Sweet is the Work: How Relief Society Helps Bring Women to Christ

by Mary Ellen W. Smoot

Regardless of time or place, the Relief Society has meant sisters lifting one another spiritually, loving and taking care of one another, serving one another, learning together and absorbing insight and inspiration from other women headed in the same direction.

Genres: Lds, Religion

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Mary Ellen Wood Smoot was the thirteenth Relief Society General President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1997 to 2002.

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a RS president, this has been the most helpful source EVER!

In 1999 the RS General Presidency, Mary Ellen Smoot, Virginia Jensen and Sheri Dew wrote the Relief Society Declaration. In this book, Sister Smoot goes through the declaration, "line upon line", describing why each phrase has spiritual significance and how we can apply these principles in our own lives as well as in our individual units. Every chapter is filled with wisdom and insight not only from Sister Smoot but also many other Church leaders throughout the ages.

Here are some quotes from each chapter:
CHAPTER 1 - THE RELIEF SOCIETY DECLARATION -
This is basically an introduction. I love her cooking analogies: "Have you ever prepared a favorite dish and decided to make a few shortcuts? . . . I am sometimes guilty of this when I make Rice Krispie treats. I think I can extend the marshmallows. . . In the same way, we can be tempted to "extend" spiritual sweeteners." M. Smoot
"Don't let satan lead you to believe that your potato salad has to be just like mine, but also don't think you can make potato salad without potatoes. Essential ingredients of the gospel plan must always be in place." M. Smoot
"Selfish pursuits simply cannot engender as much happiness as selfless compliance with commandments." M. Smoot

CHAPTER 2 - ROOTS OF FAITH -
"No matter if a tree grows to more than a thousand feet in height, each leaf, each day, must return to its roots for nourishment." M. Smoot
"The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us." President J. Reuben Clark
"Every sister has a thread to weave in the tapestry of time." M. Smoot
"A newspaper reporter once asked Helen Keller (who was blind and deaf) what could be worse than being blind, and she responded, "Having eyes to see and no vision." M. Smoot

CHAPTER 3 - THE POWER OF BELONGING -
"Your every need shall be fulfilled, now, and in the eternities; every neglect will be erased; every abuse will be corrected. All of this can come to you, and come quickly, when you devote yourself to Relief Society." Boyd K. Packer
"We cannot have the spirit of The Lord with us if we are divided, openly or privately, against each other. Lines cannot be drawn between auxiliaries. If there is a problem in the primary, it is a Relief Society problem as well. All of the sisters who serve in the primary are Relief Society sisters. If there is a problem in the Young Women organization, can the Relief Society help? Yes, indeed. All of the Young Women leaders are Relief Society sisters as well." M. Smoot
"Synergism is quadrupled when people bond together." Carlos E. Asay

CHAPTER 4 - THE BOND OF CHARITY -
"Rather than focusing on the written guidelines to see what "counts" as visiting teaching, think about meeting the needs of each sister and truly taking care of her. Visiting teaching that focuses on making visits easier, making them convenient, or making them "count" violates the principle of charity." M. Smoot
"As we love and nurture those we visit and teach, we will be fitted with a new pair of spiritual glasses. We will then see our sisters, ourselves, and the visiting teaching program with newfound perspective." M. Smoot
"I am sure you've had the experience of seeing a situation from a different vantage point and then realizing that you had not seen it all, or had not seen it just as it was. . . . My earnest desire is that we will have such an awakening to the visiting teaching program." M. Smoot

CHAPTER 5 - ANCHORED IN CHRIST -
"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives." Ezra Taft Benson
"There is no sister so isolated, and her sphere so narrow but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the kingdom of God upon the earth." Eliza R. Snow
"In a 1932 Relief Society conference, the objectives of 'work day' were outlined: 'to sew for the needy, to be thrifty, and industrious, to help one another, to satisfy a social hunger, to magnify Relief Society values, to fill our homes with beauty, to increase attendance, to make everyone happy.' What may seem like a new emphasis is really a return to the purposes for which the program was established."
M. Smoot

CHAPTER 6 - THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST -
. . . "You never know when you may need to draw on reserves of spiritual strength . . . . You simply cannot 'cram'. You never know when you will be asked to come forward and face one of life's difficulties." M. Smoot
"By requiring these five loaves and two fishes of the boy, The Lord seems to imply that if we are willing to give Him what we DO have, He will make more of it than we ever could if we were to keep our ' loaves and fishes' to ourselves." M. Smoot
. . . "When obedience to The Lord and His counsel becomes a quest instead of an irritation in our lives, the Spirit of The Lord becomes our constant companion." M. Smoot

CHAPTER 7 - LOVE AT HOME -
"The warm sunlight of love will not rise out of a swamp of immorality." President Gordon B. Hinckley
"All of us carry excess baggage around from time to time, but the wisest ones among us don't carry it long. They get rid of it." Elder Boyd K. Packer
"Like the mortar that keeps a brick wall from toppling over, women have been the glue that holds society's human relationships together." Elder Bruce C. Hafen
"As surely as Moroni waved the title of liberty to unite his people in battle, our prophet called each sister in Relief Society to take her place in the battlefield of the twenty-first century." M. Smoot

CHAPTER 8 - FAMILIES COME FIRST -
"No activity has more profound impact for good on society than a mother spending loving time nurturing and training a child in the true principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And conversely, no greater void can be felt than the absence of a mother from her children during the formative years of a child's life. Please guard against any commitment or profession (even though honorable in its own right) that would take a mother from the side of her child more than absolutely necessary." M. Smoot
"Regardless of what any woman has accomplished outside the home, no one will have greater reward in heaven than a faithful, devoted mother who has helped her children to know God and Jesus Christ." President N. Eldon Tanner
"I hope that if you are employed full time you are doing it to ensure that basic needs are met and not simply to indulge a taste for an elaborate home, fancy cars, and other luxuries." President Gordon B. Hinckley

CHAPTER 9 - HOW BROAD IS OUR MISSION -
"We are a RELIEF society! We are not just a Sunday meeting. We must catch the vision of what we have the potential of becoming to accomplish it. We cannot fail; The Lord is depending on us." M. Smoot
"With such commitment, we can become the most efficient, far-reaching organization of women on this earth! Women around the world will be drawn to us because of the good we can do." M. Smoot
"We have and ever will be the "relief" society. Our sisters want and need to serve. For many years Relief Society homemaking nights that were dedicated to service brought the greatest number of sisters out. . . Service is magic!" M. Smoot

CHAPTER 10 - GROWING IN WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE -
"Women today are encouraged by some to have it all: money, travel, marriage, motherhood, and separate careers in the world. . . However you cannot do all these things well at the same time. You cannot eat all of the pastries in the baking shop at once. You will get a tummy ache. You cannot be a 100-percent wife, a 100-percent mother, a 100-percent Church worker, a 100-percent career person, and a 100-percent public service person at the same time. How can all of these roles be coordinated? I suggest that you can have it sequentially." President James E. Faust
"As sisters, the more we understand the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the less we concern ourselves with needs and rights and the more we are content with righteous decisions to put family first and enjoy the various seasons of our lives." M. Smoot
"In the long run it is better to starve or even to perish for want of temporal food than to be impoverished and perish for the lack of intellectual and spiritual knowledge which are essential to secure the gift of eternal life which is the greatest gift of God." President Joseph F. Smith

CHAPTER 11 - STRENGTH TO STAND -
"We need women with the gift of discernment who can view the trends in the world and detect . . . Those positions that may not be popular at all, but are right." Elder Boyd K. Packer
"The righteous woman's strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times." President Spencer W. Kimball
"Ours is not necessarily the role of the campaigner against one or another of the existing community evils; ours is the role of the steady, consistent builder of men and women of integrity and moral fortitude who will uphold and promote virtuous community life." Belle Spafford

CHAPTER 12 - A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP -
"If anyone can change the dismal situation into which we are sliding, it is you. Rise up, O women of Zion, rise to the great challenge which faces you." President Gordon B. Hinckley
"He [Satan] would attempt to drive wedges between us by overemphasizing differences - instead of appreciating and building on them." M. Smoot
". . . You bring luster and strength, and beauty to its congregations. How thankful we are to you. How much you are loved, respected, and honored. . . We walk at your side as your companions and your brethren with respect and love, with honor and great admiration." President Gordon B. Hinckley
"Without question, prophets through the ages have believed in and empowered women." M. Smoot

CHAPTER 13 - THE COVENANTS OF THE TEMPLE -
"On several occasions, our general presidency and board have gone to the temple fasting and praying, and we have felt tremendous outpourings of the Spirit." M. Smoot
"It never did cost anything to support error. Men can propagate error and can be popular but the truth always costs the best blood on earth, not excepting the Son of God, and if I set my standard so high as to aspire to be a joint Heir with Jesus Christ, of course, I must not shrink from drinking the bitter cup." Eliza A. Cheney (1847)
"Thus it will be that the female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both numerical and spiritual growth of the Church in the last days" Spencer W. Kimball

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I used the 2021 prompt read a book with a flavor in the title. (sweet) I liked it, but it is a little outdated. First world problem of belonging to a church receiving constant revelation and change. It follows the theme of the relief society and breaks down what some of the phrases actually mean when you look at them in the context of real life.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Smoot makes it so easy to look for ways to love each other. She reminds us the importance of each and every soul...

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Ellen Smoot is one of my favorite presidents and her thoughts are so inspiring. Great read.

[Melissa Blocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

With my calling in Relief Society, this book gave me encouragement to continue striving to do my best to serve and help the ladies in our area grow closer to our Savior.