Arise and Shine!

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the General Young Women session of the April 2012 General Conference.

In the second half of 2025 there was a lot of hoopla about the new garment style with long lines at distribution centers, and a crashing website, and overly long waits for any order from the church online store. All social media lit up with everyones opinions. I have an opinion too, but haven't shared it anywhere.

Sister Elaine Dalton, General President of the Young Women, spoke to them about standing up and shining for truth and righteousness. Her hero is Moroni who, "in a very degenerate society, . . . remained pure and true."

She reminded the young women that "These are your days, and now is the time for young women everywhere to 'arise and shine forth, that they light may be a standard for the nations,'" explaining that "A standard is a rule of measure by which one determines exactness or perfection."

My favorite line from Sister Dalton is "If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world." When I read that I thought of the new style garments and wrote in the margin of my magazine (I read all the talks in my old conference issues of the Ensign) "Like dressing differently, modestly, recognizably a follower of Jesus." How can we shine as a light to the world when we are indistinguishable from them?

Sister Dalton told of standing in the celestial room of the Reno, Nevada temple looking at the light streaming into the room made even more brilliant by the crystal chandelier. "It took my breath away as I realized that the Savior is 'the light and the life of the world,' that it is His light we must hold up and reflect. We are the tiny crystals that reflect His light, and in order to do that, we must be clean and free from the dust of the world."

One of the things I love about the "plain peoples", the Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites (and any other of their kind), is that they are instantly recognizable; just as male missionaries are recognizable in their clean cut appearance wearing plain slacks, white shirts and ties. (Sister missionaries are less so because of their non-uniform style of dress.) 

In the Doctrine and Covenants we are told not to be proud in our hearts; letting all our garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of our own hands, and to let all things be done in cleanliness before the Lord. (D&C 42:40-41) At one time I studied all that God had said about modesty, clothing, and such in all four standard works. I believe that wearing "plain" clothing doesn't mean unadorned, rather it means that because of our clothing it will be obvious (plain) to others that we are a covenant people, disciples of Jesus Christ. And that when the fashions of the world are incompatible with that, that we are called to make our own clothing. 

How will covenant LDS women be distinguishable from the world if we look and dress just like them? The fact that so many women want the ability to wear skimpy sleeveless clothing is so sad to me. Looking different invites questions from others and can initiate conversations about the Gospel and covenants. I want to look different! I want it to be plain that I am a covenant follower of Jesus Christ, endowed in the temple with power and potential blessings.

Sister Dalton always taught truth in direct and loving ways. This was another inspired and inspiring example.