#15 Part 3 The Inherent power within every Woman in Zion.

Welcome back, friends! I'm so excited to kick off Season 2 of Hope Smiling Brightly with the final part of this powerful series on what it really means to be a woman in Zion. In this episode, we’re diving into the the second word I found repeated over and over again in reference to women — how it’s woven into who we are as daughters of God, how it shows up in scripture, and why it’s so needed in the world right now.

We'll explore some beautiful symbolism from the parable of the ten virgins, talk about what it means to “trim your lamp,” and how to use your unique gifts, experiences, and covenants to truly shine with Christ’s light. Whether you're a mom, single, newly discovering your identity, or just needing some encouragement — this one’s for YOU.

🚢 Upcoming Event: Alaska Cruise 2026!

Guess what?! I’m going on a bucket list LDS Alaskan cruise and… I’d love for you to come too!

📅 When: July 30–August 6, 2026

🛳️ Where: Alaska, baby!

🎤 I’ll be speaking on sea days, joining optional private excursions at each port, and connecting with new friends in an uplifting, gospel-centered environment.

🔗 Reserve your spot now: https://bountifultravel.com/trips/family-get-away-alaska-cruise-2/

💰 It’s just $400 to lock in your spot!

Come alone or bring your besties or fam — either way, I can’t wait to hang out with you in Alaska. 🐋🌲

💛 Stay Connected with Me:

📸 Instagram: @amberdawnpearce

🎥 YouTube: Hope Smiling Brightly Podcast

🎵 TikTok: @amberdawnpearce

📘 Facebook: Amber Dawn Pearce

✨ Journal Prompts & Questions to Ask God:

How can I better understand and use the gifts God has given me?

Am I fueling my life with Christ — or with something else?

What would it look like for me to truly “trim my lamp” right now?

📚 References & Quotes:

• Elder M. Russell Ballard – “Let Our Voices Be Heard”

• President Spencer W. Kimball – “The Role of Righteous Women”

• President Russell M. Nelson – “A Plea to My Sisters” –

• President Russell M. Nelson – “Spiritual Treasures” –

• Sheri Dew – “Are We Not All Mothers?” –

• Bonnie H. Cordon – “Let Your Light Shine” –

• Elder D. Todd Christofferson – “The Moral Force of Women”

• Revelation 12

• Revelation 17

Revelation 19

• Isaiah 64:8

• Alma 5:27

• D&C; 33:17

Transcript

Amber: 0:00

President Harold B. Lee said Women's influence can bless a community or a nation to that extent, to which she develops her spiritual powers in harmony with the heaven sent gifts with which she has been endowed by nature. Welcome to season two of the Hope smiling brightly. Podcast, sharing stories and ideas that will empower you to overcome doubt, cultivate the kind of faith that miracles are made of, and experience the transformative grace of Christ. Whatever it is, Christ is the answer. I am your host Amber, also known as@amberdawnpearce on social media, hopefully most especially known as someone who loves to share the light of the restored gospel of Jesus'Christ. You are listening to episode 15, the Inherent Power within Every Woman in Zion. Little housekeeping here. I wanna make sure that you know that you can watch this show or listen to it as a podcast. It's on YouTube, it's on any of your favorite podcast apps. And thank you so much for taking a second to subscribe. Leave a review or a comment. It helps me get this content out to more people that might be seeking it.

Speaker: 1:28

Before we jump in, I wanna share something with you that I am really excited about. I am heading on a bucket list cruise to one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I want you to come with me. I am joining with Bountiful Travel for a seven day LDS Alaskan cruise. It's happening July 30th through August 6th, 2026. I will be speaking and sharing two unique presentations each day that we are at sea, And joining the optional private tours for our group at every port. I have gone on a cruise with an LDS tour group before, and I loved how it created opportunities for wholesome conversations and an uplifting environment. It was fun meeting like-minded people from all over and making friends with people that I am still in touch with several years later, it truly made our trip all the more enjoyable. Now this tour group with Bountiful Travel has limited space, and you'll want to book far in advance to guarantee your spot. It's only$400 to reserve your spot today, so grab your friends, grab your family, and head over to bountiful travel.com to make your reservation. I will leave the direct link in the show notes, but I cannot wait to see you in Alaska.

Amber: 2:54

Alright. I left you with a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end of season one, so, I have been so excited to start another great season with the third and final part of my little series on understanding your magnificent and powerful role as a woman in Zion. If this is your first time listening. Welcome. You may want to listen to part one and two of this series first, if you haven't already, or even if you have, you might wanna listen to it for a recap to see how all this comes so beautifully together. I also wanted to start with a little reminder that I am on this journey with you. My voice will never, ever match the voice of the Holy Spirit. That is why that at the end of every podcast, I suggest a question that you might ask God. See what answers might come for you. Your personal study and communication with God will be more powerful than anything you can learn from any podcast, YouTube channel, or content creator. So speaking of questions, this series all started with the question, how do I draw more of the power of Jesus Christ into my life? Part of the answer to that question be can be found in asking and understanding what it is to be a woman or man in Zion and fully stepping into that role. This is what the Lord wants for us in these last days to establish Zion, so you can guarantee that his power will be with us as we seek to do so. And since we each have a unique role in establishing Zion, the next question will be, what distinct assignment was I given in the world before this one was, If you listen to or watch the last episode, you know that in my study to understand the role of women in Zion, I came across two words repeated over and over again as I scoured through every talk that I could find about women. That first word was inherent, which we already discussed the significance of in part two, but today I want to talk about what I know everyone's been waiting for. The second word I saw over and over again in reference to women. First I noticed a unique call to specifically women over and over again. I wanted to know why women were being called to this particular responsibility. L isten to these quotes, inviting, pleading with us to use this inherent gift I'm about to talk about for good. From Elder Ballard, none of us can afford to stand by and watch the purposes of God be diminished and pushed aside. I invite, particularly you sisters here and throughout the church to seek the guidance of heaven in knowing what you can do to let your voice of faith and testimony be heard. From President Kimball, much of the major growth that is coming to the church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality will be drawn to the church in large numbers. And finally, from President Nelson. We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin resistant generation. We need women who can detect deception in all its forms. We need women who know how to access the power that God makes available to covenant keepers. Who express their beliefs with confidence and charity. We need women who have the courage and the vision of our Mother Eve. These calls are directly connected to the second word I saw repeated multiple times in connection to women. Maybe you can pick up on this word in the following quotes by President Nelson. Sisters, do you realize the breadth and scope of your influence when you speak those things that come to your heart and mind as directed by the spirit. Sisters, please never underestimate the extraordinary power within you to influence others for good. It is a gift with which our Heavenly Father has endowed every covenant woman. And President Nelson asked us to step forward and take our rightful place and gave an apostolic promise saying, I promise you in the name of Jesus Christ, that as you do so, the Holy Ghost will magnify your influence in an unprecedented way. Close quote, Have you guessed the word? Influence! Influence! I heard it, read it, saw it over and over again. Because the unique inherent qualities within women, coupled with the inherent right to motherhood, Heavenly Parents created within us a combination that leads to the incredible gift and power. Of influence. Now I have to add a little side note here because I know there are women of all circumstances here. Single married children, no children. I wholeheartedly agree with Sheri Dew when she said that. As daughters of our Heavenly Father and as Daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. The things I'm about to speak are for all women. All women are blessed with this powerful gift of influence In fact, I find it interesting that if you were to ask me who the most influential women in the church are to me, I would give you three names without skipping a beat. Sheri Dew, Wendy Watson Nelson, and Sharon Eubank. What do these three women happen to have in common? None of them ever bore children. Clearly they have stepped into their role as mothers in Zion because they have used their inherent gift of influence through their eternal motherhood to greatly influence my life and the lives of many others. No matter your circumstance, God will help you see how you can use this gift in magnificent ways. So as Sheri Dew said, sisters, it is high time for us to arise and have the influence God intended us to have. It is high time for us to lead the women of the world. It is high time for us to model the distinctiveness and happiness that sets true followers of Jesus Christ apart. The magnificent influence of women is seen in the first woman created as Eve was the one who had the wisdom and made the heroic choice to partake of the fruit and to use her influence to help Adam understand that this is what was needed for the good of all mankind. It is seen in Mary who was the influence behind the very first miracle publicly performed, which started the ministry of her son, Jesus Christ. And let's note that it was a woman the Savior chose to reveal himself to first in his mortal ministry. He chose the woman at the well and depended on her influence to help spread the word of Him and His mission. And what about another important witness? Mary Magdalene was the first witness of the resurrected Savior, the one chosen to use her influence to declare the miraculous news. almost every story in the scriptures about a woman witnesses of her influence. And I can guarantee the evidence of woman's influence is intertwined in every single scripture story, whether about a woman or not. I think it's interesting that in the book of Revelation, it is a woman that is used to symbolize the state of the world. In the last days in opposing ways. In Revelation 12, we see the description of the woman clothed with the sun. SUN believed by members of the church to symbolize God's covenant people. But in Revelation 17, we see the description of the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Now I know this is just symbolic and refers to the state of all God's children and not just women, but I personally believe it holds significance that there is a deeper reason as to why words that are used for a group of people, a city, a nation, are all feminine. I believe there is a message here, that it is the powerful influence of women that dictates the destiny of a nation for good or evil. Though all women have this influence, some will use it for good, some might be neutral, and some will use it for evil. The opposing examples of Esther versus Herods are significant in showing the power of a woman's influence, whether good or evil. Here we have two rulers, both who had men who were trying to influence them. In Esther's case, the evil Haman was trying to influence King Ahasuerus to kill all the Jews. In Herodias case, the righteous John the Baptist was trying to influence Herod to follow the teachings of Christ. But who did those rulers listen to? A woman, Esther, who was willing to sacrifice herself to save her people influence the king for good. Herods who wanted to continue in her sinful life, used her own daughter to use a woman's influence for evil and achieved her design. Which was to have the head of John the Baptist. Notice that in both of these cases, the result was the death of the men who had been trying to influence these rulers. But Esther was humble and selfless. While Herodius only cared about herself, she was prideful and selfish. Our motivation needs to come out of humility and selflessness. You simply can't tell me that women don't have powerful influence, whatever their circumstance may be. Perhaps this is why our prophet has stated that quote, your ability to discern truth from error to be society's guardians of morality is crucial in these latter days, and we depend upon you to teach others to do likewise. Let me be very clear about this. If the world loses the moral rectitude of its women, the world will never recover Close quote. And Elder Christofferson said, whether you are single or married, whether you have born children or not, whether you are old or young, or in between your moral authority is vital. And perhaps we have begun to take it and you for granted. Certainly there are trends and forces at work that would weaken and even eliminate your influence to the great detriment of individuals, families, and society at large. Close quote, How important it is. as we strive to fully step into our role as women in Zion, to recognize and use our inherent influence to bring others with us to Zion. God has prepared women for this time to be the kind of influence the world actually needs. The influence women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints have is unique. The truths of the gospel coupled with the opportunities provided as an active member of the church is rich soil for these inherent gifts to grow into true godliness. It doesn't matter if our numbers are small, as we make and keep covenants the name of Christ upon us and endowed with priesthood power, our influence becomes one of the most important and powerful on Earth. As President Nelson said, the kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them women who can speak with the power and authority of God. So how can we make sure we are influencing in the way that God needs? Bonnie Corden explained that the Lord's invitation to let our Light, so shine is not just about randomly waving a beam of light and making the world generally brighter. It is about focusing our light so others may see the way to Christ. So how do we do this? How do we make sure we understand and focus our own unique light? The answer can be found in a well-known parable, but a part of it we don't talk about as much The symbolism behind the 10 virgins and their oil lamps. We often focus on having enough oil, but that isn't the only instruction in D&C section 33 verse 17, it says. Wherefore be faithful praying, always having your lamps trimmed and burning and oil with you that you may be ready at the coming of the bridegroom. And Camille Johnson referred to that scripture, just in the April 25 general conference. She said, keep your lamp full of the oil conversion to Jesus Christ and be prepared to keep your lamp trimmed and burning bright. I had never seen the extra instruction until this verse was read in primary and a 4-year-old girl said, what is trimmed? Why had I never asked that question before the other teacher and I gave each other a look to see who would answer, but honestly, neither of us was confident that we had the right answer. This Sweet Girls question sent me on an enlightening journey that brought even more clarity to my question of what is it to be a woman in Zion? I also felt it was even more relevant because of how many times this parable concerning the last days had been brought up in the April, 2025 general conference. Okay. To trim your lamp has multiple meanings. First, when you take an oil lamp and trim it. You are getting it ready or adding to it. Think of trimming a Christmas tree to get ready for Christmas. So you trim a lamp by adding oil and a wick. The second way you might trim an oil lamp is once you light the wick, it is important to trim your lamp by cutting off the end of a wick, as it frays is too long or has excess residue collecting at the end of it. Let your brain turn on the possible symbolism as I describe the difference between a trimmed and an untrimmed. wick untrimmed, wicks cause dim. Smoky and ragged flames that are inefficient and burn out. I had to laugh as I learned that description because I felt like it was describing me at different times in my life. Have you ever felt dim, ragged, inefficient, burned out? But properly trimmed wicks produce a controlled, clean, bright, even long lasting flame. Just saying those words make me feel lighter. So what might the wick symbolize and what is it to figuratively trim our own lamps so the light we shine or our influence can be bright and lasting. The beautiful thing about symbolism is that it leaves room for many different interpretations. So what the Spirit will show you personally will be the most significant, but I will just share what I see when it comes to the influence of women. Yes. An oil lamp as a whole represents our preparedness to meet the Lord at his coming as we are prepared lamp, trimmed and burning. With extra oil, we can be a light that inspires others to do the same for themselves. But let's really break this down. First, I want to focus on the first description of trimming your Lamp, and I want to look at every part of the oil lamp and see what we can learn as it all comes together. In my research, I learned it matters the kind of oil and the kind of wick that you trim your oil lamp with. First we have the lamp, a vessel made of what? Of Clay. And the clay is you. In Isaiah 64, 8, it says, oh Lord, thou art our father. We are the clay and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand. To be made into a vessel of Christ can be a very uncomfortable process. We can be stubborn. We have our own ideas about what gifts we do or don't have, how we prefer to go about growing and changing, and often they don't align with what God knows about us. He will not force, but we can use our agency to allow our creator to continue to create us, trust our lives to his hands, be pliable so he can mold us into what he sees and become a vessel for him and of him. In this case, he is shaping us into an oil lamp. Our eventual purpose, the measure of our creation is to be a vessel of light. He will also cleanse and prepare us for his fuel. So speaking of fuel, let's look at the next component of an oil lamp. And the thing we generally focus on the most in this parable, you might be thinking, I got this. Oil is personal testimony, it's conversion. Yeah, that is true. But let's take this deeper. Specifically. What kind of oil are oil lamps supposed to be trimmed with? It's not just any oil, did, you know, they used pure olive oil. And what does olive oil symbolize? President Nelson explained, remember just as the body of the olive, which was pressed for the oil that gave light, so the savior was pressed. Olive oil can also symbolize the savior's atonement. Since the bitter olive wind crushed provides oil that is sweet. Jesus Christ gave his life for us all so that we could have access to godly power close. So olive oil symbolizes the atonement of Jesus Christ and the power for light that it gives us. Olive oil also symbolizes purity, healing, the Holy Ghost. So filling an oil lamp with olive oil is symbolic of filling ourselves with all the things we have access to because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, including being filled with the Holy Ghost and his refining, healing, purifying, enabling. godly power. This is where conversion happens. We haven't just heard about Jesus Christ in his Atonement. We come to truly know him and are changed by him. Let's also think of oil in this context. The five virgins who were late because they did not have enough oil. What did the Lord say to them when he answered the door? Ye know me not. They couldn't enter because they didn't have the fuel of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They didn't know Him and the power of what he could do in their lives. I wonder, did they knock on the door simply because everyone else was in there and they realized last minute that they didn't wanna miss out. Why would you want to go to a complete stranger's wedding? It certainly wouldn't be because you cared about the bride and groom. Or why would a groom have a complete stranger attend his wedding? It doesn't make sense. God's ways cannot be strange to us. We know the Savior through receiving and using his gift. The more we know him, the more we will be able to draw on this power, and the more we draw on this power, the more we will come to know him. I have to divert for just a second to explain another bit of symbolism that is built right into how we were created as women. It goes along with the fact that we are the vessel and it is important what we choose to put into our vessel. In the creation. woman was given the inherent ability gift to nurture life, not only within, but after a child is born. Woman has the power within her to nourish a baby, giving all that is needed to grow and survive as she both carries. and then nurses, that child. But this ability is completely dependent on what she takes into her body. Her nourishment is only as good as the water, the food, the vitamins she takes into her own body. And there are some substances she simply should not take into her body. I believe this ability that is given only to women is symbolic of the inherent influence also given to women. Women has the primary privilege to nurture and influence. all around her. The quality of what she's able to give is highly dependent upon what she takes in, and there will be some things she must completely cut out in order to give every child of God in her influence the best possible nourishment. It will do us good To sincerely ponder what we are taking in as our fuel each day, are we using inefficient fuel? A lot of the things we become addicted to are the things we go to when we are seeking fuel. Things that we turn to instead of turning to Christ. Or how about this? I thought I could fill my lamp by giving myself a million righteous check boxes, trying to perfect myself, and then confused when I felt so empty. So many members of the church, myself included, have been duped into believing that fuel comes from a checklist of things that make one perfect when Christ is the only one who can perfect us. We are confused why the gospel makes us feel exhausted. Nothing left to give. It isn't the gospel that is burning us out. It is the inefficient fuel of perfectionism. I find it interesting that when I was drowning in doing all the things, sure that the Lord was disappointed in me and I just wasn't doing enough that the Lord spoke to me. The same words that were spoken to the five foolish virgins in the parable. He said to me, ye know, me not. Those were also the same words. He spoke to the Pharisees who prided themselves in self-sufficiency and following rules to the point that they did not recognize the Savior when he was standing right in front of them. Truly knowing our Savior and his Atonement, that is where our fuel, our power must come from. Not a checklist. It gives a whole new meaning to when President Nelson said that women have the right to draw liberally upon the Savior's power to help your family and others you love. When speaking of Jesus Christ, it is said that none other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth. When our inherent influence is coupled with the influence of Jesus Christ, evidence of his Atonement with us fueling our light, that is true power. Perhaps this is why President Nelson recently urged us to devote time each week for the rest of your life to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Now coming to know Him will naturally lead to action motivation coming out of love rather than out of lack. I promise you that we are gonna get to the wick, but let's talk about the flame first. The flame is Jesus Christ. Because of our fuel. It will be a different light than from any other source, and people will notice that difference. We cannot hide or shrink action lights this flame of his fuel. Giving courage to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the world. Elder Christofferson told us, do not be afraid to apply that influence without fear or apology. Just like a light becomes brighter and brighter and more noticeable, the darker it gets, that is exactly what will happen with our light. The darker the world gets, the brighter our flame will become. The darker the world gets, the more people will notice need, and be drawn to our light, the light of Christ. Okay. Finally, let's talk about what the wick might symbolize. The very first thought that came to my mind was that the wick symbolizes our individual gifts and experiences. After all, that is most often how we let our unique light shine. President Kimball said that all of you need to drink in deeply the gospel truths about the eternal nature of your individual identity and the uniqueness of your personality. If the wick is our gifts, the prophet has asked us to pray to understand your spiritual gifts, to cultivate use, and expand them even more than you ever have and promised you will change the world as you do so. But the Spirit invited me to dig a little deeper to see what increases the influence of our gifts and experiences as women in Zion? This prompting sent me to research and discover that in biblical times, the wick of an oil lamp was most often made of linen. I wondered, does linen symbolize anything biblically? And the first thing I thought of was how the body of Christ was wrapped in linen for his burial. But I was surprised. What I found is I continued to search. Linen is referred to over and over again in the Bible in description of one significant thing, the ancient temple garment in Exodus. It says, and they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and his sons. A Mitre of fine linen and goodly bonnets of fine linen and breaches of fine twined linen, and a girdle of fine twined linen, as the Lord commanded Moses. In Leviticus, he shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have linen breaches on his flesh and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and a linen Mitre These are holy garments. Therefore, shall he wash his flesh in water? And so put them on. One could argue that maybe the only fabric they had access to was linen, but I've learned that God isn't specific about things for no reason listen to this verse in chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation that lays out very clearly the symbolism of linen. And let us just note that this chapter is all about the marriage supper of the lamb, the exact event that the 10 virgins were preparing for. In verse seven, it says, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready verse eight, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. for, the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Now, in the context of the New Testament, let me clarify that. righteousness often relates to living in accordance with God's will and commandments. So what do we wear that is clean and white and serves as a reminder of Jesus Christ and to live in accordance with his will and our covenants? The temple garment, it all comes back together. Linen was used for ancient temple garments. Our temple garments symbolize the Savior and our covenants with him. Are you absorbing all this? I hope so, because here's something more. The linen used as the wick to absorb the oil and hold the light of his flame is the same as what our temple garments symbolize. The wick symbolizes Jesus Christ and the covenants we make with him, the very things that make us righteous white and clean and visualize the beauty of this In order to provide light, the linen wick symbolizing covenants with Christ Or temple garments. must be dipped in and absorb the olive oil, symbolizing the blood or Atonement of Christ. Keeping that in mind, listen to this in Alma chapter five, verse 27. Could you say, if you were called to die at this time within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble, that your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? When we make and keep covenants the light, we are able to hold magnifies exponentially. We keep our promises, and God keeps His Because of our covenants, our gifts and experiences are consecrated for good in such a way that we can, in turn, consecrate. all that we have to him for the good of those around us, for building up the kingdom of God and helping to establish Zion on the earth as a mother in Zion. Finally, let's come back to the verse that started this search in the first place where for. Be faithful praying, always having your lamps trimmed and burning and oil with you that you may be ready at the coming of the bridegroom. If the wick symbolizes the power of our gifts and experiences coupled with our covenants with Jesus Christ. Living in accordance with God's will. That righteousness. What is it? To trim our wicks? I'll remind you what I said before. You trim your lamp in two ways. First by adding oil and a wick, and we've learned the significance of this trimming that what you use as oil as a wick for your light is very important and impacts the power and reach of your influence For maximum influence. the oil must be the atonement of Jesus Christ and the wick must be our gifts coupled with covenant living. What about the second way to trim? You? Trim your lamp by cutting off the end of the wick as it frays is too long or has excess residue collecting at the end of it. Remember, Untrimmed wicks cause dim, smoky, and ragged flames that are inefficient and burnout. Properly trimmed wicks produce a controlled, clean, bright, even long lasting flame. What is it? To figuratively trim our own lamps so the light we shine, our influence can be bright and lasting. Well, I'm going to stop right there and let you ponder it for yourself. What causes you to feel dim, ragged, inefficient, burnt out? What helps you to feel clean, bright, even long lasting? I have my own ideas on this and I'm gonna share them with you in my next podcast episode. But along with these questions, perhaps you can ask God, what are the gifts that he needs you to accept, open and use to influence those around you for good. Or perhaps we need to work on that oil asking How can I come to know you better? What do I have wrong about you? What is something I need to know about you? I am eager and excited to learn what the Spirit has taught you, Leave a comment on YouTube or over On TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, wherever you want. And remember, Jesus Christ is our fuel. Jesus Christ is our light. Jesus Christ is hope, smiling brightly.