Here are some thoughts I wrote down during sacrament meeting today, partially inspired by one of the talks:
Heavenly Father may have warned, when He asked "Whom shall I send?" that it would not be easy, that it would require pain and sacrifice, but that it would save souls and bring true and everlasting joy to God's children. Christ said "Here am I; send me." But He was not alone. What mother has not volunteered to do the same? Though none can replace or replicate what the Savior did, few parallel His actions as closely as mothers do. Being a mother is not easy. Mothers sacrifice themselves physically--pregnancy and childbirth take a toll on the body. Mothers put their lives on the line to bring God's children into mortality. They sacrifice their time; they sacrifice pursuing their own interests and developing their own talents. They are instrumental in teaching the gospel to their children in both word and deed. A mother testifies of Christ simply by being a mother. She performs, as Christ did, much of her service without notice or thanks. In times of turmoil, she protects her children as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.
The word "Christlike" can mean many things: loving, forgiving, selfless--but perhaps one of the words most nearly synonymous with it is "motherly."
