A lot of people think being a “goody-two-shoes” is a bad thing. Some celebrities love their bad reputation, but for Torah Bright, the Australian Olympic Snowboarder, living a morally clean life is really paying off. Sponsors are lining up to sign her on because, after the various recent morality scandals involving sports stars, they are anxious to have someone they know won’t suddenly be revealed as having a wild lifestyle. They know that her Mormon religion and her decision to live the teachings of it make her safe. She’s reported to be earning one and a half million dollars a year, and some of that is because she’s chosen to do the right thing—not to get rich, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Torah isn’t afraid to tell reporters she doesn’t drink or smoke, or even drink coffee, and that she is not going to become sexually active until she’s married. She even explained she wanted a Mormon boyfriend who shares her beliefs, and she found this in Jake Welch, an American snowboarder who is also a Mormon. When asked how she would celebrate a win, she cheerfully said water was her celebration drink of choice.
Torah said, “”I have strong beliefs and they never waver. (The gospel) keeps me grounded and gives me purpose to what I am doing. I think the way we believe as Latter-day Saints is amazing, especially in the world today” (Torah Bright Wins Gold Medal, LDS Newsroom Blog.)
Torah is a great example to teenagers who are being made fun of for their standards or who are being told they need to be immoral to be popular. She is beautiful, talented, and popular and she’s done it all without sacrificing her beliefs. She’s proof that the world is lying when it says you have to lower your standards to make it in the world.
Sure, it’s easier to be different when you’re famous, but Torah hasn’t been famous all her life. She made the commitment to her standards long before sponsors were desperate to sign her. Her past choices, made before she knew how things would turn out, are important now, because once you’re famous, everyone starts searching for the scandals in your past. Torah’s lifelong choice to be moral is paying off now, as it does for everyone who chooses Jesus over the world.