“I Can Stay within the Lines,” For the Strength of Youth, Sept. 2023.
I Can Do All Things through Christ
Youth share how Christ has strengthened them to do hard things (see Philippians 4:13).
I Can Stay within the Lines
Ever since I started running track, it has been a dream of mine to break the school record in the mile run. Then towards the end of this season I ran the mile in five minutes flat, breaking the record by more than three seconds.
The next day, though, we found out that my mile had not counted. The officials explained that I’d taken three steps on the inside of the track, which disqualified me from the race. My coach argued that I only stepped out because I was pushed by another runner. The official said, “It may not have been her fault that she was pushed out, but it was her fault she was so close to the line.” I walked away feeling like my accomplishment had been wrongly ripped from me.
The next Sunday in Young Women class, we watched a video that compared staying in the lines in sports to keeping the commandments.1 Throughout the lesson I sat there, angry at the reminder that I had failed.
The next day as I ran around the track, I looked down and noticed I was running right on the inside line. And every once in a while, I would step inside, just as the official had said. I immediately stopped running, humbled. I had become so comfortable with where I was running that I didn’t see the dangers in it anymore.
Luckily, I was given a second chance a few weeks later. I distanced myself from the center line and broke the school record, this time while staying in bounds.
That experience made me think about how close to the line I was running with some of the commandments. But because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, I am always given another chance as I repent.
When it comes to the commandments, we should distance ourselves from the line and do our best to stay inbounds. But I’m grateful that when we do make mistakes, the Savior allows us to repent and try again.
Raygan P., Utah, USA