I’m going to ask you to participate in a
brief experiment. Start by standing in front of a mirror
and reciting out loud to yourself the 13th article of
faith [A
of F 1:13]. You may remember it as the longest and
last article you memorized as you were preparing to
advance from Primary.
Analyze your feelings and
mannerisms as you voice the words “We believe in being
honest, true, chaste”; “we hope all things”; “we seek
after these things”; etc.
Do you feel a little
removed or distant from the expression of belief being
made? Do the words seem to apply more to we
than to me? Do they possibly convey a group
but not a strong individual sense of
conviction?
Now repeat article 13
again. But this time, personalize it by substituting and
emphasizing the pronoun I wherever the pronoun
we appears. Say the words slowly and
thoughtfully: “I believe in being honest, true,
chaste”; “I follow the admonition of Paul”; “I
have endured many things”; etc. Do you detect a
difference? Does it feel more like a part of you,
something you truly accept and are personally committed
to?
Making the transition
There is a critical
difference between living our lives by rules and
standards that seem imposed on us and living by
standards that we regard as our own. Adopting as our own
the standards of conduct God’s prophets have established
is an important part of growing up and becoming
converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. For most young
people it involves a gradual process of spiritual
maturing during which the gospel standards become
something we are, not just something we believe or do.
This important transition
begins when we decide to make the gospel of Jesus
Christ—God’s plan for our lives—our own personal plan
for life. If we seek to obey the standards,
requirements, and commandments which are included in
God’s plan, we will come to know they are true (see
John 7:16–17). If we then do our best to make right
choices and to repent of mistakes and sins, we
eventually experience what the scriptures refer to as a
“mighty change” in our hearts (see
Alma 5:14–26). At this point, standards are no
longer a source of irritation or even something we
reluctantly tolerate. Instead, they become our friends,
and we appreciate and embrace them. In a sense they are
us!
The truth about
consequences
When we reach this
milestone in our spiritual progression, some wonderful
blessings and consequences will follow. Most
importantly, we will experience the joy and peace of
conscience that come as a result of worthiness. The
earliest memory I have of the relationship between
keeping God’s standards and experiencing happiness is
associated with my own baptism. I recall the
anticipation I felt as I awaited my eighth birthday and
how sincerely I tried to exercise faith in Christ and
repent of any wrongdoing. When the memorable day came,
the ordinances themselves were most impressive. I
vividly remember the warm water enveloping me and the
equally warm spiritual feeling I later had as I was
confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The
joyous feeling of being clean and close to God meant so
much to me that I vowed I would never sin again.
Unfortunately, my youthful good intentions failed a few
days later when I responded in frustration to my older
brother’s teasing by uttering what my parents had warned
me was a “naughty” word. Much to my dismay, my
ever-vigilant mother overheard me and came dashing out
of the house with fire in her eyes! She marched me down
a path to our dairy barn where my father kept a basin of
water and a bar of soap. Pushing my head toward the
basin, she began vigorously scrubbing my mouth out with
soap, all the while impressing upon me her desire that I
“never use such words again!”
Although it has been more
than 50 years since that humiliating moment, I still
remember perfectly the deep sadness I felt because I had
offended my brother, my mother, and, most serious of
all, my Heavenly Father. I learned then a lesson that
the First Presidency has taught and which has been
reconfirmed many times in my life: We cannot do wrong
and feel right (see For the Strength of Youth,
4).
Through the years, I have
also come to understand that the joy I experienced at
the time of my baptism, and many times since, depends
upon loving relationships with God, family, and others.
God provides standards to protect those relationships
from the damage that naturally accompanies sin. For
example, sexual activity outside of marriage is enticing
to some because it seems to offer closeness and
belonging as well as pleasure. However, in reality it
damages our relationship with God, brings pain to family
and other loved ones, and cheats those who take part in
it.
Direction, not degree
Another desirable
consequence of accepting the gospel plan and its
standards as our own is that we become more concerned
about where we are going, or with the upward direction
of our lives, than about how far we can go in pressing
against and testing the outer limits of God’s laws.
Young people who are becoming truly converted to the
gospel of Jesus Christ are not interested in
distinguishing the severity of their sins by using terms
like heavy or light, petty or
grand. Instead, they know by the Spirit that “the
Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of
allowance” (Alma
45:16), and they strive to avoid sin in all its
forms. The idea of deliberately sinning now with the
intent of repenting later is quickly rejected by them as
being offensive to their Heavenly Father and contrary to
His plan for happiness.
As our commitment to the
gospel and its standards deepens, our understanding of
God’s purposes is enlarged and our feelings about
temptation and sin change. In our early years, some
temptations may actually appear enticing, and we may
struggle with exercising our agency in right ways.
Indeed, we may make some mistakes. Thankfully, the
gospel provides a way for us to repent and obtain
forgiveness. As we progress in choosing and doing the
right, we will eventually join King Benjamin’s people in
having “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good
continually” (Mosiah
5:2). Through obedience, growth even beyond this
desirable state is possible—to that condition attained
by the Saints in Alma’s day who became so devoted to God
and His ways that they “could not look upon sin save it
were with abhorrence” (Alma
13:12). What a wonderful result of obeying divine
standards!
Eliminating hypocrisy
Another wonderful benefit
of living according to standards we have internalized is
that we gradually eliminate hypocrisy from our thinking
and our behavior. The English word hypocrisy
comes from a Greek word which means playing a part upon
a stage. Until standards become part of our basic
character, we sometimes play the role of a religious
person without really being one. As we search for our
true identity, we may behave like chameleons, frequently
changing colors to blend with our surroundings. We act
one way at school, another at church.
To most people, however,
nothing is more appealing than someone who is “genuine”
or “real,” and no one is more genuine or real than a
young Latter-day Saint whose behavior consistently
matches his or her standards. I know many young
Latter-day Saints who live with this high degree of
personal integrity. I have met them all over the world,
and regardless of language or skin color or dress, they
are similar in many ways. They are at peace with God and
themselves. They are quietly confident and generally
content with their natural abilities and endowments,
even though they may not be among the smartest or the
most attractive or athletic. They have close and
satisfying relationships with God, family, and a variety
of friends. Peer pressure really isn’t a factor in their
choices between right or wrong. By making God’s
standards their own, they have already decided how they
will respond when temptation beckons. They also realize
that in doing right they are not alone but are part of
an ever-growing number of young Latter-day Saints the
world over who love God and uphold His standards.
When we feel the closeness
to God that comes with keeping His standards, we do not
want to do anything to offend Him. Joseph’s experience
in resisting Potiphar’s wife is a powerful example of
this truth. His moral courage came from his relationship
with God, as illustrated by his words: “How then can I
do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen.
39:9).
When God feels as close and
real to us as He did to Joseph, we will no longer view
the gospel simply as a set of rules or standards to be
obeyed. We will move to a higher plane and realize that
our loyalty is really to a living, loving Father in
Heaven who wants us to become like Him and to share
eternally with our families in all He has. We must never
forget that we are now becoming what we will one day be.
His standards will help us become what He is. God bless
us to succeed—on His terms!
