Sorry this post is SOOOOOOOO LONG!! BUT its a talk I wrote that I'm giving at Young Women in Excellence tomorrow.... ENJOY!!These are dark and perilous times. Where one can hardly step outside their front door without being accosted by immorality, lies, vulgar language, and the many other down falls of man. We are faced with these things at school, at work, at the mall, the movies, the store, and just hanging out with friends. So how in a world that is SO corrupt are we to be a light unto the nations. 1 Timothy 4:12 says,” Let no man adespise thy youth; but be thou an bexample of the believers, in word, in cconversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in dpurity.”
The church has given us, its members many road maps on this journey we call life. We have the Bible, Book of Mormon, True to the Faith, and General Conference just to name a few. Even with all of this the first presidency felt we, as youth, as young women needed more. And so Personal Progress was created.
I want you all to think back to your very first day in Young Women’s and how EXCITED you were to finally be with the “older girls”. Do you remember the first time the Sister over personal progress came to visit you? And that child like excitement and thrill you had of finally being able to participate in something so great and accomplish something so grand? Sisters…. How long did that determination to be the first one in your class to receive your medallion last?
A few years ago I pulled out of public school to do independent study. Now I know this was the right decision for me, but it didn’t come without its struggles. I remember daily feeling alone and lost. I wasn’t surrounded by my friends all day long, I didn’t have teachers there telling me how excellent that essay was or how good I was doing. It was just me. One day I was feeling quite lonely and I happened upon my personal progress book. And it was one of those “oh yeah I need to finish that” moments. So I half heartedly open my book. And after that everything was different.
From the section on faith where I remembered faith is much more than a passive belief. That I had to express my faith through my actions- by the way I lived. Then I read Moroni 7:33, “And Christ hath said: aIf ye will have bfaith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is cexpedient in me.” And everything got a little bit easier after that.
To Divine Nature and Individual Worth. Where I remembered that the worth of souls, that the worth my MY soul was great.
In the book One Bright and Shinning Hope it says,” You are very precious, each of you. You occupy a high and sacred place in the eternal plan of God, our Father in Heaven; you are his daughter, precious to Him, loved by Him, and very important to Him. His grand design cannot succeed without you.” And again I took a couple more steps in the right direction.
Then I trudged forward through Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works and Integrity. And with each activity and each project I noticed a change in myself. I was happier, I got along better with my family, and my friendships had improved. I no longer looked as service or going to church as something I HAD TO do but as something I WANTED to do. Something I knew would make me happier and bring me closer to my Heavenly Father.
I don’t know how many of you have read page ONE of your personal progress book. But it says.................... “You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose. You have the noble calling to use your strength and influence for good. Your loving Heavenly Father has blessed you with talents and abilities that will help you fulfill your divine mission. Through personal prayer, scripture study, obedience to the commandments, and service to others, you can develop these gifts.
Use your influence to lift and bless your family, other young women, and the young men with whom you associate. Honor womanhood, support the priesthood, and treasure faithful motherhood and fatherhood.
As you participate in Personal Progress, you join with thousands of other young women who are striving to come unto Christ and “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). Prayerfully choose goals that will help you cultivate feminine virtues, grow spiritually, and reach your divine potential. Take advantage of your time in Young Women by preparing to receive the sacred ordinances of the temple, to be a faithful wife and mother, and to strengthen the home and family.”
I received my medallion over a year and a half ago and I read that page for the FIRST TIME yesterday afternoon. But it describes perfectly what personal progress has helped me become and what it has made me strive for…. Because of Personal Progress and the Young Women’s Program I can walk by faith, I KNOW I am a daughter of God with infinite worth, I know how to make good choices, exhibit integrity, be virtuous, sow, cook, be a leader, study, love my family, enjoy service and try to be more Christ like.
All these things will help me in my future. They will help me meet my ultimate goal which is to be married in the Temple. And I KNOW it will do the same for you if you just take that little step and open up your personal progress book and finish it one activity at a time.
