We are in the decision-making portion of our existence. The teenage years can be somewhat of a fall from the innocence of childhood, just like we came down to Earth from living in innocence with God. We need the knowledge we gain in life, as in teenage years, to grow up to our full potential. Though some of us would probably like to skip being teenagers, it’s a crucial learning stage. Even in awkward, emotional, challenging times, you learn important lessons to guide your life. Similarly, in the fallen state of mortality, we learn from experience the lessons necessary for our eternal destiny.

The lessons we learn in life and the decisions we make will determine whether we meet our full potential—whether we can become like our Father in Heaven. President Thomas S. Monson shared a story in the last General Conference, in which an elders quorum president was asked about the worth of souls:

The stunned quorum president hesitated as he formulated his reply. I had a prayer in my heart that he would be able to answer the question. He finally responded, “The worth of a soul is its capacity to become as God.” (Thomas S. Monson, “Our Sacred Priesthood Trust,” Ensign, May 2006, 56)

Being a teenager seems like everything when it’s happening, but when it’s over, it seems like a very short time—a time when we either prepared for the blessings and responsibilities of adulthood or we wasted time, thinking that just being a teenager was all that mattered. This life is the same way. We can either choose to prepare for the eternal adulthood—being like God—or we can be absorbed in mortality, thinking that this life is what matters.

So what does matter? Remembering the worth of your immortal soul, and preparing for the life to come. In this life, there are many ways we can prepare. We can take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He paid the price for your otherwise-impossible destiny—will you do what it takes to reach it? We can learn to know personally our Heavenly Father and our Savior. We can repent, pray, read scriptures, listen to our leaders, and control ourselves.

While the hope and destiny of every human being is great, the things that will bring that destiny into view are usually simple, sometimes tedious, and never glamorous. They are the little things we do every day, like praying meaningfully, repenting of smaller or larger sins, and going to Mormon Church meetings. But these small things are what bring about the miracles necessary to grow to be closer to and more like Heavenly Father. Daily devotion to doing the right is what brings a powerful testimony and witness from the Holy Ghost. Worthiness brings the blessings of eternity promised when we keep our covenants. Repentance allows the miraculous atonement really work in us, to clean us from sin and let God forget our wrongs.

In this time of making choices, as in mortal life, we choose what we will be. We choose whether to be morally clean adults, blessed by covenants and service. We choose whether we will become like God after this mortal life. At this time, remember what you are worth. Remember not to throw yourself away in the darkness of a tough decision. There is light in keeping an eternal perspective.

It is important for Mormon men and women to understand that, when men are ordained to the priesthood, they receive a power to serve others. They are given hard work to do, and the power to do that work; there is no inherent blessing in holding the priesthood, only in using it. A man can never use the power of the priesthood to bless himself, but he can receive blessings from using it to serve God. Women do not miss out on the blessings of service, since women are blessed with many inherent abilities and talents with which they can serve God and receive the blessings of service.

Women themselves are not without power of God from God. God’s amazing power to procreate is given to women, and the vast majority of that creative service lies solely with women. They receive blessings from providing bodies and nourishment for God’s spirit children on earth. The job is not easy, nor does it receive much recognition, but these injustices equal out in the next life. One might ask: If women held the priesthood, what would the men do? They would play a small part in the procreative power, and little else, spiritually. Men cannot do what women do, and they need a job to do in the Church, to grow and to serve, and that’s the priesthood.

God’s division of his power to work and serve on Earth cannot be completely understood. But in the Mormon Church, we must trust that God gives us the jobs we have because they are the best ones to help us grow and make us better. Men need the duties, hard work, and service of priesthood responsibilities. Women need the sacrifice, nurturing, and selflessness that come with motherhood.

It is not necessary for women to have the priesthood for them to receive all of the blessings of the priesthood. Women have the same opportunity as men to enter into all temple covenants, serve God in the Church as leaders, as teachers, or as Mormon missionaries. This week’s Youth Gem tells us:

I hope our granddaughters and grandsons grow up knowing that they are not and have never been third-party observers of the priesthood. The blessings of the priesthood, which ‘are available to men and women alike’ (Dallin H. Oaks, “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 2005, 26), are woven in and through and around their lives. Each of them is blessed by sacred ordinances, and each of them can enjoy the blessings of spiritual gifts by virtue of the priesthood. (Julie B. Beck, “An Outpouring of Blessings,” Ensign, May 2006, 11)

Sisters, don’t be afraid to be different in our century! Sometimes we have to be different in order to maintain Church standards. So I repeat, don’t be afraid to be different, but be as good as you can be (”Your Light-a Standard to All Nations,” Ensign, May 2006, 112).

It’s okay to be different when our differences bring us closer to the Lord. In Deuteronomy 26:18, it says, “And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments.” Sometimes we can all feel “peculiar” when compared to the rest of the world. Fortunately, we’re not judged by the world’s standard; we are judged by the Lord.

If we keep his commandments, we are “peculiar,” which literally means that we are a precious possession. We can be precious to the Lord when we obey his commandments. Being Mormon brings blessings, and they’re worth being different. Avoiding alcohol and coffee (as commanded by the Word of Wisdom) gives us health and strength; staying in families helps us to be emotionally healthy and stable; the temple brings us the blessings of salvation. The Lord means to set us apart as Mormons. He knows we’re going to be different, much like he was during his life.

When we are different, or when we are persecuted for being different and following the Lord, we join with the Disciples of Christ throughout time. In places where the Mormon Church is small, we can feel alone, but our differences make us unique and interesting. Don’t be afraid to be set apart from the rest of the world. Don’t be afraid to wear modest clothes, keep the Sabbath holy, and attend youth activities. You gain strength and blessings from these things worth any persecution.

Our differences as Mormons need not cut us off from the rest of the world. We can have good friends that don’t share our differences. Mormons believe in charity, the pure love of Christ which we need to have for everyone on Earth. We can think differently and act differently but still love one another.

You, as the youth of Zion, have a great work to do and have been given all the talents and opportunities, regardless of where you live, to do just exactly what your Father in Heaven expects of you.

Heavenly Father has prepared you with the tools you need to keep the commandments, prepare for the blessings of the temple, and become the men and women you are meant to become. Beyond that, Father wants you to do many other good things that you can do best. With your individual talents and abilities, you can bless the lives of others in ways nobody else can. You have special opportunities within your families to help your family members and bless them with your gifts.

It may sometimes feel as though you do not have what it takes to meet the Lord’s expectations. You do. The Young Men General President focused on two pieces of advice in his talk: “never forget who you are” and “learn to control your thoughts.” As you remember your divine heritage as a child of the Almighty God, and as you control your thoughts, you can protect yourself from the discouragement of the adversary and the temptations with which he would try to ensnare you.

Part of learning to control your thoughts is knowing where thoughts come from. If the thought enters your mind “I can’t do this; I’m not good enough,” that is the adversary, tempting you to give up the fight, trying to give you the excuse that you’re not up to the task. But you are a child of God! No task the Lord sets before you is too hard, and you have his help and guidance when you ask for it. No commandment is too hard for you to keep: you are the very child of him who made them, and he has blessed you with every strength necessary to succeed. These strengths sometimes come from family, sometimes from scriptures, and other times from the mouths of teachers or priesthood leaders. Sometimes the strength you need is in prayer and in listening to the Holy Ghost. Whatever it is you need to keep the commandments and do the will of God, you have it.

Richard G. Hinckley said the following of repentance:

“How grateful I am for the understanding we have of this great principle. It is not a harsh principle, as I thought when I was a boy. It is kind and merciful.” (”Repentance, a Blessing of Membership,” Ensign, May 2006, 49)

Heavenly Father gave his only begotten Son to suffer and die at the hands of cruel enemies, lonely and without succor, just so we could all have the chance to come back to him and feel the glory of his presence. Would we hold back our repentance where he has done so much? So much was paid so that we could repent and have joy in being pure, and so much is at stake in our repenting-we have nothing to lose but sorrow as we increase in our purity.

Complete repentance brings a new and better life. It turns a life we may think we have destroyed into a blessed life. Repentance restores opportunities and blessings and self-respect. Repent. Be worthy once again to return to the God and Father who loves you enough-in all of your imperfections-to sacrifice everything.

When I was about fourteen, I had an interview with my Mormon bishop, who explained to me that as I made correct choices, I would have more options for my future, but if I made bad choices, my options would become more and more limited. Some think that taking the greatest advantage of freedom means making whatever wrong choices you want, but the truth is that every wrong choice limits freedom in some way. Even choosing not to study can limit what colleges you get into!

Freedom and agency, Mormons believe, are two of the greatest gifts God has given to man. I have found it to be true that every correct choice I’ve made has given me freedoms, while wrong choices have taken them away. Repentance, however, is always an option, and it brings freedom to captives. In times when we are unworthy or burdened by sin and the consequences of bad decisions, we can turn to Jesus Christ; we can repent of our sins and forsake them. The choice to repent will allow Christ to give us uncountable blessings and guide us to make correct choices and receive more freedoms. Freedom is not free-agency was given to us by God, and the savior’s atonement gave us the freedom to always repent and be forgiven. We have to guard our freedom and treasure it by using it wisely.

(Thomas S. Monson, “Our Sacred Priesthood Trust,” Ensign, May 2006, 57)

Every time I read these words of comfort, I can’t help but ask myself a difficult question: How can we have enough humility and faith to let the Lord repair our faults? Humility seems to be one of the most elusive virtues, since if you have it, you will never know. However, when I hear the phrase “humble themselves before me,” I think of countless times in the Book of Mormon when the weak, the sinners, and the oppressed have knelt before God in prayer to ask that their needs be met.

In the Mormon Church, we need to be humble enough to admit that we can’t do it without Heavenly Father, and we need the humility that leads to obedience and worthiness. We need to believe (have faith) that he can and will respond to our pleas, being worthy of the response, and we need to be humble enough not to take the credit for our strength afterward. It is easy to say, “I will never be able to fix everything that is wrong with me,” but the miraculous power of Jesus Christ is with us in our struggles. If we can accept as fact that the Lord will make our weaknesses strong, we can have the faith needed to receive the miracle.

As much as we may doubt our own humility, we must have faith that the Lord is merciful, and that he lets our best efforts be enough. Through the power of the atonement, he can fortify our weakened defenses, reform our broken hearts, and satisfy our most aching hunger. His grace is sufficient that, in all of our weakness, we can still receive if we ask in humility, and believe.

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “See the End from the Beginning,” Ensign, May 2006, 43) (From Youth Gems)

In Mormon belief, there is little more damaging than discouragement. Giving up can often seem easier than struggling to do well, or to do at all, some days. And the funny thing is that failure isn’t really failure until you stop trying. There’s nothing permanent about falling down, unless you decide you don’t feel like getting up any more.

The Lord wants us to see the end from the beginning– that it’s worth it to keep trying, to keep working, to keep following the commandments, even when it’s hard. We can be above discouragement and stronger than doubt. The Mormon Church, however, is also about support. God is always with us and there are always people we can turn to.

So service is always important. And so is standing for what you believe. Not everyone can be official Mormon missionaries–especially not when they’re teenagers. But when you stand for what you believe is true, no matter what others think, you stand as an example of your beliefs. You make them part of yourself. And you may find people admire you for it.
“When I was in South America, the young women and their leaders sang, ‘I’m Trying to Be like Jesus’ (see Children’s Songbook, 78). They not only sang the words, but they meant it. In Asia and India, young women are examples of faith, modest dress, and purity. Their eyes shine and they are happy. The young women in England, Ireland, and Wales are standing for truth and righteousness in their schools. In an ever-darkening world, they are making a difference. Some of you are the only members in your family or your school. You are making a difference. You are leading in righteous ways.”

(Elaine S. Dalton, “It Shows in Your Face,” Ensign, May 2006, 110)

(From Youth Gems)

But we need to be active. We need to reach out our hands to other people. We need to look to other people’s needs and be willing to put forth effort to meet them. We can be good influences.

In Mormon belief, we can be missionaries through example as well as through the Mormon missionary program. If we are kind to others, if we live what we believe, people will notice.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“There is no end to the good we can do, to the influence we can have with others. Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative. Let us pray for strength; let us pray for capacity and desire to assist others. Let us radiate the light of the gospel at all times and all places, that the Spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us.”

(Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Need for Greater Kindness,” Ensign, May 2006, 61)