gave me strength when I needed it.
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SPEAKER_00: And when I was ready to start taking more steps outside my comfort zone,
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SPEAKER_00: He was there ready to guide me in those moments as well.
14:00
SPEAKER_00: Another lesson that we can learn from Emma Smith's life Is
14:03
SPEAKER_00: that God's love doesn't mean that God removes the hard things.
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SPEAKER_00: Clearly,
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SPEAKER_00: she went through a lot of difficult things,
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SPEAKER_00: and just seeing what she went through is a reminder that just because we are doing
14:17
SPEAKER_00: the things that He asks of us does not mean that everything's going to go exactly
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SPEAKER_00: the way that we want it to go.
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SPEAKER_00: In fact,
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SPEAKER_00: the opposite is often true,
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SPEAKER_00: where we are going to experience that opposition,
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SPEAKER_00: where we are going to go through some hard things.
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SPEAKER_00: But it is a learning process of being able to learn how to trust in the Lord,
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SPEAKER_00: even in those hard times, and that He is there, even in those hard times.
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SPEAKER_00: I once heard a story of a girl who had cancer,
14:47
SPEAKER_00: and she would often write in her journal about what she was experiencing
14:51
SPEAKER_00: and Her parents found the phrase,
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SPEAKER_00: the moon is still round, and they're like, well, what does that mean?
14:56
SPEAKER_00: And going through her journals,
14:59
SPEAKER_00: they found an entry where she talks about how she would look outside the window
15:06
SPEAKER_00: and see the moon and the different phases of the moon and realize that even
15:10
SPEAKER_00: if she only saw a glimmer of that moon, that it was still the same shape.
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SPEAKER_00: And she realized that The same is true with God.
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SPEAKER_00: Even in those times when we struggle to be able to see Him in our lives, He is still there.
15:29
SPEAKER_00: All right,
15:30
SPEAKER_00: another lesson from Emma Smith's life that is kind of what the For the Strength
15:35
SPEAKER_00: of Youth lesson focuses on is that God trusted Emma with meaningful work.
15:41
SPEAKER_00: In In Doctrine and Covenants section 25 verses 6 and 6 through 8, this is what he says to Emma.
15:48
SPEAKER_00: And thou shalt go with him at the time of his going and be unto him for a scribe.
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SPEAKER_00: So he's talking about Joseph Smith.
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SPEAKER_00: She's going to go with Joseph Smith in the struggles that he's facing,
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SPEAKER_00: being that comfort and that support to him as his wife.
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SPEAKER_00: But then also what he says there, and be unto him for a scribe.
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SPEAKER_00: While there is no one to be a scribe for him,
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SPEAKER_00: then I may send my servant Oliver Cowdery with a sober I will.
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SPEAKER_00: So at this time,
16:15
SPEAKER_00: Oliver Cowdery was being the scribe,
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SPEAKER_00: but the Lord's got other plans for Oliver Cowdery,
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SPEAKER_00: so he's asking Emma to take over those duties as And then in verse 7 says,
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SPEAKER_00: The Lord is telling Emma that she is to expound the scripture.
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SPEAKER_00: So she is being called to not just be a scribe, but to teach others as well.
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SPEAKER_00: And then he then goes and calls her to compile a hymn book.
17:00
SPEAKER_00: In verse 12,
17:01
SPEAKER_00: it says,
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SPEAKER_00: For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart, yea,
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SPEAKER_00: the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me,
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SPEAKER_00: and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.
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SPEAKER_00: And so he's talking about the importance of what Emma is doing,
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SPEAKER_00: that she is going to put together these songs,
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SPEAKER_00: and they are going to be a way to be able to bless the saints,
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SPEAKER_00: bless those who sing from the same book.
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SPEAKER_00: And so there's this Great work.
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SPEAKER_00: He's calling her to do actually several things in this section.
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SPEAKER_00: And we too are asked to be able to teach and expound,
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SPEAKER_00: exhort, and be guided by the Lord in serving others.
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SPEAKER_00: So he asks us as well, not just Emma, but us as well to be able to do such things.
17:49
SPEAKER_00: And if you want to dive more into that aspect that you can check out,
17:54
SPEAKER_00: My Strength to Become podcast where I dive more into how the Lord is teaching
17:59
SPEAKER_00: and asking us to teach and exhort and expound scriptures.
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SPEAKER_00: Alright, another lesson from Emma that we learn is in verse 4 where she says,
18:18
SPEAKER_00: And what's going on here is God is allowing Emma to learn and to grow
18:24
SPEAKER_00: through these things that she doesn't understand.
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SPEAKER_00: He's pretty much telling her, you don't have the whole picture.
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SPEAKER_00: And so just trust me in this.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's something that we can all learn in our lives.
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SPEAKER_00: A lot of times we don't have the whole picture.
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SPEAKER_00: And yet as we put our faith and trust in the Lord, He leads us and guides us, right?
18:46
SPEAKER_00: I say that a lot.
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SPEAKER_00: He leads us and He loves us and He will help us to be able to navigate
18:52
SPEAKER_00: the uncertainty that we go through in our lives.
18:56
SPEAKER_00: He really does have a greater vision and greater picture of what needs to happen
19:02
SPEAKER_00: if we can just put our faith and trust in that.
19:05
SPEAKER_00: We will overcome and we will come to recognize and understand things at some point,
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SPEAKER_00: whether in this life or the next, why certain things happen the way that they did.
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SPEAKER_00: Which can be a really hard lesson to learn.
19:19
SPEAKER_00: And yet,
19:20
SPEAKER_00: as we do it,
19:21
SPEAKER_00: the Lord guides us and we can find the great joy that comes from trusting in
19:26
SPEAKER_00: the Lord.
19:27
SPEAKER_00: And then the last thing that I want to share.
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SPEAKER_00: Is that God's love gave Emma something to become.
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SPEAKER_00: Not something to earn, but something to become.
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SPEAKER_00: Doctrine and Covenants section 25 verses 14 and 15 says,
19:43
SPEAKER_00: Continue in the spirit of meekness and beware of pride.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: Let thy soul delight in thy husband and the glory which shall come upon him.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: Keep my commandments continually.
19:53
SPEAKER_00: Okay, and so he ends this section,
20:00
SPEAKER_00: this revelation, with the ability to be blessed with this crown of righteousness.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: So he starts out,
20:10
SPEAKER_00: and I don't I haven't mentioned this yet,
20:12
SPEAKER_00: but he actually starts out at the beginning.
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SPEAKER_00: In verse 3, he talks about Emma being an elect lady.
20:20
SPEAKER_00: And I talk more about this on the Strength to Become podcast as well.
20:24
SPEAKER_00: But what that means is that elect means you are chosen.
20:29
SPEAKER_00: Lady is a title of respect.
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SPEAKER_00: And so here the Lord is pretty much saying,
20:35
SPEAKER_00: You are someone who I have chosen with love and with respect.
20:39
SPEAKER_00: And then towards the end,
20:41
SPEAKER_00: he's talking about how she will receive this crown of righteousness as she keeps
20:46
SPEAKER_00: the commandments and that she is aware of that pride and seeking to not be prideful.
20:52
SPEAKER_00: And this is all something that we can learn from as well because we too can be elect.
20:58
SPEAKER_00: He is calling us as well.
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SPEAKER_00: To be able to do the great work that He has in store for us.
21:05
SPEAKER_00: And that may look different depending on who we are, right?
21:08
SPEAKER_00: We are all individuals and the Lord knows that and He understands that.
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SPEAKER_00: He knew that with Emma Smith and He loved her throughout the experiences that she had.
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SPEAKER_00: She may have been greatly tested throughout her life and yet the Lord sees her as His daughter.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: He sees her as an elect lady.
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SPEAKER_00: He calls her to do A great work.
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SPEAKER_00: And He is doing the same for us as well.
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SPEAKER_00: And so take some time today to think, what is the great work that the Lord is calling me to do?
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SPEAKER_00: And what is one thing that I can do to be able to move forward?
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SPEAKER_00: Even if it's a small and simple step that you're doing,
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SPEAKER_00: what is one small and simple thing that you can do to move forward and truly embrace
21:51
SPEAKER_00: that you are an elect lady,
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SPEAKER_00: someone who is chosen by God and called and given a great work.
21:59
SPEAKER_00: And I will see you next week on the Divine Worth Podcast.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: If you have found this podcast to be a light,
22:07
SPEAKER_00: please share it with others and leave a review,
22:09
SPEAKER_00: which helps others find the podcast as well.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: To learn more about your divine worth and potential,
22:14
SPEAKER_00: you can download some free scripture cards focused on your worth
22:18
SPEAKER_00: at karenpapin.com forward slash scripture cards.
22:22
SPEAKER_00: That's k-a-r-e-n-p-a-p-i-n.com forward slash scripture cards.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: You are of worth.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: You have a purpose.
22:31
SPEAKER_00: The Lord loves you and he believes in you.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: And only you can make the impact on this world that you are meant to make.
22:38
SPEAKER_00: Join me next time as we talk more about divine worth and potential.