Embracing Divine Femininity: A Perspective on Womanhood in Everyday Life

While we often define womanhood through shifting societal norms and trends, disciples of Christ are blessed with eternal truths about their divine identity and purpose. Femininity is not a cultural construct, but an eternal characteristic of our premortal, mortal, and eternal identity. At its core, divine femininity is about reflecting the attributes of our Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father in our thoughts, words, and actions.

But what does that look like in real life—amid grocery store runs, late-night homework help, demanding work schedules, and imperfect homes? How do we embody divine femininity in the everyday, especially when we feel anything but divine?

1. Nurturing Spirit

To be nurturing is to care for life in all its forms—emotional, physical, spiritual, and intellectual. It means to cultivate growth, offer comfort, and help others flourish through compassion, presence, and intentional acts of love. 

President James E. Faust taught: “Nurturing is not only in bearing children. Nurturing includes the care and attention given to all relationships.” (“What It Means to Be a Daughter of God,” Oct. 1999)

Nurturing may look like soothing a crying baby in the middle of the night, or patiently helping a child with their homework. It could mean checking in on a friend who’s going through a hard time, listening without judgment, or offering heartfelt prayers on someone’s behalf. It’s the act of making a meal for a sick neighbor, writing a note of encouragement, mentoring a younger woman in her faith, creating a peaceful home environment, or even bridging the cultural gap between older women and younger women to create a sisterhood that is more powerful and directive than the all-to-common generational cliques. .

Whether we are raising children, teaching students, comforting a friend, or building community, our divine capacity to nurture mirrors the love of our Heavenly Parents. Women are constantly seen helping those around them—quietly noticing needs, listening to others’ struggles, or extending care within their circles of influence.

We can look to scriptural and historical examples of nurturing women: Ruth, who stayed loyally by Naomi’s side and provided for her; Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose nurturing love shaped the Savior’s early life; or Eve, who embraced her divine role as the “mother of all living.” In more recent times, we might think of women like Florence Nightingale, who tended to the sick with tireless compassion, or mothers, teachers, and sisters whose efforts uplift and sustain communities.

Nurturing is not a grand performance but often a series of small, quiet sacrifices made out of love. It is a divine strength that can be cultivated and expressed in every season of life, no matter our age or circumstances.

2. Faith and Spiritual Strength

In the Book of Mormon, we read about the "stripling warriors," who “had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47). These mothers were spiritual powerhouses.

Elder M. Russell Ballard once emphasized: “Women of the Church are [to be] the Lord’s secret weapon.” ("Women of Dedication, Faith, Determination, and Action," Apr. 2015)

Faith is not passive; it’s an active trust in God, manifest in prayer, fasting, scripture study, and daily devotion. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11: 3) Faith is the very power that women access to create with the Heavens. Stepping into faith creates a strength that allows them to lead their children.  

3. Compassion and Empathy

The Savior was the perfect example of divine compassion. Throughout His earthly ministry, He saw individuals not just for who they were in the moment, but for who they could become. He reached out to the marginalized, healed the brokenhearted, lifted the weary, and forgave without hesitation. His compassion was not passive—it was active, personal, and powerful. As daughters of God, we emulate Him when we reach out in empathy, choosing to see others through eyes of love and understanding rather than criticism or comparison.

Sister Jean B. Bingham taught:
“The restored gospel... offers women the opportunity to exercise profound compassion and to participate in Christ’s work of lifting and healing.” ("United in Accomplishing God’s Work," Oct. 2020)

This divine work is not limited to formal callings or grand gestures. It often begins in quiet moments: listening without interrupting, showing patience with a child’s meltdown, or choosing to forgive when it would be easier to hold a grudge. It is felt in the handwritten note sent to someone who’s grieving, the embrace offered to someone feeling alone, or the courage to speak words of truth with gentleness and love.