Living My Standards

By Becky Craven

Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency

“Stand as witnesses of God at all times” (Mosiah 18:9).

My dad was in the army, so we moved a lot when I was young. One of the hardest things about moving was leaving my friends behind. I had trouble making new friends because I was shy. Thankfully, people were always friendly at school and Primary. At church it didn’t matter how we were different. We were just all friends.

One way I overcame my shyness was by helping at church. It started with Primary. I shared a scripture in sharing time. I read out loud in class. Little by little, I felt more confident. This helped me to stand up for my beliefs.

When I was in fourth or fifth grade, my family lived in Maryland, USA. There weren’t many Church members at my school. I had friends who were members of the Church and friends who were not.

When I was a teenager, some of my friends did things that were against my standards. But they didn’t try to get me to do them. I am grateful that my friends respected my beliefs. Sometimes I felt left out because I couldn’t do everything my school friends did. But I always felt good about following my standards. I decided I would live the gospel, no matter what. My testimony had grown stronger in Primary and family home evening. I came to know that I am a child of God.

Years later, I found out that two of my school friends had joined the Church. I was so happy! They told me that watching me live the gospel when we were young helped them decide to listen to the missionaries.

My dear young friends, you are children of our Heavenly Father. When you remember this important truth every day, living the gospel will be easier.