The Importance of Truth in Living a Virtuous Life (YW M1 L36)

I'm pretty much thinking I can get up in class on Sunday, read the title of the lesson, and that it would be a pretty solid lesson... beginning & end, right there.  No need for me to add to it, or derail it since I'm a terrible example.

However, I'm probably wrong.  Matter of fact I know I'm wrong, for if that was all it took was a gentle reminder of the value of truth in this life, then our youth wouldn't even need teachers & lessons & classes.

Not to mention the fact that the lesson manual has some pretty in depth resources that go right along with that title.  Guess I'll trust the manual and actually teach rather than simply read. 

TRUTH.  It's sadly a rare virtue these days.

Around every bend there are little white lies to nip at our heals & big ol' doozey lies to jump us down a dark alley.  Satan's wily like that.  Always the opportunist, he's looking for a way to ensnare us or distract us from our present course for good.

I lied yesterday as a matter of fact.  *palm-to-forehead*

Well actually I lied a few years ago, possibly the lie may have started even a few years before a few years ago.

Let it be known that yesterday I didn't just lie, but I also coerced an accomplice to back me up!

This dishonesty wasn't just for Joe Schmoe, no in fact I'm apparently more diabolical than that.  It all went down whilst dealing with people who are sworn to uphold laws & keep us accountable.  I was at the DMV.  (Yep, I'm getting old enough for another renewal - thanks though for thinking it was my first).

So when the guy behind the counter starting verifying that my address hadn't changed, etc etc, he stated my lack of height (which made me cringe) and then asked "Are we still 135 lbs?"  I scoffed a little, and remarked that, "Perhaps there might be 20 more lbs on-board now, but between you, me, and that dinky little card?  Yeah, I'm still 135 lbs!"

He chuckled, then with a wink said, "Alright, you're 135 lbs.  Please sign inside this little yellow box."   Presto-change-O, my secret was still safe, and I now have an accomplice. (I wonder if I am obligated to send him a Christmas gift or card to keep him silenced.  I'll have to consult my mob-ties for proper etiquette in the matter, I guess.)

But does everybody see what I mean in sharing this embarassing little story with all ya'll?  Not that I really am proud of my deceit, but it is THAT easy and THAT acceptable to be sneaky.

Of course no one will lose an arm or an eyeball over my little lie, but where does it leave my integrity?  I am sacrificing my integrity everytime I fib a little.

If fibbing or being slightly dishonest was okay, then there would be no guilt.  And really, which is worse, the guilt for gluttony or the guilt for sacrificing the truth?

In my head, no one can tell that I've put on weight.  But in reality, it's hard to miss... and I know what's being whispered here & there.  So lying about my weight is doing nothing but fooling myself, and even then it only fools me a fraction of the time.  Therefore I declare that the guilt for dishonesty is WAY worse than the other.

My lies at the DMV are obviously not the same severity as other lies we may tell ourselves or others.  And sure, in a few months perhaps my license won't be lying (that is unless this second round of infertility meds goes the way we'd like), because my fat levels do fluctuate or change.

Truth, however, does not change.  Period.

I'm always reminding my Beehive girls that Truth = Light = Christ.

Truth illuminates everything, therefore it is of Christ.  Christ may be compassionate, and hate the sin but love the sinner, however His doctrines do not change simply because our level of sin has changed.

We can still be made clean through exercising His Atonement & repenting.  His Atonement is in place for everyone, yet it doesn't change either.  The only thing that changes is how much further sacrifice is required on our part in order to become clean or worthy again.

If we don't want the repentance process to be as difficult, then we must be sure we're not compounding or complicating our lives with sin in the first place.  Just as major sins & lies require major repentance, a little sin or lie still requires repentance. 

The actual act of lying aside, let's focus on getting back or keeping our lives on-track.

Eliminating sin in our lives is the answer.  No one but Christ is perfect, I get that - so did Jesus Christ & our Heavenly Father.  That is why Christ's Atonement was necessary, so we could repent & return.  Due to our human nature, eliminating sin may seem like a daunting task.  However it is by clinging to truth that we can accomplish this.

Remember Truth = Light = Christ?
Same goes the other way, Sin = Darkness = Satan.

Much like we would solve an algebraic equation by canceling a negative out with a positive, only light can overpower the darkness.  Only the strength we gain through the Lord, Jesus Christ, is enough to overpower the influence of Satan in our lives.  It's that simple.  Both cannot coexist.  When one is present, the other is absent.

We know now the power of truth, and WHY we must cling to it.  Yet do we comprehend the HOW, or in other words, the recipe to follow in order to cling to truth?

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President Spencer W. Kimball taught us the HOW in 4 simple steps:
"The necessary procedure is: study, think, pray, and do. … The Lord has promised repeatedly that he will give you a knowledge of spiritual things when you have placed yourself in a proper frame of mind. … ‘And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.’ (Moroni 10:5.)”

The scriptures consistently back this up...

1. Study. (John 5:39)
2. Think. (3 Nephi 17:2–3; Moroni 10:3; D&C 88:62–63)
3. Pray. (Jeremiah 29:12–13; Alma 5:45–46; Moroni 10:4)
4. Do. (John 7:16–17)

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We've got to literally be in our scriptures daily.  Not just scanning over them, but INVESTED in them.  Gone are the days that we can skate by on basic scriptural understanding or recitation of the stories between the covers.  It is time to search out the doctrine & spiritually feast upon it.  That's only possible when we're anxiously engaged in our scripture study daily.

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Thinking is vital.  Not from just a logical 1+1= 2 stand-point.  We are divine, spiritual offspring.  Our spirits yearn to be at our Heavenly Father's feet gleaning all we can of His understanding.  Currently, we may physically be distant from Him, however we can still glean all He will give us as we think & meditate upon His teachings.  The Holy Ghost will confirm the truth.  He's Heavenly Father's bonus gift to us.  Our compass to direct us in the true direction we should go.

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Prayer is the glue.  Without prayer, the proximity of our relationship to Jesus Christ & Heavenly Father is like that of the fault-line of two tectonic plates, decreasing in stability & increasing in distance.  Prayer is what connects our spirits to our God, what enables further learning through study & thinking to transpire.  It holds us fast to the Father's will, like mortar secures two bricks together.  Our submission to the Father through prayer is the method by which we can be edified, and our mission here on earth can be made crystal clear.

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Doing is so much easier said than done.  Doing is the follow-through, the verb to this recipe.  Heavenly Father's entrusts us with light & knowledge,  which come with an expectation that we will righteously act-upon the truth, refine ourselves in our life, and come away from this mortal experience more perfected than had we faced this life independent of He who created us.  Doing as Heavenly Father would have us do is what propels us forward along our quest.

Doing the opposite propels us backwards & down instead.
In which direction would you prefer to go?

The 4 steps President Kimball taught about are not ones we take once in our journey.

They are the steps that we must repeat, much like that Christmas special song "...put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking 'cross the flo-o-or...put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door!"


There is a Disney movie that is one of my most favorite, called Sleeping Beauty.
 
In true Disney fashion there is a beautiful, musically gifted maiden (Princess Aurora), a dashingly handsome fellow (Prince Phillip), adorable woodland creature sidekicks, some good magic (the fairies: Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather), some goons and evil magic (the villain: Malificent; the goons: her pig-dragon things). 

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Because of one individual’s selfishness, an evil spell is cast that would ensure the death of Princess Aurora.  The King & Queen take all protective measures possible, including the elimination of every obvious weapon of their daughter’s demise, and eventually they send their precious infant daughter into hiding with the good fairies so she cannot be found by the bad fairy.

Years pass, and temptation befalls even the good fairies to risk the princess’ & their identities – even for the purest reasons.  The evil villain zeroes in on the opportunity this stumble presents, and lures Princess Aurora to a secret threat, by which the original prophecy of her spell would begin to come true.

There is no way the good fairies, the King & Queen, or even the princess herself could have anticipated how cunning the evil fairy would be, nor the means by which the spell would inevitably come to pass.

To protect the princess from death, and to protect the kingdom from heartbreak, the good fairies cast a spell of their own that changes the evil spell's effects from Aurora’s death into instead a deep sleep, that also applies to those in the castle.  The spell then of course can only be undone by true love’s kiss.

Enter the handsome Prince Phillip.  After an earlier “chance” meeting with the then-disguised singing princess in the forest, he is smitten.  He had planned on meeting up with Aurora again, yet fell into Malificent’s trap.  At the evil fairy’s enchanted castle he is imprisoned, so as to keep the prince from breaking the spell & setting the kingdom free.

The good fairies, however, are not about to give up the fight, so those magical winged-ladies sneak into the evil one’s castle.  There they free the prince & arm him in preparation for the battle of his lifetime.  These lines of defense are the only way he can defeat Malificent (who transforms herself into a fierce dragon), flee the enchanted castle, blaze a trail through the deadly forest of thorns & vines between him and his love’s resting place.

When bestowing these items to Prince Phillip, the fairy Flora says:

“…Arm yourself with this enchanted Shield of Virtue, and this mighty Sword of Truth, for these weapons of righteousness will triumph over evil.”

In the end, the prince follows the counsel of the fairies, defeats evil, overcomes the hurdles in his path, climbs the treacherous tower to where Princess Aurora lies in an eternal sleep, kisses her lips, and life is restored to Sleeping Beauty, as well as the kingdom.

"...let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; 

then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God..."  

-D&C 121:45

Righteousness will always prevail over evil.  Virtue & truth are the weapons by which this is accomplished.  Use these weapons in your own life, so you too may claim your own happy ending.

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And with that, folks, I am at an end of my thoughts.  What are yours on this topic?

The handout I prepared for this week is two-sided.  It features a quote from that all-time favorite Disney classic of mine, as well as one of my all-time favorite scripture references ( I know we used it last week, but it simply is one of the greatest).

The back features the diagram shown earlier in this post.  If you feel one or even both sides can bless you & your family's life, feel free to download the handouts below:

P.S.
Mini-Me is fairing quite well.

Her surgery went beautifully, and the reduction wound up being "closed" (meaning they didn't have to cut her toe open to clean out any calcifications to re-set it).  The surgeon was able to manipulate the bone pieces back in place and then surgically place the pin in her toe.  He is one talented guy, and has been a great blessing in this whole ordeal.

Before the anesthesiologist entered...

after the anesthesiologist...

Some new jewelry!

It's a little gruesome, but not gory.  We lovingly refer to her toe as "Franky" which is short for The Frankenstein Toe.  She's handling that in stride alright, as well as the nicknames her friends have dubbed her with, like "Cripps" and "Handi" and "Pogo Girl" and "Hop-Along-Cassidy."

Glad they got it right!  ;)

Best. foot-rest. Ever.

Meet Franky!

Mini-Me's only relying on her crutches a little here & there, depending on her energy levels, otherwise she's walking on her heel.  She's focusing mostly on her upper body in her weights class.  And she's currently taking stats from the bench at her team's volleyball games, so that way once her surgeon releases her she'll be able to get right back into the season & hopefully play in the 4 or 6 remaining games.  Thanks for thinking of her & praying for her.  ::hugs::

Gold Framed:
Sleeping Beauty Framework - SILHOUETTE - VIRTUE and TRUTH With GLD 8perPG

Black & White:
Sleeping Beauty Framework - SILHOUETTE - VIRTUE and TRUTH 8perPG

Diagram Backing:
Sleeping Beauty Framework - BACKING DIAGRAM - 8perPG v2

Grateful for... (What I Believe: A Long-Overdue Stance)

"ANY BUG CAN HIT A WINDSHIELD, BUT IT TAKES GUTS TO STICK!" ~UNKNOWN

On many blogs lately, there was been a YouTube trailer featured, linked to, or embedded in a multitude of different posts.  The trailer is for a documentary called "Miss Representation."  The film discusses the negative affects today's media has on the young women and young girls of the world, which is deteriorating our girls' self-esteem, personal body-images, how they talk to & treat others, and the legacy of strength intended to be passed on to the next generation.  The discussion includes interviews with teenagers (guys & girls alike), successful women of accomplishment, women & men of scholarship, women & men in leadership & government positions, as well as women & men who work in mainstream media.  

I agree that society/the world/the media have gotten away with moral travesties!  I agree that it should stop.  I agree that the tipping point or paradigm shift can only happen if we demand accountability on the media's part & demand better for our kids.  We must be our children's champions.

If you'd like to see the trailer for yourself, please go here.  Though I agree with the position of the documentary, I do not want some of the images, shown as proof of what we already know to be true, to have a home here in my family's blog.

The first blog I heard of this from was a dear friend of mine.  Her blog did not feature the video either, instead she chose to link to her friends' blog where it was viewable.  Rather than leave my lengthy comment on this poor-gal-who-doesn't-know-me's blog, instead I decided to post my comment here.  Once you've seen the video, you'll understand where I'm coming from.  Since this had originally been intended to be just a comment, please excuse the lack of capitalization.  Thank you.

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"i'm here via SIF's blog.  what this video/trailer addresses are daily concerns of mine.

being the mother of a 14 year old HS freshman, i'm constantly guarding against the negative outside-influences in my kid's life.  i don't agree with the media out there doing its thing but, it DOES feel like i can't stop those in the media from continuing further down the path.  what i HAVE found we can do is educate our daughters.  

solid ground rules/expectations (in regards to dressing modestly, using clean language, having self-respect & respecting others, etc.) are set & continuously maintained within our family & home.

"no other success can compensate for failure in the home." ~david o. mckay

 

we encourage & foster a good relationship with our daughter where we can openly communicate and discuss questions she may have.  also, we CAN limit the media's influence here in our home & family.  as vile as the media's offerings are, we are not victims.  we do not have to welcome any of it in.

also, in our family, we are very careful about the music we listen to.  when a degrading song comes on the radio, the channel is changed and the floor is then opened for educating our daughter as to why it's degrading, the extent of damage such lyrics & artists cause, and -despite the catchy beat- what elements are most offensive so we can avoid the unseen destruction from future songs or artists' tactics. 

in addition, we don't watch TV.  no MTV and no network programming here.  (not only do too many shows lack a conscience any more, i definitely cannot trust what additional smut or filth enters the home via simple movie trailers and other commercials in between.  so we've been TV-free for 7 years now.)  we DO have an extensive DVD collection that we enjoy, where the titles selected and in our library have gone through meticulous evaluation on our parts as the parents.  that's.our.job. 

we also have netflix and a wii.... but with both of those, we most definitely rely on the parental controls to help police all content viewed there.  some old movies that were released prior to the movie ratings system aren't even able to be viewed.  books are also scoured to be sure content is appropriate.  our family library consists of many classic pieces of literature, material from trusted authors, and books that educate, uplift & teach us how to become better in various aspects or skills of our lives.  no romance or graphic novels are allowed in our home.  we also do not take magazines in the mail, with the exception of perhaps 2 (one for adults & one for teens) each month, both from our church.  we've taken protecting our daughter so far as not even allowing victoria's secret catalogs come in our mail or into our house.

we have one functioning computer and it is centrally located in the house, where anyone can see the content being viewed.  passwords are in place so that computer time can be closely monitored.  internet time is limited in our home as well.  the internet is not used as an entertainment source, but as a resource for school projects & correspondence (via email, and online journaling on our blogs).  therefore, there simply are ZERO hours wasted on youtube, and our daughter does not have a facebook account. we feel its better to be safe now than sorry later.

please keep in mind, however, that just because we discipline ourselves, that doesn't mean we live under a rock or are socially inept in any way. 

since there is so much that we cannot control when she walks out the front door, we have to keep ourselves involved & relevant in her life.  we do this by getting to know all of her friends & their parents.  we are highly involved with school committees & supporting the sports teams she plays on, as well as her class activities.  we do not allow her to spend the night at anyone's house other than family.  however, we DO allow "late nights," where she is picked up from others' homes by 11pm at the latest.  also, we DO allow her friends to stay the night at our house, as we know what movies will be viewed, where the girls are at at all times, and what will be consumed.  when her friends are our guests, they're treated as extensions of our family.  going to a movie, playing board games, or going bowling is a family event and we do enjoy those things together.  this allows for my home to be a refuge from the negative, outside influences of the world/society/media.  not just for my daughter, but for her friends as well. 

countering the negative influences of media/society/the world doesn't happen successfully by only removing the bad.  if that's all anyone did, there would be a vacuum effect that would follow.  when something bad is extracted, and the void is not actively & vigilantly filled with positive, then the void most often is filled with worse & more shocking influences.  influences lead to thoughts/attitudes.  thoughts/attitudes lead to actions.  actions (even if swift & fleeting) lead to permanent consequences. 

so why not start the whole process with positive, uplifting influences in the first place?

for this purpose, not only do we have our set of values by which our family is successfully kept in check but, we keep our daughter involved with good, positive friends who share & are raised with similar rules/beliefs.  this is why she is actively involved in church & youth group activities & attends wholesome dances on a regular basis.  this is why we encourage her to fill her time playing HS sports.  through sports, not only is she gaining new skills, but she is learning how to get along with various personality-types.  she's learning how to problem-solve in a very real & tangible way.  she's learning how to lift-up those around her, how to be dependable, and how to be a team player.  she's learning to stay healthy, both physically & mentally.  she's increasing her skills & talents, thus building her confidence & sense of self-worth in what she can accomplish and not in the labels she wears, the amount of skin she shows off, or what boy's paying attention to her.  not to mention, she's learning to busy herself with worthwhile endeavors.

for eons there have been proverbs & scriptures that teach us idle hands are the devil's playthings, and that idle minds are the devil's workshop.  same with idle time.  idle time = empty brains.  too much "nothing" time leads to something... something that is less than virtuous.   frankly, anything less than virtuous is not good enough for my daughter.  anything less than virtuous is also not good enough for my future grandchildren. 

"who can find a virtuous woman?   for her price is far above rubies."  ~proverbs 31:10

so what am i trying to get at? 

yes, the media's out of control. 
yes, we should be ashamed of what the media is promoting. 

however, no matter what's going on outside of our home, we have a duty as parents to put our foot down, and be anxiously engaged in placing boundaries to protect our children.  we must be hard-nosed about this.  we must not be consumed with fear of what others might think of us.  we must not worry about being popular with the under-developed intellects of our children & their peers.  we must be the sounding voice, demanding that schools enforce their codes of conduct, their dress codes, and that they police not only drugs & alcohol consumption, but even the lyrics of songs allowed at school dances & school sporting events. 

here's a perfect example: volleyball this year. 

it's disheartening to hear the majority of play-lists for many of the teams as varsity girls warm-up.  track after track is degrading to women.  they mention an array of sexual acts women are expected to perform, disrespectful names women are referred to as, illegal drug use, graphic violence, etc. 

• why are our young women representing their communities to music that negates their validity in this life?  
• why are our young women singing these songs, word-for-word, as they warm up for tax-payer-funded, school-sponsored sporting events?  
• more importantly, why are they ALLOWED to step foot onto a court with these horrific lyrics as their teams' theme songs?  
• where are the coaches & where are the rest of the parents at?  
• why aren't the adults paying attention?!

do our kids have a choice?  heck yes. 

what they do have their choice in is whether to obey or disobey.  what they do not have, however, is the choice of consequences that follow their decisions. 

we must be firm.  that is how lessons of are learned & decency is perpetuated.

adults: we are the adults for a reason.  to set the boundaries.  to teach self-discipline.  to set the bar for the next generation.  if we are irresponsible with the children we are stewards over, and we neglect to protect them & fail to demand better for them, then i am afraid that the world/society/the media will do nothing but continue to be a degenerative force that will soon annihilate our children's future. (i say children, because these influences teach our boys evil & degrading things as well.  the boys see or hear something they think is "cool" because its in a song or movie or magazine or online, and then they start to subscribe to that mentality as well.  again, thoughts lead to actions.  actions lead to consequences.  often those consequences are hurtful or violent, and always permanent.)

we absolutely cannot afford to be passive.  we cannot afford to stand idly by and just expect the state of the world to heal itself.  won't.happen.  nothing comes from nothing... put in nothing, and you'll get nothing in return. 

society's back-sliding has to stop somewhere, and that somewhere is in the family, in the home, with the parents. 

"without hard work, nothing grows but weeds." ~gordon b. hinckley

set your mind now.  set your precedences now.  set your rules now. 

be strong & don't back down.  children need boundaries, so that there's never room for doubt as to where you stand.  so they know they're loved.  so they know they're worth your invested time & attention.  so they know they are not alone.  so they see you follow-through, and so they learn what integrity & virtue are all about."

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Thanks guys & gals for hanging in here until the end...  

Now, thoughts are wonderful.  Actions produce change.  

"ABUNDANCE IS FROM ACTIVITY." ~TURKISH PROVERB

Internalizing This...

I sure miss ALL my young women who have touched my life as I had the privilege of serving them & my Lord. We are SO blessed to have a virtuous young woman in our home at this time. Thank you ladies for your examples you set for my daughter, who has hardly been able to stand waiting to finally step forward and join you as a believer! Thank you, more than you can know.