The Stolen Records

From an interview with Elder Lance B. Wickman of the Seventy; by Anna Culp

Be true, be true, and stand for the right (Children’s Songbook, 159).

A large plaque hung above the pulpit of the meetinghouse I attended between the ages of six and ten. Written on it were the words of Joshua: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). I decided I wanted to serve the Lord.

One way I chose to serve the Lord was in my eighth-grade music class. I played the bass viol with two other boys. We spent most of the class period in a practice room. There was a big stack of records for a record player in the room. One day Jerry*—one of the boys I practiced with—decided to take the records. I knew that was wrong. I wanted to do the right thing, but Jerry was bigger than me and was known as being a bully.

At home that day, I talked to my dad about it. He said I knew what was right and had a choice. I could ignore it, I could tell on Jerry, or I could face Jerry. That night, I prayed about it and decided what to do. The next day when we had music class, I faced Jerry and said, “Jerry, those records you took don’t belong to you. You can bring them back, and I will say nothing. But if you don’t, I will turn you in.” The next day, Jerry brought the records back. I learned that it may not be easy to stand up for what is right, but when you do, the Lord helps you.

Illustration by Scott Greer