"God bless you, my dear young friends You are the best generation we have ever had. You know the gospel better. You are more faithful in your duties. You are stronger to face the temptations which come your way. Live by your standards. Pray for the guidance and protection of the Lord. He will never leave you alone. He will comfort you. He will sustain you. He will bless you and magnify you and make your reward sweet and beautiful. And you will discover that your example will attract others who will take courage from your strength.
"As it is with the youth, so it is with you adults. If we are to hold up this Church as an ensign to the nations and a light to the world, we must take on more of the luster of the life of Christ individually and in our own personal circumstances. In standing for the right, we must not be fearful of the consequences. We must never be afraid. Said Paul to Timothy:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:7-8)
Gordon B. Hinckley
I had an experience in High School that changed me. Every day when the bell rang between classes, a skinny, short boy with glasses would run as fast as he could down the halls to his next class. And by run, I mean RUN. He had his black corduroy pants hiked up way past his belly button, white button down shirt half tucked in and half not, blond hair slicked back to his head, really thick glasses that even had tape down the middle, and tennis shoes. He was considered a "Nerd". He played the part well, running down the halls, frantic to get to his next class, and knocking people aside with his backpack. He drew attention to himself by his actions, and the popular group of boys noticed and formulated a plan. One day, as he was running down the hall, this group of popular boys grabbed him and put him behind a door to the stairway, so he was wedged in the triangle behind the open door. Their goal was to make him tardy so he would quit running into them with his backpack. A crowd gathered, laughing, pointing, and taunting. The taunting became severe and very cruel. I was at my locker and noticed what was going on. It made me angry. This boy hadn't done anything wrong. These boys were being mean. Yet, they were popular and everyone thought they were funny. I had a choice to make. I walked across the hall and told the group of popular boys to open the door and let him out, and that they were being mean. They laughed at me. I gathered up every ounce of courage I had and told them to let him out now or I would get a teacher. They let him go. The boy ran off, crying, tears running down his face. It broke my heart to see people treating others so poorly. Girls, we must take courage in this battle against evil. It is not easy. It will not be popular. You may lose friends, reputation, or social status. But girls, the reward is worth it. God's Kingdom is worth it. Any price we have to pay for standing up for what is right will be worth it.
- Sister Landers
What a sad story. Sister Landers actions took a lot of courage for a young girl. I had similar experience and the girl signed my yearbook. It is the most precious letter of all letters in my yearbooks. The reward for being courageous in these situations is not always immediate, but that feeling inside yourself for standing up for the right, cannot be replaced and will not ever exist, if you don't take action. There are more subtle ways people can be mean too. Be aware of them and refuse to let anyone ever accuse you of unkindness.
ReplyDelete1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
We may not "hate" anyone, but do we love everyone?
Although difficult, seek to reconcile quickly if there are any offenses among you! Reach out and love everyone!