Standard-Bearing
Youth Should Not Stand Alone
By
C.S. Bezas
Our youth make
such valiant choices coming to seminary.
And amongst this body of youth, there are
additional ones who actually work to follow
the standards listed in the “For the Strength
of Youth” pamphlet.
This latter
set of youth in particular deserves ample
sustenance from our lessons we teach each
day. Unfortunately, rather than be celebrated
by their church friends, at times those
same peers, friends who should be walking
this path with them, reject them.
I’ve seen it
happen all too often. These standard-bearing
youth are left behind by their church friends
— friends who happen to be more interested
in what the world thinks than what the scriptures
say. This leaves our standard-bearing kids
outside of the “clique” in the ward, during
a time when social life means so much. It
can be lonely, so very lonely, for a teen
who wants to live correct standards, especially
if the majority of their church peers act
as if they couldn’t care less.
The concept
of the gospel is supposed to go like
this, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers
and foreigners, but fellow citizens with
the saints, and of the household of God”
(Ephesians 2:19). Guess what. This isn’t
happening in certain wards of the Church,
where teens are at times ridiculed (or eventually
shunned) if they don’t follow their church
friends into certain movie theaters, dances,
clubs, or parties.
It often comes
down to this: want a large social group?
Then be willing to do whatever the crowd
wants. This, even amongst the youth in the
Church! It might not be talked about, but
it is happening and is apparent to perceptive
leaders on the sidelines.
Paul described
this when he talked about individuals in
the last days who were “despisers of those
that are good” (2 Timothy 3:3). How alarming
that this attitude actually can be found
from church youth towards other youth who
simply are trying to do what’s right!
I suppose this
should not come as too much of a shock.
We can read of the same problem among the
Nephites: “Now
it came to pass that there were many of
the rising generation that…did not believe
the tradition of their fathers… and their
hearts were hardened” (Mosiah
26:1, 3). Among this group of hard-hearted
youth were the sons of King Mosiah and the son of Alma the prophet. These were wicked
and idolatrous young men who created much
heartache among the members of the church.
Although we
do not usually find a situation this extreme
within our wards, we can at times see covert
ridicule and unkindness from certain youth
towards the others who quietly refuse to
bend their standards.
How sad this
is. How disappointing that our standard-bearing
youth would have need to relate with the
followers of Enoch, who also lived during
a time of wickedness. Those individuals
“confessed they were strangers and pilgrims
on the earth” (D&C 45:13). It breaks
my heart at times to see youth who work
so hard to follow the Lord, who then are
ridiculed or shunned by the kids at church
for having such standards. This in essence
leaves the more valiant kids to feel as
strangers amongst their own. How sad, when
really we would hope that all youth would
walk arm-in-arm throughout today’s world,
supporting one another in righteous choices.
Righteousness
can bring loneliness, if but for a time.
As teachers and youth leaders, we must work
to be aware if this is happening amongst
our youth. The young men and women who do
choose to live the gospel deserve all the
love, support, and spiritual sustenance
we can muster (as do those who don’t, but
that’s an article for another day).
We cannot know
exactly what these valiant children walk
through and how desperately they may need
support, but we surely can determine to
be there for them. For example, they may
have walked out of a friend’s party just
the night before, because of the movie being
shown, thereby losing that friendship. They
may have refused to cheat with the rest
of the class during a math exam, thereby
gaining quiet honor, but loud ridicule.
They may refuse to dress with tight, see-through
shirts (like the rest of the girls at church)
or refuse to show their belly button and
midriff, or refuse to let their pants droop.
Whereas we may applaud them for these choices,
these choices at times can earn the ridicule
or disdain of their church-going peers.
These youth,
who have chosen to follow the guidelines
within the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet,
deserve our utmost respect, concern, and
support. They are fighting battles we may
not know. And now that they have arrived
in gospel citizenship, which initially may
feel like a foreign land to them, they deserve
to be treated as the victorious pilgrims
they are. They need all the love and assurance
and steadiness we can extend.
Whether it’s
our friendly smile, eyes of concern, or
the strong handshake welcoming them to our
class, these kids need this kind of support.
Again, we do not know what forces may have
sought to pull them down just the day or
night before. We read of Satan’s purposes
and intentions in Moses 7:26: “…[Satan]
had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled
the whole earth with darkness; and he looked
up and laughed, and his angels rejoice.”
We as seminary
teachers serve so that all of our students
will keep themselves out of the clutches
of the adversary. We may not know of our
students’ individual struggles they’ve made
to be with us each day in seminary, or the
sacrifice it cost, but we do know that which
President Thomas S. Monson shared so articulately,
“The decision to change one’s life and come
unto Christ is, perhaps, the most important
decision of mortality” (Ensign, May
1997, p. 44).
Let us work
to celebrate the standard-bearing youth
who have made this choice — and encourage
the rest who have not, to follow. Here are
a few ideas:
