We are thrilled you are here! This project has been in the making for several years and is near and dear to my heart. It was planted by a few questions asked such as, “What more can I do to make a difference?” Over time it grew into A Voice of Gladness as quiet impressions came to my heart and mind through many small and simple experiences.
During this same period of time I began to study the lives of exemplary women. I studied women in the Bible like Mary, the mother of Christ in the New Testament, and Hannah from the Old Testament, whose lives influenced countless generations for good. The way they radiated a gentle power, along with the attributes they displayed such as virtue, obedience, courage, and faithfulness, had a great impact on me.
I have reflected often on how my life has been been richly blessed by many modern day examples of these type of women. They are women who possess attributes that have allowed them to have a powerful influence for good on me, and no doubt many others. With these reflections in mind, I began noticing invitations being extended to women to do more to allow that influence for good to be felt and seen in the world. Through these experiences, I continued to wonder how to have more of these incredible women’s voices be heard by a larger circle of influence.
As I discussed these thoughts with others, I found that other wonderful women in my life were having similar experiences of feeling a call action. They felt the same desire to share their voices and be a greater influence for good. We came together and created a board to grow this platform together.
As our board began refining the purpose of A Voice of Gladness, we sent out a survey to a group of over 150 women to understand better what our target audience was truly needing. The list of hardships shared was long and varied. Topics such as depression, anxiety, spouses with addiction, loneliness, infertility, and financial hardships were brought up. We were deeply touched by the secret sorrows of these women who participated in the survey and felt that we could have shared similar results in our own responses to the questions. As we discussed the results, the resounding conclusion was that the solution to all of the sorrows shared is coming unto Christ and partaking of His love.
A Voice of Gladness was created to provide a place for many good women to link our voices together in light and truth, to lift and strengthen each other, and to help all who come to partake of Christ’s love and healing power. This is a gathering place for women of faith “who are distinct and different in happy ways” to come together, share our voices, and invite others to come and see the joy that may be experienced through Christ.
As our team discussed the many needs of women today, there were several guiding truths directing the building and refining of our purpose, some of which are:
- Women have divine worth and great value. We learn of our worth as we feel of God’s love for us. That understanding changes everything– the way we think, live our lives, and treat others.
- Women have divinely inherited the ability to nurture those around them, no matter the different roles they play. We often naturally desire to serve and strengthen others. We also have the deep need to be strengthened by others. There are so often “sorrows that the eye can’t see” in the hearts of many women. We have the opportunity each day to lift and strengthen each other.
- We are here to have joy! Christ came to earth “that [we] might have life, and that [we] might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10-11). He is the abundant, plentiful, and abounding source of joy and gladness. “When the focus of our lives is on… Jesus Christ… we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy.” (Russell M. Nelson, Joy and Spiritual Survival)
- “The world’s greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. (1916), 475). Consider the many types of women Christ interacted with in His day, which was controversial to His time. He loved, nurtured, taught and healed all of these women who reached out to Him in faith. Just as Christ is the greatest advocate for women, so do women have a distinct ability to advocate for Christ. “No one can defend our Savior with any more persuasion or power than you, the daughters of God, can—you who have such inner strength and conviction. The power of a converted woman’s voice is immeasurable.” (Let Us Think Straight, Russell M. Ballard).
Using these guiding principles, the following four series have been created:
- Women of Joy: An interview series featuring women who exemplify joy.
- Finding Joy: A series sharing experiences of women who have found joy amidst any circumstance.
- Joy in Christ: A series focused on Christ and His doctrines. Here we highlight how women have turned to Christ during the ups and downs of life to receive strength and peace.
- Share Your Voice: A series for the voices of our readers. Women may submit posts highlighting their own testimonies and journeys of finding Joy in Christ.
This platform was created as a gathering place for women of faith to articulate the beautiful truths that God often places in our hearts to serve and bless others. It is a place for women to be powerful influences for good, to share why we believe what we do, and what that looks like on a day to day basis.
No matter where you are at on your personal journey, we hope you feel welcome and can find something here that adds light to your life. Thank you for joining us in both receiving and sharing the gladness that Christ provides!
What are the ways you can benefit from our community?
Read and experiment. Each article written has a specific challenge for you to choose to act on. These invitations will help you come to know, feel, or do something, and to see the difference it makes in your life. You can report back and share your experiences with others using the hashtag #myvoiceofgladness.
Share your voice. We invite you to consider your experiences with truth and Christ and share your journey to joy with us and our community. Follow this link to find out more!
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