Joseph
received the golden plates from Moroni eight months after he and Emma were
married. From that moment on their lives were punctuated with persecution and
trial.
Emma
traveled with Joseph on many of his missionary journeys and shared with him the
joy and sorrow that came with preaching of the gospel. The joy must have
outranked the sorrow for Emma showed incredible strength during her trying life
with Joseph. The Prophet’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, said this of her:
“I have
never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and
hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching
courage, zeal and patience, which she has ever done, for I know that which she
has had to endure….she has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the
rage of men and devils…which would have borne down almost any other woman.” (History of Joseph Smith, pp 190-91)
In July of
1830, Joseph received a revelation for Emma known as section 25 of the Doctrine
and Covenants in which He called her ‘an elect lady’ (v 3). When Joseph organized
the Relief Society on 17 March 1842, he appointed Emma as its first President
and explained that to be ‘elect’ means to be elected to a certain work (History
of the Church, 4:552-53).
When
President Joseph F. Smith received his vision of the spirit world in 1918, he
observed that many of the ‘noble and great ones were chosen in the beginning to
be rulers in the Church of God’ and that they ‘with many others received their first lessons in the world of
spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labour
in His vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men’ (D&C 138:55-56). I
believe this is when Emma was elected.
What a
worthy woman Emma she must have been long before this world began to head the
female contribution to the ‘wonderful work and a wonder’. Besides her work in
the Church, her support to Joseph in his calling was equal in part to his accomplishments.
She was there body and soul and did not shirk to give anything that was asked
of her. She stands at the head of all the valiant women of this Church who have
laboured for the salvation of the human race.
This is
what I see in Emma: when the Saviour opened this last dispensation, He did not
forget His valiant sisters. He enlisted us to work alongside the priesthood in
establishing His Church to make available the priesthood ordinances of
salvation. What a privilege it is to be harnessed with Him in this important
work of salvation for the human family.
We, the
sisters, will stand as a symbol of righteousness and spiritual endeavour of
Zion when the King of Kings returns to reign. And long after this earth is rolled
together as a scroll, we will stand as queens and priestesses in the celestial
kingdom of our God forever.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Emma's Hymns by Liz Lemon Swindle)
