For The Strength of Youth

In Sunday School this week, someone brought up the point that the fact that we're over 18 doesn't mean we shouldn't live by the standards prescribed in the For The Strength of Youth pamphlet.

This was such an "ah-ha" moment, I knew I'd have to share it here. Of course, we don't stop living the standards just because we're "grown-ups!" But I probably hadn't read For The Strength of Youth since I was 17, so I went home, dug up my copy and read it. I didn't have any earth-shattering revelations or really even learn anything new, but it was a good refresher. And a reminder to recommit to living the standards I agreed to as a youth.

I encourage all of you to revisit the booklet and recommit to living the standards for yourself.

You can find the pamphlet on the Church's new youth-oriented web site: http://youth.lds.org.

Make sure you watch this video while you're there (I totally love it): https://beta.lds.org/youth/mormon-messages/video/a-brand-new-year-for-the-strength-of-youth?locale=eng

Chastity

The other day I was watching the Rachael Ray show and Julie Andrews was a guest that day. I was excited to hear about what she was up to these days. One of Rachael's questions to her was about a quote she gave to Vanity Fair magazine. In it she was quoted as saying, "Chastity is an overrated virtue." Julie confirmed that this was genuine and that she still felt that way.

I was slightly shocked at this. I mean that- yeah people in Hollywood do not quite share the moral standards that I hold dear. But sometimes you get thinking that when an actor is constantly portraying someone (in their films) with moral fiber that they might actually have some them self. For some reason I always thought that a good girl could pretend to be bad but bad one couldn't pretend to be good. Well I was wrong! But I still want to speak about chastity today because I don't agree with media that it is an overrated virtue.

After searching the scriptures on lds.org for the word "chastity" I was returned with two scriptural references:

1. Jacob 2: 28
   28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the ^achastity of women. And ^bwhoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
2. Moro. 9: 9
   9 And notwithstanding this great ^aabomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after ^bdepriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is ^cchastity and ^dvirtue—

In these Book of Mormon scriptures we learn that the Lord God delights in the chastity of women and that the most dear and precious thing we have is our chastity and virtue. There are many other scriptures that contain the word (or its forms) "virtue" which here is used interchangeably.

I am so glad that recently a new value has been added to the young women values of the church- "virtue". Yesterday in Relief Society we were given the pamphlet and asked to also hold to this value and follow the same program that the young women do. It is no wonder that we are needing to emphasize this value in the church today even more than before. There are obviously so many that believe it is not important anymore.

An amazing talk on the subject came from President Benson:

Do not be misled by Satan’s lies. There is no lasting happiness in immorality. There is no joy to be found in breaking the law of chastity. Just the opposite is true. There may be momentary pleasure. For a time it may seem like everything is wonderful. But quickly the relationship will sour. Guilt and shame set in. We become fearful that our sins will be discovered. We must sneak and hide, lie and cheat. Love begins to die. Bitterness, jealousy, anger, and even hate begin to grow. All of these are the natural results of sin and transgression.

On the other hand, when we obey the law of chastity and keep ourselves morally clean, we will experience the blessings of increased love and peace, greater trust and respect for our marital partners, deeper commitment to each other, and therefore a deep and significant sense of joy and happiness.

We must not be misled into thinking these sins are minor or that consequences are not that serious.

I decided to post about this today not because the other authors of this blog need to hear about it. We were all married in the temple and currently enjoy the blessings that come from it. I wanted to post this because so many people don't understand how important this value is. So many people are keeping quiet about it. More people need to speak out and declare the importance of this value. More people should bear their testimony about it. The people living on the earth today need to know there are other people who hold these values dear and teach them to their children. Please if you are reading this and also feel the same about chastity, leave a comment. Tell everyone what this value means to you.

Avoiding Degrading Media Influences

I recently got called to be the Mia Maid adviser in our ward, and last week I taught a lesson about "Avoiding Degrading Media Influences." We talked about how media can be helpful or harmful, depending on how it is used. We also talked about how to tell the difference between the two.

We also discussed how we may not notice the effects of degrading influences all at once. We can let ourselves be weakened spiritually bit by bit, day by day, week by week until we are blinded to reality, numbed to the Spirit of the Lord, and engulfed in evil influences that lead to sin.

I likened this process to dying an egg. If you put an egg in colored water and pull it out right away, it will be only slightly tinged-- to some, it will still look perfectly white! But repeatedly dipping the egg will allow the stain to become darker and darker.

Pres. Ezra Taft Benson said:

“The fact that a book is old does not necessarily make it of value. The fact that an author wrote one good work does not necessarily mean that all his books are worthy of your time. Do not make your mind a dumping ground for other people’s garbage. It is harder to purge the mind of rotten reading than to purge the body of rotten food, and it is more damaging to the soul.”

I really like this analogy of comparing bad media to garbage. But I also shared the following story with the girls and it brought home the point even more:

Some teenagers approached their father and asked for permission to see a PG-13 movie. The father listened to all the reasons his children gave for wanting to see this particular movie. It had their favorite actors. Everyone else was seeing it. Even church members said it was great. It was only rated PG-13 because of the suggestion of sex--they never really showed it. The language was pretty good--the Lord's name was only used in vain three times in the whole movie.

The teens did admit there was a scene where a building and a bunch of people were blown up, but the violence was just the normal stuff. It wasn't too bad. And, even if there were a few minor things, the special effects were fabulous and the plot was action packed.

However, even with all the justifications the teens made for the rating, the father still wouldn't give in. He didn't even give his children a satisfactory explanation for saying, "No." He just said, "No!"

A little later on that evening the father asked his teens if they would like some brownies he had baked. He explained that he'd taken the family's favorite recipe and added a little something new. The children asked what it was.

The father calmly replied that he had added dog poop. However, he quickly assured them, it was only a little bit. All other ingredients were gourmet quality and he had taken great care to bake the brownies at the precise temperature for the exact time. He was sure the brownies would be superb.

Even with their father's promise that the brownies were of almost perfect quality, the teens would not take any. The father acted surprised. After all, it was only one small part that was causing them to be so stubborn. He was certain they would hardly notice it. Still the teens held firm and would not try the brownies.

The father then told his children how the movie they wanted to see was just like the brownies. Our minds are leading us into believing that just a little bit of evil won't matter. But, the truth is even a little bit of poop makes the difference between a great treat and something disgusting and totally unacceptable.

The father went on to explain that even though the movie industry would have us believe that most of today's movies are acceptable fare for adults and youth, they are not.

Now, when this father's children want to see something that is of questionable material, the father merely asks them if they would like some of his special dog poop brownies. That closes the subject.

[Emphasis added; this story was found at MormonShare.com]

Wise media choices are important for everyone, not just teenagers. The lesson states, "We may sometimes feel that degrading media does not affect us personally as much as it influences others around us. Actually, we may not notice its negative effects until it becomes very difficult to remove them."

I encourage you all to take extra care this week-- pay attention to your media consumption and don't let in any media garbage (or dog poop)!

"A Peculiar People"

My apologies for not posting last week. I left for New York last Sunday and had too many things to finish before leaving. Anyway I would like to reflect upon some experiences that I had while in New York.

In the August Ensign there is an article by President David O. McKay called "Unspotted from the World." In it he talks about how we are a peculiar people. He says, "as the Church of God we must 'dwell apart'." This was reminding me a great deal of what it was like to be with a group of young women (ages 17-26) this past week in New York City. I went there for a dance convention and was the only one in the group that was LDS. Many of the girls, both underaged and legal, spoke a lot about their favorite alcholic beverages and their fake IDs. It was a very awkward situation for me because they sat up late discussing whether rum or vodka was better, and here I was in the corner of the hotel room reading the Book of Mormon. Then on the last night I was there we went to a fancy theatre to see a dance show and everyone was dressed really fancy. I was the only one wearing a dress that had sleeves and went below my knees. Many people were staring at me throughout the evening. I am sure to them they must have thought that I looked so very "peculiar" but to me they were the ones that looked a little "peculiar." I am so grateful for the standards that we have as members of the LDS faith and I encourage you all to be proud of those standards which we have. Although I certainly felt like an outcast, and I knew that people were staring at me, I felt clean and pure inside and I knew that I was setting a good example for others to see what our church teaches.

It may not always be easy to do the right thing, especially when the people closest to you are following the ways of the world, but I can promise you that it is worth it. Remember this:

What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular.

Our goal as members of the LDS religion is to set an example for the world. Never let your standards take a backseat because you are nervous about what others may think of you. You don't have to drink with your co-workers to be recognized by your boss. You don't have to wear revealing attire to develop your talents of dancing. You don't have to swear because everyone around you is doing it. Stand up and be "a peculiar people." You will be blessed both now and in the eternities for following the standards and commandments that God has given us!