Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A Favorite Of Mine Is Number Thirteen ~ We Believe!


In our faith we have Thirteen Articles of Faith. This is what we believe as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I love article of faith thirteen.This is a favorite because it describes the characteristics of one who believes in and follows our Savior Jesus Christ.
"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
In an article in the Liahona Jan. 2011, the Young Women General Presidency wrote an article entitled; "We Believe!" Here are a few thoughts from this article.
"We believe that one virtuous young woman, led by the Spirit, can change the world". I would add not only one young woman but one young man too and of course all of us combined. We could have a deep impact upon this world.
When Joseph Smith wrote the thirteenth article of faith, he expressed everything we can and must seek and become as believers. Joseph Smith knew that we must believe in standards and values and seek after these things in order to have the power and strength of the Holy Ghost. He knew we would need to follow the Savior in word and deed. He knew that doing this would prepare us to be worthy of the blessings of the temple.
 As I observe the young people today; many are leading out in being examples of these characteristics. They are strong and true in the faith. They are living virtuous lives and preparing for the temple. They are true believers in being "virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy."
We live in a society today that is dwindling in unbelief. In school halls you will find bad behaviors such as crude language, immodest dress, poor sportsmanship and dishonestity in the classrooms. However, this behavior is not limited to the youth in fact the adults are even worse. The workplace and everywhere we turn we find ourselves subject to bad behaviors.
As a mother, grandmother and great grandmother I desire to be an example of these virtues. It is our responsibility to live these values and teach them to our posterity. 
In a New Era Article in June of 2001 entitled:  "Making A Mighty Change" ; Elder Marlin K. Jensen challenges us to do the following:
"I'm going to ask you to participate in a brief experiment. Start by standing in front of a mirror and reciting out loud to yourself the 13th Article of Faith. You may remember it is the longest and last article you memorized as you were preparing to advance from Primary.
Analyze your feelings and mannerisms as you voice the words "We believe in being honest, true, chaste"; "we hope all things"; "we seek after these things"; etc.
Do you feel a little removed or distant from the expression of belief being made? Do the words seem to apply more to we than to me? Do they possibly convey a group but not a strong individual sense of conviction?
Now repeat Article 13 again. But this time, personalize it by substituting and emphasizing the pronoun I whever the pronoun we appears. Say the words slowly and thoughtfully: "I believe in being honest, true, chaste"; "I follow the admonition of Paul"; "I have endured many things'; etc. Do you detect a difference? Does it feel more like a part of you, something you truly accept and are personally committed too."
I am going to take this challenge. I am going to memorize again this wonderful Article of Faith and make it my own. I want to be a better follower of Jesus Christ. Will you take this challenge too?

16 comments:

Susan Anderson said...

I sure will. And thanks for calling it to mind!

=)

Barb said...

Hi Leann!

Loved your post! Number 13 is one of my favorite too! Last year in Young Women, we would recite the Thirteenth Article of Faith each week . . . we all loved it, I miss doing it. There is so much to say about being virtuous, honest, lovely and praiseworthy! I think that the challenge is a wonderful idea!

Hugs and Love,
Barb

Just Ramblin' said...

What a great idea. Thanks for the challenge. Nola

Denise said...

Enjoyed this.

Darlene said...

I will do as you said also. I hope I can remember it all and I think I will as I always loved this Article of Faith too. I remember the days when I could recite all of them and they all came to my mind anytime.

I too am so worried about this generation, especially the boys. I just read the article about the "War on Boys" in the Deseret News and it was truly scary. Many more girls are going to college now than boys. I know that in our ward, we have lost some along the way and it saddens me. It seems like all the younger generation wants to do is spend their time with their I phones texting, playing games etc. It's so easy to cheat in school this way too. We really do need true leaders!!

Kendra said...

I'd LOVE to! Great post!

Grammy Staffy said...

Hello dear. I love number 13 too. I also love your inspirational posts... and I love you.
I'm coming up to Lehi with a friend tomorrow. I won't have a car but do you think we could get together for a visit? I will visit with my son in Draper also. Let me know. Hugs, Lura

Marie Rayner said...

Lovely post Leanne! The world is becoming a much more dangerous and squalid place I think. We can purify ourselves in our homes with prayer and scripture reading, and by clinging to all that is pure and wholesome in our reading and telly watching, and hope that it will help to keep us unspotted as we walk out our doors. It's a battle every day, but one we must strive to win. Love you! xxoo

Barbara said...

I believe!

Christy Monson said...

You are so thoughtful! An inspiration to us all.

Unknown said...

This is a wonderful post LeAnn. Thank you for sharing what's on your heart, and for linking up at NOBH.

I can't wait to hear your ideas for your blog. God bless you, my friend.

Kim said...

A great reminder of the tremendous inpact we have on shaping our children's lives.
It really does start in the home. We have to walk the talk and show all those characteristics through our behavior.
There are times it will not seem that our kids are "getting it", but time and our parenting generally wins out, thank goodness!

Kim-A Creative Spirit said...

I think it is wonderful to see young people being so faitful and to share the wonderful blessings of their faith.

Unknown said...

GREAT message, LeAnn. And...You ARE an example of that. Every thing you write seems to be inspiring, kind, helpful and ....of goodness.

Thank you for that! And...thank you for helping so many others' connect and be uplifted!

I'm posting your message to our new FB page Facebook.com/MormonMomsWhoBlog and invite you to join us there - if you feel so inclined! :)

Blessings to you!!!!
Heidi
MormonMomsWhoBlog.blogspot.com

Amy W Thornton said...

Great reminder of our witness to the world around us. It is easy to fall into bad habits and then serve as a terrible example to those who are impressionable around us. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this and for linking up with NOBH! Smiles -

Mom of 12 said...

We often recite all Articles of Faith with the kids at FHE. It keeps them fresh and helps the younger ones learn them.
Sandy