Have you read the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet lately? I hadn’t until I was called to a Young Women calling a while ago. All I remembered was that as a youth I used to think of the pamphlet as guidance for what I wasn’t supposed to do. As I looked at it again, I was amazed at the simple doctrines, the understanding, and the love that radiates from the pages of this pamphlet. Everything is so direct and simple. Everything is doctrinally sound. It’s fabulous.
Whether you have a teenager around the house or not, this little book of standards and beliefs is a powerful tool in keeping our personal worthiness and purity in the front of our minds. Since the values and principles in this pamphlet are so important and relevant at any age, I will be writing about each of them over the coming weeks. Each standard is for our benefit and will help bring us joy as we live by the simple precepts.
The stated purpose for the pamphlet is to help members of the church make good decisions and to lead us back to our Heavenly Father. What a beautiful purpose. The First Presidency message states that “the decisions you make now will determine much of what fill follow during your life and throughout eternity” which makes understanding these principles a key to finding joy in life.
Whether you’re 13 or 70, these same principles and standards apply. I know that as I’ve lived them, I’ve avoided a lot of unpleasant experiences that those around me have gone through. I also know that the promises the First Presidency makes (promises of greater wisdom, greater courage to bear trials, the help of the Holy Ghost, and personal worthiness among others) will be fulfilled in our lives when we follow their counsel.