Right now there is a social media storm raging around a post that General Relief Society President Camille Johnson published on Instagram. A dear friend asked my opinion on it, and I feel to share what I wrote to her here, with a few additions.

The reason it is a frenzy (gathering in a day almost 2,000 comments rather than her usual under 100) is because on Friday, May 3, 2024 she gave the Keynote Address at BYU Women’s Conference and then shared some highlights on social media about the craziness of marriage and raising a family while juggling schooling and a law career. For many, that is a problem because from the ’80s through the early 2000s (during this time period when she would have been doing the “joyful juggle” of work that she described) Church Presidents were teaching that women should not go into the workforce, but stay home to care for and rear their children. And the battle has become intense (reminding me of a talk that Sis. Julie B. Beck gave in the early days of social media when she was similarly slammed. It was intense to watch because it was the first time I had seen such a thing).

I try to take a calm methodical approach (time + reading, thinking, pondering and praying) to gather the facts of a situation like this. I am going to share some points to consider here that hopefully will add some different perspectives and ideas to the discussion. I have some general thoughts and then I’d love to hear yours.

I read her post first (and was struck with one sentence – but more on that later) and then I read through the comments. A lot of comments. So so many! As I read through the comments, I could hear the pain and anger of so many who feel frustration. I’m especially cognizant of those who are facing today a time when [at least in the US] we almost all need two incomes to financially survive, and they haven’t had a chance to adequately prepare themselves, and have to work a low paying job. Some face back-breaking hours for little money and then after work, exhausted, try to keep the homefires burning (at this point, I could go into anger and frustration at businesses persons who pay low wages while making “bank”, but that’s another post for another time). There is so much hurt and pain as you go through the comments, and I ABSOLUTELY understand where they’re coming from.

I honestly do believe though, that the Lord can help all of those women (and families) who are financially struggling to get to a safe place, as they turn to Him and follow promptings of the Holy Ghost. It’s been incredible to watch different journeys of faithful friends – to see the ups and downs, the faith and the miracles. And their strength, growth and learning as they struggle and triumph with God’s help. (At this point, I could go on about faith and the power of life’s hardest lessons but that’s another post for another time).

The second thing (after the sorrow for those posting about their pain) I noticed was a group of people (probably about 3- 4) who kept reposting the same angry post. I read down some comments and then saw the same posts. At first, I thought that maybe I had somehow gone back to the beginning, but then as I moved forward, I saw them post a third time. The exact same posts (copied and pasted). So, then, I wondered what their motivations were. Their posts didn’t share their own personal stories – just angry damning questions that called out Sis. Johnson. And then there would follow these heart wrenching experiences of sisters who were struggling. Then you’d get a few comments of people who were trying to understand and comfort, followed by these 3-4 “copy and pasted” comments by the same people. That was quite interesting.

The third thing that I considered, was the thing that stood out to me from her actual post rather than the comments. She got married halfway through law school. Which meant that she already had her bachelors and was in the process of getting her JD when she got married. (And getting an education was/is something that the prophets have always counseled us to do). I found that fascinating.

I also wanted to see how many kids she had – she had three. Then I looked to see if I could find anything out about her husband. I’m wondering if there are things she hasn’t shared to protect him. Often, my husband Bryan doesn’t want me to tell people about his issues (and at this point I could go on about our story, but that is another post for a book or two 😁). In my admittedly very short search about Sister Johnson’s husband, I haven’t found much. They met in law school. But again, there’s just not a lot of information about what and why she felt prompted (especially in the face of the prophetic comments at the time). It is important to state here, that prophetic guidance and even the Family, A Proclamation to the World have always talked about situations in which there may be a necessity for women to work. Some of those necessities are intensely personal. In this case, we just don’t have any information. Nor do we know why a lawyer might need to lead the Relief Society in the coming days ahead. Just some things to bear in mind.

So the next thing I noticed was the main topic of her talk at women’s conference (where the post came from). Her main thoughts centered around her concern and worry that faithful young women are choosing to not have children so that they can get their schooling done and careers started. Her point was that even though it was a juggle to do both, it can be done. So this message is not necessarily for women my age (that grew up around the time of the prophetic counsel – I was a young adult in the early 2000s), but for the ones who are having children now. At a time when they ABSOLUTELY will have to juggle schooling & careers and marriage & motherhood.

Those were some of my initial thoughts. (I like to gather information to see what is happening and perhaps what God is doing). In following this train of thought, I’m wondering if she needed those experiences to lead this younger group of women. If they don’t have babies, then the Plan of Salvation falls flat.

This is such a supercharged topic because it has to do with personal lives and experiences, prophetic counsel, personal spiritual experiences, finances, religion, and family. What are your thoughts? What has been your experience? It’s okay if you would rather write your thoughts in your own journal rather than post publicly. But as we work through this latest brouhaha, I invite you to consider these questions:

1. How has the Lord been involved in your life with your decisions about family, schooling and career?
2. Can the Lord be more involved in helping you resolve issues surrounding your family? If so, how could you get that help, guidance, and counsel?
3. What are the unique needs of yourself and your family?
4. How has prophetic counsel directed your life in the past? Currently?

As I stated before, I truly believe that our loving Heavenly Father desires to help everyone with treasured counsel that, if followed, will bless your life. I have seen this in my own life. I counsel my children, as much as they will let me, based on my years of experience, my love for them, and my knowledge of their unique situations. I think God is like that with us – only better, much, much better!