I have often heard that men get to hold the priesthood and women get to have babies. That is the divine design. I believed it was true, but didn't quite understand the significance of those two essential roles in the plan of happiness. I had an insight recently into how these roles relate and are of equal importance in God's plan. It happened as I was preparing a lesson about the priesthood for young women's.
God's eternal plan is to help each of his children come to earth to gain a body and have experience, then to return to him in heaven, to share in His glory. In order to do this, there are two main obstacles to pass through. Women hold the key to one of them and men hold the key to the other. In order to return to Heavenly Father, we must first leave Him. Women have the divine role to bring that to pass. Women create the mortal bodies in which Gods spirit children reside. Then, once we leave His presence, there are saving ordinances that must be performed for each spirit to return - baptism, confirmation, and the endowment. These ordinances are performed by men who hold the priesthood. Thus women provide the gateway into this world and men provide the gateway into the next. And while we live on this earth, we work together to help our brothers and sisters learn to walk the path of discipleship that will honor the great blessings we have been given.
