Sheri Dew on Influence and How We Wield (or neglect to wield) It

Okay, here is the interesting object lesson Sheri Dew used to open her comments at Time Out for Women last night. (See, it's almost like you were there!) First, take a moment to watch the video she showed us:

I HAVE REMOVED THE VIDEO POSTED PREVIOUSLY BECAUSE MY SON CALLED TO TELL ME THAT THERE WAS SOME DISTURBING FOOTAGE CUT INTO THE ORIGINAL VERSION. I APOLOGIZE TO ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE SEEN IT AND BEEN DISTURBED AND/OR OFFENDED. INDEED, SISTER DEW DID SHOW THE SEGMENTS DEPICTING PEOPLE IN AN ELEVATOR (TAKEN FROM AN OLD CANDID CAMERA VIDEO), BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY PART SHE SHOWED. (FROM NOW ON, I WILL WATCH AN ENTIRE VIDEO BEFORE I PUT IT HERE AND NOT JUST THE FIRST FEW SECONDS.) AGAIN, I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR INADVERTENTLY MISREPRESENTING WHAT SHERI DEW SHARED WITH US.

Below is the considerably tamer version from Candid Camera that I thought I was showing you.



Sister Dew made the observation that we all have influence in this world, nearly unlimited influence. Her question, though, was thought-provoking: "Are we the influencer or the influencee?"

Object lesson #2: (Be sure to count how many passes the white team makes.)

Interesting, huh? This was meant to be an ad awareness test, but Sister Dew reframed it a bit by making this point: "What you focus on determines what you see." Her point is that if we focus on the world, we will not see the adversary and his antics. That's why we should focus on the Savior, not the world.

Good beginning, and from there she branched out to speak about disruptive strategies used by competing companies. (For example, iTunes has disrupted the record industry with its successful strategies.) Always ready with the question that takes things a level deeper, Sister Dew then asked 2,000 of her fellow women of God, "What disruptive strategies threaten us in this life?" She warned that the adversary is a master at using disruptive strategies to thwart us. The first of these is to get us confused about who we really are. The second is to make sure we never understand what the Savior actually did for us in atoning for our sins and pains (thereby not understanding what He can do for us now). And the third strategy used by Satan is to ensure that we never learn how to get information from the Lord so we don't know how to be warmed, taught, strengthened, and brought peace by and through Him.

Sister Dew then reminded us that the "noble and great ones" spoken of in D&C 138 and Abraham 3 are us, and if we are not convinced of that, she suggests that we kneel down and ask the Lord if those verses have anything to do with who we are. "You're here now because you're supposed to be here now (on earth)," she said. You were chosen for this time because you had what it takes to ensure that the Kingdom of God on earth will prevail. In other words, ours is the only dispensation that will not end in apostasy, and we have a calling to bring it home. After dropping that one on us, Sister Dew reiterated that "LDS women have nearly limitless influence." I think we all got the message.

What I took away is that we need to own that influence and use it...to fulfill our missions here on earth and to help others fulfill theirs. "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"

A good rallying cry, and a strong reminder of who we are and what the Lord needs (and expects) from us.