A Good Example

By Elder Mathias Held

Of the Seventy

From an interview with Haley Yancey.

I was not a member of the Church as a child. It wasn’t until I was an adult and a businessman that I was baptized.

My father was also a businessman. He was very worried when I joined the Church. He said, “You don’t drink alcohol anymore. That will be hard in meetings where everyone is drinking together.”

But I wasn’t worried. I decided that when someone offered me alcohol, I would say, “No, thank you.” Then I would order something else.

Years went by, and I did this many times. After a while, my coworkers noticed. If I was offered alcohol, they said, “Mathias doesn’t drink. Bring him something else.” More and more of them stopped ordering alcohol too. “I don’t want any either,” they said.

Once, some visitors came to a meeting. They were the only ones drinking alcohol.

They asked me, “Why isn’t anyone drinking alcohol? Are they all members of your church?”

“No,” I said.

I didn’t preach to my coworkers about the Word of Wisdom. I was just firm in my beliefs, and they noticed my example.

You can be a good example too. Others will notice when you choose the right. You can help them simply by living the gospel.