Sometimes it’s fun to read those stories and wonder how we’d react in the same situation. Would we stay true to what we believe even when our lives were threatened? Would we continue to live the way God has taught us to live no matter how much pressure there was to stop living that way? Would we be cheerful in the face of adversity?

We may not be asked to walk across country or flee our home while murderers chase after us. Some of us won’t face open prejudice and hatred. And yet, there will always be people who think our standards are old-fashioned and stupid, and who will pressure us to give them up. The pressure might be less noticeable, less violent, but it is there. In many ways, it’s harder to fight the less fierce forms of prejudice and pressure than it is a mob with guns. It’s sometimes said that it’s not nearly as hard to die for our religion as it is to live for it.

What does that mean? It means that if someone says, “Deny your religion or I’ll kill you,” you are likely to find that moment of courage to say, “I won’t deny it.” You’ll die, but it only takes a moment of courage and then you’re with God. However, when someone pressures you day after day to smoke or drink or dress immodestly, when people all around you are swearing or cheating or gossiping, when everyone but you gets to go play on Sunday…that can be hard. The little day to day pressures can wear you down faster than a gun pointed at you for a few minutes.

Today’s pioneer is asked to blaze a new trail, not a physical one leading west, but a trail of faith and morality. There used to be one, but it’s become overgrown with weeds and brush and so-called civilization. It’s up to those of us who still care what God teaches to clear that path, get on it, and stay on it. We can set an example that will encourage our friends to join us. If enough people do that, there can be more people on the trail than off it.

There is a story in the book of Mormon about a man named Lehi. He saw a vision in which there was a beautiful tree that represented God’s love. Anyone who made his way to the tree and ate the fruit that grew on it would enjoy more happiness than anyone could imagine. There was a path and many people got on it. However, a deep fog came up and many got lost, wandering off the path. There was an iron rod, representing God’s word, that the walkers could grab onto. If they held on they couldn’t get lost. Not everyone did, but those who did got to the tree and ate the fruit.

But then something interesting happened. There was a large and fancy building on a hill nearby. At the windows of the building were people in fancy clothes and elegant hairstyles. They stood there making fun of all the people who ate the fruit. Some people wisely ignored them, but others got embarrassed at being made fun of. They rushed off the path and ran to the building to join the people in it. They became mockers, too, wanting to be part of the rich “popular” crowd more than they wanted to be part of God’s inner-circle. They were willing to give up all the eternal blessings of Heaven to get a few years of popularity.

How about you? If you were on that path, would you give in to the mocking or would you stay on that path and do what you knew was right? Would you settle for a lifetime of pretend happiness or hold out for an eternity of real joy, even if it meant being made fun of today? Are you willing to be lonely if necessary for a while, remembering that someday you’ll never be lonely again? Are you willing to put up with the teasing or a less popular crowd if that’s required? Most importantly, are you willing to hang on to a good attitude even when your trials aren’t your fault?

All those things can set an example for others. You’ll be the one leading the way and you may be surprised to discover others find themselves anxious to join you when they see how happy and fulfilled you are on your special path. You never know who is watching, so be brave and be a pioneer.

We are in the decision-making portion of our existence. The teenage years can be somewhat of a fall from the innocence of childhood, just like we came down to Earth from living in innocence with God. We need the knowledge we gain in life, as in teenage years, to grow up to our full potential. Though some of us would probably like to skip being teenagers, it’s a crucial learning stage. Even in awkward, emotional, challenging times, you learn important lessons to guide your life. Similarly, in the fallen state of mortality, we learn from experience the lessons necessary for our eternal destiny.

The lessons we learn in life and the decisions we make will determine whether we meet our full potential—whether we can become like our Father in Heaven. President Thomas S. Monson shared a story in the last General Conference, in which an elders quorum president was asked about the worth of souls:

The stunned quorum president hesitated as he formulated his reply. I had a prayer in my heart that he would be able to answer the question. He finally responded, “The worth of a soul is its capacity to become as God.” (Thomas S. Monson, “Our Sacred Priesthood Trust,” Ensign, May 2006, 56)

Being a teenager seems like everything when it’s happening, but when it’s over, it seems like a very short time—a time when we either prepared for the blessings and responsibilities of adulthood or we wasted time, thinking that just being a teenager was all that mattered. This life is the same way. We can either choose to prepare for the eternal adulthood—being like God—or we can be absorbed in mortality, thinking that this life is what matters.

So what does matter? Remembering the worth of your immortal soul, and preparing for the life to come. In this life, there are many ways we can prepare. We can take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He paid the price for your otherwise-impossible destiny—will you do what it takes to reach it? We can learn to know personally our Heavenly Father and our Savior. We can repent, pray, read scriptures, listen to our leaders, and control ourselves.

While the hope and destiny of every human being is great, the things that will bring that destiny into view are usually simple, sometimes tedious, and never glamorous. They are the little things we do every day, like praying meaningfully, repenting of smaller or larger sins, and going to Mormon Church meetings. But these small things are what bring about the miracles necessary to grow to be closer to and more like Heavenly Father. Daily devotion to doing the right is what brings a powerful testimony and witness from the Holy Ghost. Worthiness brings the blessings of eternity promised when we keep our covenants. Repentance allows the miraculous atonement really work in us, to clean us from sin and let God forget our wrongs.

In this time of making choices, as in mortal life, we choose what we will be. We choose whether to be morally clean adults, blessed by covenants and service. We choose whether we will become like God after this mortal life. At this time, remember what you are worth. Remember not to throw yourself away in the darkness of a tough decision. There is light in keeping an eternal perspective.

Sisters, don’t be afraid to be different in our century! Sometimes we have to be different in order to maintain Church standards. So I repeat, don’t be afraid to be different, but be as good as you can be (”Your Light-a Standard to All Nations,” Ensign, May 2006, 112).

It’s okay to be different when our differences bring us closer to the Lord. In Deuteronomy 26:18, it says, “And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments.” Sometimes we can all feel “peculiar” when compared to the rest of the world. Fortunately, we’re not judged by the world’s standard; we are judged by the Lord.

If we keep his commandments, we are “peculiar,” which literally means that we are a precious possession. We can be precious to the Lord when we obey his commandments. Being Mormon brings blessings, and they’re worth being different. Avoiding alcohol and coffee (as commanded by the Word of Wisdom) gives us health and strength; staying in families helps us to be emotionally healthy and stable; the temple brings us the blessings of salvation. The Lord means to set us apart as Mormons. He knows we’re going to be different, much like he was during his life.

When we are different, or when we are persecuted for being different and following the Lord, we join with the Disciples of Christ throughout time. In places where the Mormon Church is small, we can feel alone, but our differences make us unique and interesting. Don’t be afraid to be set apart from the rest of the world. Don’t be afraid to wear modest clothes, keep the Sabbath holy, and attend youth activities. You gain strength and blessings from these things worth any persecution.

Our differences as Mormons need not cut us off from the rest of the world. We can have good friends that don’t share our differences. Mormons believe in charity, the pure love of Christ which we need to have for everyone on Earth. We can think differently and act differently but still love one another.

You, as the youth of Zion, have a great work to do and have been given all the talents and opportunities, regardless of where you live, to do just exactly what your Father in Heaven expects of you.

Heavenly Father has prepared you with the tools you need to keep the commandments, prepare for the blessings of the temple, and become the men and women you are meant to become. Beyond that, Father wants you to do many other good things that you can do best. With your individual talents and abilities, you can bless the lives of others in ways nobody else can. You have special opportunities within your families to help your family members and bless them with your gifts.

It may sometimes feel as though you do not have what it takes to meet the Lord’s expectations. You do. The Young Men General President focused on two pieces of advice in his talk: “never forget who you are” and “learn to control your thoughts.” As you remember your divine heritage as a child of the Almighty God, and as you control your thoughts, you can protect yourself from the discouragement of the adversary and the temptations with which he would try to ensnare you.

Part of learning to control your thoughts is knowing where thoughts come from. If the thought enters your mind “I can’t do this; I’m not good enough,” that is the adversary, tempting you to give up the fight, trying to give you the excuse that you’re not up to the task. But you are a child of God! No task the Lord sets before you is too hard, and you have his help and guidance when you ask for it. No commandment is too hard for you to keep: you are the very child of him who made them, and he has blessed you with every strength necessary to succeed. These strengths sometimes come from family, sometimes from scriptures, and other times from the mouths of teachers or priesthood leaders. Sometimes the strength you need is in prayer and in listening to the Holy Ghost. Whatever it is you need to keep the commandments and do the will of God, you have it.

(Thomas S. Monson, “Our Sacred Priesthood Trust,” Ensign, May 2006, 57)

Every time I read these words of comfort, I can’t help but ask myself a difficult question: How can we have enough humility and faith to let the Lord repair our faults? Humility seems to be one of the most elusive virtues, since if you have it, you will never know. However, when I hear the phrase “humble themselves before me,” I think of countless times in the Book of Mormon when the weak, the sinners, and the oppressed have knelt before God in prayer to ask that their needs be met.

In the Mormon Church, we need to be humble enough to admit that we can’t do it without Heavenly Father, and we need the humility that leads to obedience and worthiness. We need to believe (have faith) that he can and will respond to our pleas, being worthy of the response, and we need to be humble enough not to take the credit for our strength afterward. It is easy to say, “I will never be able to fix everything that is wrong with me,” but the miraculous power of Jesus Christ is with us in our struggles. If we can accept as fact that the Lord will make our weaknesses strong, we can have the faith needed to receive the miracle.

As much as we may doubt our own humility, we must have faith that the Lord is merciful, and that he lets our best efforts be enough. Through the power of the atonement, he can fortify our weakened defenses, reform our broken hearts, and satisfy our most aching hunger. His grace is sufficient that, in all of our weakness, we can still receive if we ask in humility, and believe.

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “See the End from the Beginning,” Ensign, May 2006, 43) (From Youth Gems)

In Mormon belief, there is little more damaging than discouragement. Giving up can often seem easier than struggling to do well, or to do at all, some days. And the funny thing is that failure isn’t really failure until you stop trying. There’s nothing permanent about falling down, unless you decide you don’t feel like getting up any more.

The Lord wants us to see the end from the beginning– that it’s worth it to keep trying, to keep working, to keep following the commandments, even when it’s hard. We can be above discouragement and stronger than doubt. The Mormon Church, however, is also about support. God is always with us and there are always people we can turn to.