Meeting Jean B. Bingham

Background

On Saturday, November 10, 2019, I got to meet Sister Jean B. Bingham. Sister Bingham serves as the General Relief Society President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I attended a meeting where we all ate dinner (a plethora of crock-pots full of soup), and then sat down to listen to some inspiring words that Sister Bingham shared. I loved seeing her mingle with us as we ate our meal. She was so unassuming, graceful and meek. Hearing her talk, she is soft-spoken and tender. She moves slowly and gently, not with a lot of force.

Yet to me she is so powerful! Something about her messages really speak to me. Several years ago she gave a talk that truly touched me. She articulated truths that I have believed for a long time, and motivated me to live them better. Isn't that true power? Enlightening and empowering those around you? Ever since that talk, I have eagerly listened to her words whenever I've had the opportunity.



While at dinner, I went and introduced myself to her. I normally don't do that sort of thing, but I found myself stealing a seat next to her as she sat down with her soup. I was so nervous I'm not even sure I looked her in the eye. When she could see I didn't have anything more to say besides my name and how excited I was to meet her, she asked what capacity I serve in the Church. Before I could answer someone else interrupted us. I should have just taken the opportunity to leave, but I didn't. I waited for a minute or two, then asked if I could get a picture with her, which she obliged without hesitation. Then I quickly told her how much I had loved the talk she gave (referenced above), and basically ran away.

Yup. I was about as articulate and put together as a teenager meeting her favorite boy band. I am pretty disappointed that I squandered what is likely to be my one and only chance to meet her, but it was still pretty special to spend the evening with her. Even in my awkward introduction, she didn't seem annoyed or bothered at all. She put her arm around me for our picture. She seemed genuinely happy to meet me and not even bothered that I was interrupting her short time to eat before speaking to everyone.

As always, hearing from her that night was inspiring. Here are a few of the things she shared:

Summary

A lot of changes have been made in the Church. Sometimes we don't understand why we are being asked to do certain things. From her experience, Sister Bingham has found that as she tries out new things even if she doesn't understand, that eventually she is able to look back and see the why.

We need to remember that all of the many changes are not isolated in and of themselves. Each adjustment is meant to work together to help us prepare to meet God.

As the largest organization of women in the world, the Relief Society is very diverse. Women come from every walk of life and almost every country to participate in Relief Society. From this diversity, we can create unity! One of the ways we can do this is by trying to see each other as God sees us.

Sister Bingham referenced a talk by Brother Peter Johnson that talked about the 3 D's of the adversary: Deception, Distraction and Discouragement. Then she suggested a fourth D: Division. We cannot succeed as a community unless we are united! To that end, we need to be doing more than just including everyone. It is good to include others. But what people really need is a place where they belong. We can create belonging by focusing on loving others, and not dwelling on what we perceive to be their shortcomings. As we do this, we will be changed for the better!

Remember that everything we do has a spiritual component. The Lord will help us know what should take priority in our lives, and He will guide us and help us improve.

My Two Cents

Honestly, whenever I think about what she said, the only thing I can remember without looking at my notes is that part about division. One of Satan's tools is division. It is something that has been on my mind for a while now. I love how she paired that thought with the idea that we can be unified in diversity. We don't need to try and be the same! We don't need to mold each other to our idea of what's best. Rather, we can embrace our differences, and learn and grow from them. Wouldn't that make for a much stronger, interesting whole?

I think this is a great lesson for all of us right now.