Integrity makes you whole and complete.
It is exciting to meet with you tonight as we step across the threshold into this
new millennium. It is a sacred time for you to be alive. Whether you are 12 or
15 or 17 years old, what you are doing now really matters as you prepare for your
future roles as women, mothers, and builders of the kingdom.
One summer when I was 16, I remember sitting down and writing in my journal
all the qualities I wanted in a future husband--testimony, good looks, sense
of humor, money, education. I thought these were all good qualities. But when
my oldest daughter, Becky, was 16, she came to me and asked, "What is the most
important quality to look for in a husband?" By then I had been married for
many years. I knew the answer to that question. I believe the most important
quality we can possess is integrity. How I love the value of integrity!
What is this most important principle? Integrity means to do what you
say you will do; you keep promises to yourself. The Young Women program defines
integrity as: "I will have the moral courage to make my actions consistent with
my knowledge of right and wrong."
"We can easily spot . . . someone with integrity. They're honest.
They do the right thing when nobody is watching. They keep their word and they
keep our confidences. They repay their debts, and they clean up their own messes.
They accept responsibility for their actions" ("The Wholeness of Integrity,"
Church News, 26 June 1999, 16).
Everyone comes into this world with different levels of integrity. Have you
ever wondered what qualified Jesus to be given the role as Savior of the world?
He was the Firstborn of the Father, chosen from the beginning. But what really
made Him perfect? It was His total dedication and desire to please our Father
in Heaven. The Savior was capable of sinning, but His desire for "honesty [was]
an armor against temptation" (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd
ed. [1916], 134). The Savior said, "I do always those things that please
[the Father]" (John 8:29). We know that throughout His life, He consistently
made right choices. He had the moral courage to make His actions consistent
with His knowledge of right and wrong.
President Hinckley has said: "In all this world there is no substitute for
personal integrity. It includes honor. It includes performance. It includes
keeping one's word. It includes doing what is right regardless of the circumstances"
(Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 270).
Let's look at a few examples of young women who are learning to love integrity.
They have chosen to do what is right regardless of the circumstances.
A young woman named Brooke writes:
"This past summer I had the opportunity of attending a leadership conference.
It only took a couple of hours to find out that the LDS kids were in the minority
there. I ended up [rooming] with two girls who were very nice but definitely
didn't have the same standards. At night when I read my scriptures they stared
at me like I was some kind of weirdo. While they were talking about their drinking
parties, I was talking about [parties] with punch and cookies. They
laughed but were always curious.
"Although I was scared sometimes, I never failed to stand up for what I believe
in. At the end of the conference, one of my roommates [said], 'I guess
Mormons can be cool,' and that she would think about our religion and maybe
even learn about it. I [learned] that I could make a difference by simply
standing up for what I believe."
Cari shares this experience:
"I have always known what was right, but I thought I could choose my own path.
After being on that path, I started to feel lost and confused. Finally I prayed
with a humble heart and asked Heavenly Father what I should do. The first step
was to change friends. That wasn't easy, being in the 'popular' group. But I
took the challenge and did just that.
"We liked to hang out on the weekend and watch R-rated movies. I had made up
my mind never to watch R movies again. It was the beginning of a new school
year, and a guy asked me to watch a movie. I told him that I didn't watch rated
R movies. He said, 'That's cool, we can watch a different one.' This has happened
more than once. I have left parties, sat home on weekends, and turned down [dates]
because I don't watch R-rated movies. This has been the greatest blessing in
my life. Now it's easier for me to stand up for what I believe in many other
ways."
Kristen, a Laurel, writes:
"I try to stand as a witness of God every day. It's the little things--being
nice to everyone I talk with, not laughing at a crude joke, not gossiping about
someone, being patient. Sometimes it's these small things that are the hardest
to do, . . . but I constantly strive to do better. Scripture study
and prayer have given me power--the courage to stand and share with the Savior
my testimony of Him. The scriptures give me the power to change for the better."
Now listen to Salina's letter:
"Last year in seminary we were taught about Joseph Smith. Towards the end of
the year, we had a spiritual lesson that has impacted the rest of my life. Through
all of his experiences, he never once failed to stand as a witness.
"As I sat listening, I asked myself over and over if I could be that strong.
My testimony was strengthened that day as the Spirit manifested to me that the
Church was true and Joseph Smith was a true prophet. If I was faced with trials
as he was, with the Lord's help I could be just as strong. So I made a commitment
that day that I would always stand as a witness. If Joseph Smith could do it,
so can I!"
These young women are learning the value of integrity. There is a common thread
which runs through all of these stories. Do you recognize it? You've heard it
a thousand times before. Reading your scriptures and saying your prayers invites
the Spirit to be with you.
When President Spencer W. Kimball was 15 years old, he attended stake conference
and heard a speaker ask everyone who had read the entire Bible to raise their
hands. I heard President Kimball say, "I cared not what others were thinking.
I knew that I had not read it and I was filled with shame." After the meeting
was over, he ran home as fast as he could, grabbed the Bible off the shelf,
and climbed the stairs to the attic. His brothers teased him, saying, "Why try?
You'll never finish it." But he did. Almost a year later he finished reading
the Bible. The integrity he had as a 15-year-old boy was one of the things that
made him a great prophet of God.
Dear young women, you too can develop a love for integrity as you discipline
yourselves through daily prayer and scripture study. The Holy Ghost can inspire
you with a greater desire for honesty and integrity. Make a decision tonight
that you will read your scriptures and say your prayers every day for the rest
of your life. You see, scriptures and prayer go together like peanut butter
and jelly. They will help you stay close to the Church and close to the Lord.
And remember this: as you develop your integrity you can be more beautiful.
Integrity makes you whole and complete. Integrity will bring a twinkle to your
eye and a look of confidence that will magnetically draw people to you.
President Hinckley has said, "There is nothing more beautiful in this world
than a . . . young woman who is clean in thought and word and deed"
(Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 384).
Just like my daughter Becky, someday you will be looking for a young man with
integrity. And a young man who holds the priesthood of God will also want to
marry a young woman of integrity.
President Hinckley was right. "There is no substitute for personal integrity.
It includes honor, . . . performance, . . . keeping one's
word, . . . doing what is right regardless of the circumstances" (Teachings
of Gordon B. Hinckley, 270).
As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can do it! Our honest effort to improve
our integrity allows God to increase our power to do it. Let me repeat that:
Our honest effort to improve our integrity allows God to increase our power
to do it. I promise you, as you read your scriptures and say your prayers--that's
the magic formula--the Holy Ghost will help you in your noble quest to strengthen
and develop your integrity. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
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