Sherry Dew, former second Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency, said a young woman recently told her she imagined that each morning Satan sees Dew and says, "Oh heck, she's awake again."
Dew said women are here to build up the kingdom of God. They are born to be destroyers and disturbers of the adversaries of the kingdom.
"We are the last wave of laborers in the Lord's vineyard," said Dew. "We are here for very specific purposes."
Eve and Mary are the two women in the history of the world who have shown us that mortality can be mastered, said Dew. Eve mastered the fall and Mary gave birth to the Redeemer.
Dew outlined seven key virtues that Eve and Mary had in common: faith, knowledge, obedience, purity, integrity, identity, and courage.
Mary showed great faith when she responded to the angel, be it unto me according to thy will. Dew compared this statement to Christ's words in Gethsemane when he said, Not my will, but Thine.
"There is nothing we need more than to increase our faith," Dew said.
Dew told of a recent incidence in an airport when she was pulled aside for an extra search. The security guard first unpacked her scriptures and promptly handed everything back to Dew and said, "I do not worry about the people who have this book."
Eve and Mary had great knowledge because they understood doctrine. Dew encourage women to learn the doctrine and live it.
One elderly woman once complained to Dew about her inability to remember scriptures who said, "I've decided it's my job to put them in and the Holy Ghost's job to pull them out."
Satan tries to make sin look liberating and obedience to appear restrictive, but sin enslaves, Dew said. Dew quoted Bruce R. McConkic who said we must take the Lord's side on every issue.
Other than Jesus Christ there is no one more pure than His mother, Mary, Dew said.
The objective of the world is not to become perfect, Dew said. "I wish you would give that up once and for all." Our objective is to increase in purity.
When Eve was beguiled by Satan in the Garden of Eden, Eve showed great integrity when she admitted it and took the consequences, Dew said.
"None of us are resilient enough to tango with Satan and survive," said Dew. The only way to deal with him is to shun him completely.
God named Eve the mother of all living before she was placed in the Garden of Eden, said Dew. Mary was also selected to be the mother of Christ before she was born.
"We didn't come to earth to gain our worth, we brought it with us," said Dew.
Dew expressed disdain for the TV shows, "Survivor, the Weakest Link and don't even get me started on The Batchelor." All these shows have one lucky winner.
"It's a big lie that only one person can win," Dew said. Our Father in Heaven is, "staggeringly inclusive."
"Eve and Mary were not assigned to this dispensation, we were," Dew said.
The Lord would not leave the last days to chance, Dew said. He is sending some of the most trustworthy women.
When others abandoned Christ for fear, "there stood Mary at the Cross," Dew said. Mary showed unfaltering courage.
Dew, who serves as a White House delegate and private sector adviser to the Commission on the Status of Woman, told of an incidence at the United Nations when she addressed a group of women about President Bush's stand on HIV.
Dew was prompted to state that abstinence from pre-marital sex and being faithful to one marriage partner were key factors in stopping the spread of Aids.
Certain women responded angrily but their jeering soon subsided and other women cheered. Satan never backs up his followers, but the Savior always does, Dew said.
Neither Eve nor Mary was perfect, but they both lived up to their stewardship perfectly, Dew said. "So must we."
There is no greater joy than helping the Lord with His work, Dew said. Women need to live lives with these seven virtues so, "In the morning when we wake up, the Lord will say, 'terrific, they're awake again. Ready to help me build up my kingdom.'"
Copyright Brigham Young University 2 May 2003
