No Scrubs

Today was a Snow Day for church, so I'm getting a kick out of reading some old Conference talks.  I had a good chuckle listening to the humor of President Hinckley in a talk given in April 2000 specifically to the young women at General Conference.

"For you, my dear friends, the sky is the limit. You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself."1

I actually do remember hearing this talk for the first time as a middle schooler.  At the time, TLC's song No Scrubs was very popular, so President Hinckley was certainly on-trend, and I'm sure his words connected with many young women, as they did with me.

The Church generally holds traditional family views, but President Hinckley was savvy enough to state that, "In this day and time, a girl needs an education. She needs the means and skills by which to earn a living..." and in this same talk, he heartily praised a female nurse whom he met at the hospital, a highly skilled woman with three children who had also followed her career goals. 

We need more people like President Hinckley to encourage our young girls to be everything that they set their hearts upon.  No woman and no mother should ever feel guilty for pursuing her heartfelt education and career goals.  With our skills, our voices, and our virtue, we can change the world.  Our girls need to know it, and our boys need to know it, too.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "Brethren, I pray that we as priesthood holders—as husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, and friends of these choice women—may see them as the Lord sees them, as daughters of God with limitless potential to influence the world for good."2

 The sky is truly the limit for each of God's children!

#AsSistersInZion

#SmartGirlsAsk

#ShePersisted

#HeForShe
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1. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2001/05/how-can-i-become-the-woman-of-whom-i-dream?lang=eng

2. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/09/the-influence-of-righteous-women?lang=eng#footnote4-04209_000_002