In October 2018, Russell M. Nelson encouraged the women of the church to know their spiritual gifts. He shared that every woman is a mother by her divine destiny; that no one can duplicate the influence of a mother, and that women have special gifts & propensities.
I felt that the divine destiny, special gifts, and strong instincts to which he was referring were/are indeed patterns of Her, OUR Mother in Heaven. And that no one could duplicate Her influence, not The Father nor The Son because Her sphere of influence; HER gifts were/are uniquely different.
We need to see Her to see ourselves more clearly and become more like Her.
The prophet further shared that the efforts of gathering Israel need women because women shape the world.
This made me think of the courage of Eve reaching out, receiving further light and knowledge; of Mary's purity, strength and selflessness; Moses' mother, Jacobed, who gave life and sustained life to give life, and even Naaman’s little maid who had a testimony and faith to share where cleansing comes, and of many other women . Surely these women are a reflection of a Mother in Heaven.
The prophet, Russell M. Nelson extended a prophetic plea to the women of the Church to shape the future by helping to gather scattered Israel saying, “You will change the world as you do so.”
So, when the prophet urged the women with all the hope of his heart, to pray to understand YOUR spiritual gifts; cultivate, use & expand them, more than YOU ever have before, I had the yearning desire to know more. To seek for understanding thru prayer.[see Sister’s Participation in the Gathering of Israel by Russell M. Nelson 10/2018]
In October 2019, Russell M. Nelson again encouraged the women to understand their spiritual treasures. He shared that the heavens are open to women who are endowed with God’s power flowing from their priesthood covenants.
The prophet earnestly prayed that women would understand this power and believed that if they did, it would change their life.
He said, “Sisters, you have the right to draw liberally upon the Savior’s power to help your family & others you love.” [see Spiritual Treasures by Russell M. Nelson 10/2019]
I have come to learn, love, and am trying to live my life by upholding the Covenants I made in the temple so that I can continue to bless & protect myself, my family, and my posterity. I know that my Covenants offer generational healing and eternal sealing. I feel more connected to both of my Heavenly Parents, and most especially feel the honor of my role as a women, wife, and mother now & throughout the eternities.
Coming to know Heavenly Mother is much like coming to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
It is a personal journey. I believe YOUR relationship with Christ is the key to understanding YOUR Heavenly Parents and YOUR divine destiny. Christ connects US to Them. Christ is our advocate; He connects them to US.
Pray to God throught Christ, ask, seek, knock.
It is a process, a journey, a quest.
•Rejoice in what YOU do know of Her. •Remove sadness with gladness knowing YOUR relationship is personal; it is growing and not dependent on another’s effort or knowledge, just like your relationship with Christ and Heavenly Father are deeply personal and rooted in faith. •Seek for HER patterns & purposes in the scriptures. •Look for HER pattern in Eve, in Mary, in all the women who followed Christ and believed in Christ, and YOU will find HER there.
•Emulate HER to illuminate HER.
•Nurture, bless & protect those around YOU.
You will change the world as you do so, just like the prophet said.
As you earnestly search for your spiritual gifts as the prophet encouraged, I believe you will see a reflection of Heavenly Mother in you.
Sincerely,
Michelle Gessell
P.S. I hope that these images I created will help you see the pattern I see, and help draw you nearer to Christ the Lord, YOUR Father in Heaven, and YOUR Mother in Heaven. ⠀
Each of these drawings were created to share my own personal journey.
You can my accompanied thoughts on my website: drawingnearertothee.com .
Choose Heavenly Mother in the menu. Art is sold on my Etsy shop or by contacting me directly.
All of these pieces of art are mine and cannot be duplicated without written consent.
You can reach me at michellegessell@drawingnearertothee.com