Christ’s Gifts to Women by Heather B. Moore and Angela Eschler is a physically beautiful book in large gift-book format. However, the text of the book contains wisdom, illumination, and inspiration that set it apart from any LDS gift book I have ever perused. It takes us far beyond the obvious and the merely sentimental, teaching with subtlety and depth.
After a thought-provoking introduction, the text is divided into five chapters: The Gift of Mercy, The Gift of Experience, The Gift of Wholeness, The Gift of Nurturing, and The Gift of Seeing.
The authors have combined their in-depth take on the scriptures, words of the prophets and apostles, as well as other learned authorities, in particular Truman Madsen, and have developed a dual theme in each of these chapters. As they explicate upon these five gifts, Heather and Angela show them from two different perspectives. Interwoven are the gifts we receive from Christ unto ourselves and the gifts we have been given as women to help others. Implicit in this is the doctrine that once we have received a wonderful bounty from our Savior, we will be warmed and filled and more able to help others, using that same gift.
I was touched by the wisdom in all of the chapters. Below are significant quotes from each that contain the flavor of the book for you to sample:
The Gift of Mercy: “To have faith is to trust that the Atonement can repair whatever mistakes we have made by carving new blessings and opportunities out of broken things.”
The Gift of Experience: “[Speaking of the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead] The greater gift that Christ offers Mary and Martha is the gift of experience: to endure a trial until they come to know who He is and how His power can impact and dispel every moment of their fear or suffering.”
The Gift of Wholeness: “As we bring our open hearts to the Savior, to the altar of His Atonement, we can receive His radiant wholeness. Each Sabbath day, we are invited to partake of the Savior’s magnificent offering to us. The sacrament bread and water represent His wholeness, His gift, and His virtue.”
The Gift of Nurturing: “Just as we fill our vessels in order to share with others, doing so, in turn, fills our lives with light. We become the light-filled vessels others seek when we embrace His gift of nurturing.”
The Gift of Seeing: “Regardless of whether we are in our modern-day homes, looking at pictures of the Savior, or standing in front of the empty tomb, we have a divine invitation to come-to see who the Savior is. And when we at last see Him in all His glory and magnificence, we can finally understand how He sees us.”
I plan on giving this lovely book as a Mother’s Day gift, and when I do so, I am going to advise the recipient that it is a Great Work, above and beyond the breathtaking art displayed therein.
G.G. Vandagriff is the award-winning author of thirteen books. Visit and browse her website . Read about her newest novel: The Duke’s Undoing.
