What Is My Potential?

You may be wondering what your potential is, or even what it’s for. Mormons believe that all of us have the potential to not only live with our Heavenly Father again, but also to become like Him. Now that’s potential for greatness! You came to this earth at a crucial time in its history; right now Satan is working harder than he’s ever worked before to destroy the work of God. We have the potential to fight him and successfully stand for good.

We also have the potential to create and raise families centered on Jesus Christ. Families are a critical component in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have the power to make families a force for good in a world that is continually devaluing them.

But I Don’t Feel Like I Have Potential

The key to unlocking your potential lies in discovering who you really are: a child of a divine Father, of God. Once you come to understand this fundamental truth, you will feel your potential open up and enfold you. You will begin to see yourself as God sees you—and that’s a big deal.

Saying that you’re a child of God and really feeling it are two different things. If you are seeking for that knowledge and confirmation, you can do a few things to help along the process.

• Pray. And pray and pray and pray. Prayer is direct communication with God. Through prayer we can confess our doubts, insecurities, worries, and sins. We can ask Him questions about who we are and why we are here, and He will answer us. Our prayers are always answered.
• Read the word of God. God has given us scriptures to help bring us closer to Him. Through diligently reading scripture we come to know better the nature of Jesus Christ and better understand how He teaches. Often answers to prayers are found through scripture. Become familiar with the word of God, and work hard to understand and apply it. Mormons not only believe that the Bible is scripture, but they also believe that the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ. Mormons also have other books of more modern scripture (like the Doctrine and Covenants) and even have a semiannual conference where prophets and apostles speak to us. All of those resources count as scripture and can help us better understand who we are.
• Talk to others. Find someone who is confident in who they are and who has a strong relationship with Heavenly Father. This could be a parent or close friend, or even the Mormon missionaries. Not everyone has people in their lives who can help them understand their potential, and if you need someone to talk to, find the missionaries. They will not only help you in your quest to understand who you are, but they will pray for you and teach you the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Know Your Enemy: Satan

As you come to understand your worth as a child of God and your potential as His heir, Satan will work tirelessly against your efforts. He is the most miserable of any being and wants everyone to be like him. He doesn’t want anyone to feel loved or valued, and when he sees someone like you working to understand your divine nature and individual worth, he will try to derail your efforts.

Combating Satan’s attacks, though, is easier once you understand your potential. Elder Richard G. Scott, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, says, “When you really understand who you are, it is not difficult to resist Satan’s temptations. Then he can’t thwart the development of your true potential” (“Realize Your Full Potential”). Fighting against Satan takes hard work, but it’s made so much easier when you have Jesus Christ on your side. The good news is that Christ will always win in the end.

Continually Look Forward

Even after you’ve found that spiritual confirmation of your divine heritage, sometimes you slip up and make a mistake. Sometimes it’s a small mistake, and sometimes it’s a bigger one. Don’t let these derail your progression and potential. The beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that our potential isn’t diminished by our mistakes; when we take advantage of the Savior’s grace, we can always start over and move forward. Jesus Christ is always and forever cheering us on and picking us up. He sees our potential better than we ever will in this life. We need to trust Him and allow Him to make us glorious.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-07-12-going-the-extra-mile?category=news-and-events/inspirational&lang=eng

In December 2008, when I was a freshman in high school, I noticed a lump on my neck under my right jaw. I didn’t really think anything of it at first, but I had a feeling it needed to be checked out. My doctor prescribed some antibiotic, and it changed a little bit but mostly stayed the same size, and the doctor dismissed it. A year later, in December 2009, I went back to the doctor after noticing a few miniscule lumps along with the lump already there. My doctor set up for a biopsy and removed the lump. On December 22, 2009, I was officially diagnosed with Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma —or in simpler terms, cancer of the salivary glands.

I underwent a major surgery in January 2010 followed by three months of radiation to the affected area in my neck. In July of that year, I officially achieved remission. But only a year and a half later, in January 2012, I noticed a few lumps in my neck, this time close to my Adam’s apple. My fear had been realized; I was again diagnosed with Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma. I underwent a surgery followed by scans every few months.

I thought that my trial with cancer was over, but in November 2012, I was found to have a recurrence of the cancer. This time, it was a little more severe. A month later, I went through a 13 1/2 hour surgery. Because the cancer was found in my jaw bone, the bone was replaced by the fibula taken out from my left leg. I am currently in the middle of reconstructive surgeries, and I look forward to the day when I will again achieve remission.

This trial has strengthened my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ immensely. I have faith that trial was allowed to happen for a reason. I have faith that the Lord has a plan for me. Although I do know what it entails and that it may not be exactly what I want, I am willing to go and do whatever the Lord has planned for me. Yes, at times I am scared, especially with my diagnosis, but I have faith. Faith guides me through the hard times, and I know that everything I’m facing has a reason, and either I or someone around me will be blessed because of me keeping my faith in the Lord.
It has also shown me that our Heavenly Father, and His son, Jesus Christ, are mindful of our situations and are watching out for us. It seems almost unheard of that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would allow such trials as mine to happen, and although it must be hard to watch me suffer, it happens because this trial allows me to grow. I know this because I look to the example of Joseph Smith, Jr., the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, he restored the true church of Jesus Christ back on the Earth. The true message had been lost  from the Earth for a long time, because it had been changed so much from the truth. Joseph Smith was persecuted by many, called foolish and visionary. He received instruction, guidance, and scripture from the Lord, called revelations, which were recorded and are today called the Doctrine & Covenants.My trials have shown me the importance of family. As Mormons, we believe that families can be together forever, even after death. I know that despite what happens to me or any other family members, if we obey God’s commandments and live righteously, we can live together again after this life on Earth.

One revelation was received by Joseph Smith during the winter of 1839, while he and others were imprisoned in Liberty Jail, and his followers were being driven out of the state of Missouri.  He was pleading with God because of his own suffering and the suffering of the Latter-day Saints.  In the 122nd section, verse 7, it lists a numerous amount of bad “what if” situations, such as “be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers… and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee,” but then the Lord says, “all these things shall give thee experience, and be for thy good.” The Lord allowed bad events to happen to Joseph Smith because he grew from those experiences. This scripture gives me good comfort. Instead of thinking, Why me? I realize that the Lord wants me to grow, and once my trial is over, I will be a better person because of it.

My testimony has grown substantially. I can testify that we are literal children of our Heavenly Father and that He loves us, no matter what we do and no matter the mistakes we make. He is mindful of our situations. We are put on this earth to grow physically and spiritually, and I am grateful that the Lord loves me enough to allow hard challenges to come my way, knowing that I have the ability to overcome them. I know for myself that I am a member of His true church and that my life is important. I am not just another kid, another cancer patient, another boy. I am Erik Gray, and I am a son of God.

This article was written by Erik Gray, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My name is Erik Gray. I’m 19 years old live in Utah. I’m a college student and three-time cancer fighter. I love running, graphic design, and being with friends and family. My favorite sports are football, basketball, and of course, running. In my spare time I like to watch movies, be with family, and spend time with friends. For my future career, I want to be a graphic designer or a motivational speaker, or maybe both. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that by being a member of His church and living righteously, I can return to live with Him someday. I hope to use my testimony and experiences to help others with what they’re going through and share the glorious message of the Gospel.

For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

When I read this I thought, “ahah” they could have forgotten me!  But more importantly I learned that Jesus Christ could not forget me, nor can He forget you.  The holes on His hands that rose with Him when He was resurrected are eternal reminders of His love for us.

When my brother and his wife had a little girl, I went to the hospital to meet my new niece! My sister-in-law was exhausted and needed to sleep; I had the great opportunity to hold a new child who had just barely come into this world from the presence of our Father. As I held her in my arms, I looked at her face and felt the power that she held. I held her for nearly an hour before my sister woke up, but it seemed like only a few minutes. The whole time Heavenly Father allowed me to learn something about the rising generation, they are really special. The truth I learned from this experience was only magnified when I held my own precious child for the first time. Words will never be able to describe how close heaven felt that sacred night. President James E. Faust said, “My dear young sisters [and brothers], your future is bright. It can exceed your fondest dreams and expectations” (“Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor,” Ensign, May 2000). And guess what?  That applies to you!

Not only did you inherit qualities from your earthly parents, but also you inherited qualities from a loving Heavenly Father. He wants you to have eternal life. The only way that we can have that great gift is if we accept it by living God’s commandments, and it is only made possible because of our Savior Jesus Christ—through His great gift of the Atonement. Our Father in Heaven sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to live a perfect life and then to suffer for mankind. What our Savior felt wasn’t just a collective amount of pain; He felt the pains for each of us individually. He took upon Himself  pains, sicknesses, temptations, and even death (see Alma 7:11).

So what does the Atonement mean to you? I hope it means that you understand that our elder Brother, Jesus Christ, knows you personally. He knows you better than your friends, your family, and even better than you know yourself. He knows your potential and the power that you have to change the world. And because He knows you, He knows what you need in order to return to live with our Father. Heavenly Father placed you on this earth at this specific time because you are needed. He really has saved the best for last. It is no coincidence that you are in the family you are in, it is no coincidence that you live where you live, and it is no coincidence that you are reading this article right now. In fact, I don’t believe there are such things as coincidences. Amongst all of the experiences that we have each and every day lay countless tender mercies from God. Elder David A. Bednar, speaks of tender mercies:

Through personal study, observation, pondering, and prayer, I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ (“The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Ensign, May 2005).

I invite you to learn more about what your role is as a child of God by prayerfully reading the  Mormon scriptures, Abraham 3 and Doctrine and Covenants 138, and asking God what He has in store for you to do—follow His promptings—now. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed Christ’s church. I know, because I have prayed, fasted, studied, and lived its teachings. You can do the same—and I promise doing so will bring you joy and peace beyond anything you can even comprehend. This is truth.

This article was written by Ashley Bell, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional Resources:

Meet with Mormon missionaries

How did The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin?

The Lord Jesus Christ in Mormonism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoen3eab868&feature=youtu.be

Peter was the first apostle Jesus chose. He had so many people to choose from, but he chose Peter first. Right away, that tells you something about Peter. Peter was the first to offer some important testimonies that Jesus was the Christ, even at the times when other people didn’t seem to understand who He was. Peter tried to defend Jesus against the people who came to arrest Him by cutting off the ear of one of them. Jesus made him stop and told him not to interfere because this had to be done, but either way, we could see how much Peter loved him and how prepared he was to risk his life for the Savior. It’s pretty risky to attack someone when you’re surrounded by soldiers.

When Jesus was gone, Peter was in charge. He’d only been a member of the Church for three years, and he was in charge of the whole thing. That must have been scary. Jesus had been different—not just an ordinary church president. There wasn’t an exact model for Peter to follow. Most people still didn’t understand the gospel very well and all the procedures weren’t in place—things changed from time to time. It was up to Peter to keep the little church running, spread it around the world, and settle all the arguments and try to fix the apostasies. He performed miracles and raised Tabitha from the dead.

That is a great bio for any leader. Still, too many articles about Peter don’t focus on those things. They focus on the mistakes: Peter lost faith while trying to walk on water and fell in. Peter denied Jesus three times. A lot of times we forget to notice what Peter did after he made a mistake–and what Jesus did.

We don’t know exactly what Peter thought about each of those times; we do know Jesus forgave him and told him that he, Peter, would be in charge of the church when Jesus died. Even though Jesus knew Peter would make mistakes, even knew the denials would happen, he didn’t take away Peter’s chosen destiny.

Peter repented. We read that after the denials, he went off and cried. We can be sure he repented during that time and did whatever he had to do to get back on track. And then what? Did he sit around feeling sorry for himself, deciding God would never love Him again, feeling he could never change? No, after he repented, he started over. When Jesus was gone, he called a meeting and got a new apostle called to replace Judas. He went out and did missionary work. He made executive decisions concerning how the church would run. He opened himself to revelation from God.

He moved on. God forgives us completely when we repent. We have a responsibility to forgive ourselves too. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to get God’s work done. The next time you make a mistake, repent and move on.

Around the time that I was finishing high school, my parents ran into some financial difficulties. Everyone goes through something like that at one point or another. Since there were still 3 children living at home, food was something that was essential, especially since two of us were teenagers. One day, my mom asked me if I wanted to go grocery shopping with her. I was a little confused that we didn’t take the turn to the Wal-mart, but instead headed towards a western part of town. We went to a white building that didn’t really look like anything special. When we got into the building, it was like a mini grocery store. I asked my mom what this place was, to which she replied, “It’s called  the bishop’s storehouse.” She went on to explain that a bishop’s storehouse is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly called the Mormon Church). When families or individuals of the Church are going through hard times, they can meet with their bishop (the leader of a congregation) and put together a list of basic foods and supplies they need.

The private contributions of other members of the LDS Church make the bishop’s storehouse possible. One Sunday a month, the members of the The Church of Jesus Christ are asked to fast for two meals. The money that they would have spent on those meals is given as a fast offering to the bishop of their ward. With these finances, the bishop helps provide for those who don’t have enough money to cover their expenses at that time. The Church owns ranches for meat and large farms and orchards. Food grown on these farms is canned by volunteers. 

The welfare program of the Church is well known throughout the world. People from all walks of life travel to Church headquarters to see firsthand how the Church cares for the poor and needy without creating dependency on the part of those who receive or bitterness on the part of those who give. A president of a country, after visiting Welfare Square, canceled the remainder of his appointments for the day. “There is something here that is more important than anything else I have on my schedule,” he said. “I must stay and learn more” (“Inspired Church Welfare,” Ensign, May 1999, 76).  

Workers in the bishop’s storehouse are all unpaid volunteers. I wanted to help out when we were getting food from the Church, so I volunteered to help out at the Storehouse. It was such a wonderful experience to give back to the Church and the Lord when they were providing for me and my family. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,not only provides food for families, but it can also provide clothes and job counseling. Deseret Industries is a thrift store owned by the Church that trains people and teaches them essential skills to help them find a job. 

Knowing that the Church will always be there for me, if I am ever in need, is a feeling that I cannot express. I know that nothing comes free, though. Volunteering to help the Church can provide many blessings in your life. I love paying fast offerings and working at the Storehouse, just having the feeling that I’ve done something good for others, and that I’m a part of something that works so well to help others.

In the beginning, when a powerful spirit was cast down for rebellion, “he became Satan, … the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will” (Moses 4:4). He and the spirits who follow him are still deceiving the world. Modern revelation declares that “Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:2–3). Satan’s methods of deception are enticing: music, movies and other media, and the glitter of a good time. When Satan’s lies succeed in deceiving us, we become vulnerable to his power.

I do not believe in ghosts. That is something I tell people all the time. I then go on to explain in further details, my beliefs. A ghost is defined as someone who has died, but wanders the earth as a spiritual entity. It is my belief that people who have passed on to the other side have far better things to do, than wander the earth haunting buildings. I do believe that there are spirits, minions of Satan that will do anything they can to get our attention in hopes that they can possess our bodies.

The things that people do, such as use Wigi boards; Bloody Mary and other things that invite evil spirits… only work, because they want them too. When you go into something, wanting or thinking that a spirit will appear as a result of your actions, it will happen. Satan’s minions were not able to get mortal bodies, because they did not follow God’s plan. Instead, they followed Satan’s plan in the pre-mortal existence, and were on the wrong side in the War in Heaven. They were cast out with Satan. While others who aligned themselves with Christ go on to receive mortal bodies, then perfect, resurrected bodies, the progress of Satan’s minions stopped. They will always be spirits. They are always around, waiting for people to invite them into their lives.

Shows like Ghost Hunters disturb me in many ways. The reason being, that when I watch the show, I notice that the people in the T.V show invite and taunt the spirits to show themselves. If the building was not haunted before, it is when the people in the show invite those spirits. And for what? For ratings, to scare other people and viewers? We should not be encouraging shows that invite evil spirits into our life.

“Satan cannot seduce us by his enticements unless we in our hearts consent and yield. Our organization is such that we can resist the devil; if we were not organized so, we would not be free agents.”

“The devil has no power over us only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power. (Prophet Joseph Smith)

I am also reminded of a story that I read a long time ago. There was a man who had died on a hospital bed, but was revived five minutes later. In that time, he was shown some things by the Lord. One of those things is that he saw evil spirits lurking around those who were committing acts that were sinful or compromising according to the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as drinking. The man who had died was taken into a bar by the Lord and was shown how much easier it was for an evil spirit to enter a person’s body the more that he/she drank. There was also a moment where he saw one evil spirit that was overlooking an entire city. The man asked the Lord. “Is this city so strong in the gospel, that the evil spirits cannot enter it?” To which the lord replied. “No. The city is so evil that only one of Satan’s followers needs to oversee the entire city. The city is weak and full of sin, and does not have the strength to push the evil spirit out of their lives.

We should surround ourselves with positive things, things that invite the Holy Ghost into our lives, and not the Evil Spirits that roam the earth, waiting for their opportunity to strike. Our bodies are temples, and we should treat them as such. Temples are dedicated houses of God, and God only dwells in holy places. We should a light and a example to those around us, so that they can also receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and have the power to resist the evil spirits in this world.

When Paris was fourteen, Mormon missionaries were tracting through the neighborhood. This means they were going door to door asking people if they’d like to learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is the real name of the church. Mormon is just a nickname.

His friends teased him about having two white men coming to the house, thinking they were police officers. Paris wasn’t interested in the gospel message the missionaries were giving his family, but finally the missionaries told him that if he wanted to know what was true, he needed to ask God, who is the only source of truth. So Paris did. The answer he got was a feeling of joy, love, and peace, a new experience for him.

How did this change Paris’ life? As he built his testimony and learned more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, he started to understand he was on earth for a reason and God had a plan for him. His brother had died at age eighteen and he hadn’t felt there was much hope for himself either. Now he knew differently. He knew who he was—a child of God—and why he was here.

His mother had lost two sons but she can see she isn’t going to lose Paris. He’s back in school, doing well, and making something of himself. He says he does not want to blame his circumstances for anything—he’s better than his circumstances. In fact, he feels the poverty and the homelessness, the grief of losing his siblings and having a father who was arrested…all those things that often make people give up…have actually made him stronger and helped him become the good man he is. He hopes he can help other people who face similar challenges to move beyond those trials and into something better, just as he is doing.

Meet Paris for yourself. He’s a man worth meeting.

Tyler and his father started to get up very early in the morning during the summers. For two hours before his dad left for work they would run drills at the church, which had a basketball court indoors. They drilled over and over again, doing a hundred or more free throws each morning, for instance, which isn’t exciting, but which helped him master the basic skills. Because he drilled so often he was able to do the right things in real games.

Not only did Tyler make the team, but he went on to become one of the best basketball players in the country in high school, being named Mr. Basketball twice, a rare accomplishment.

His dad feels that having to work harder than the other boys, and not being naturally talented at basketball, was probably a really good thing for Tyler. He learned that what helped him become a good basketball player could help him in all the other parts of his life, too. Setting goals and working hard could get him many of the things he wanted in his life.

One of the things he wanted was to serve as a missionary for his church. Tyler is a Mormon and most Mormon men give up two years of their life to serve God full-time at their own expense. When Tyler was just a child he set a goal to do this when he was nineteen, the youngest age men can go on missions. He worked hard to do the kinds of things that would make that possible. To serve a mission, a young man has to live a morally clean life, even in his teens. He needs to avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. He must maintain high moral standards in his dating life. He attends church weekly, studies and learns his religion well, develops self-discipline and builds a strong testimony. What Tyler learned from becoming a good basketball player also helped him become a good missionary. He’s now serving in the Philippines for two years.

People thought it was a little weird for him to leave the Brigham Young University basketball team to serve a mission. He was doing great, was important to the team, was following in his dad’s footsteps as a basketball star. Why give that up to serve a mission?

Because he’d promised God to serve Him first, and that meant a mission came before basketball. And his father served a mission, too.

Tyler admits it would have been a hard decision to make if he’d waited until he was an eighteen year old basketball star to make his decision. He was able to make the right decision because he made it young and devoted his life to working toward it. He says he has learned that when he puts God first, God blesses him.

And basketball will always be there when he returns. For now, Tyler is putting first things first, just as he always has.

Meet Tyler Haws by watching this video about him.

Nephi subdues his brothers in the Book of Mormon.

When I was in drama classes, everyone tried out for the starring roles. No one wanted to have a small walk on role with no lines to say. However, every writer knows that every character in a story is absolutely important to the story. Writers never put anyone into a story who doesn’t have an important job to do. Leave out the smallest character and the entire book can fall apart. The same is true for the scriptures.

The same is true for real life.

Let’s look at one Book of Mormon person who had a small part to play in the stories told and see if we can learn some things that will apply to our own lives, especially if we’re the quiet type and not the flashy hero type.

The Book of Mormon begins with a teenager named Nephi. Nephi is pretty much your typical hero type of teenager. He’s probably about fourteen when the Book of Mormon story starts and he was the first author. He didn’t write about his life until he was much older, but it’s mostly from his point of view. He was tall for his age, a good hunter, athletic, strong, self-confident…you know the type, right?

Nephi was the youngest of four brothers. His two oldest brothers were brats. They had a bad habit of beating up Nephi and his next oldest brother Sam. Later, as adults, they’d even try to kill them. But Nephi, sometimes with the help of angels, always wins out over them.

But Nephi isn’t the star of this article. In this article we’re dealing with Sam, who is mentioned only a few times in the entire story of Nephi’s life. What do we know about him? He was a middle child—the third of the boys. There were some sisters too, but we think they were already married and living elsewhere by the time the story begins. Like Nephi, he was righteous, which means he tried to do what God wanted him to do. He obeyed his parents, was nice to his younger brother…that’s pretty much all we have in the way of facts. But if we read between the lines, we might see that Sam is a quiet hero.

Here’s some background information on the story, in case you haven’t read it. The father of these boys was Lehi and he was pretty rich. The kids had good lives because of that. But then Lehi got called to be a prophet and after that, things got pretty complicated. People got mad at Lehi for telling them to repent and they wanted to kill him. This was in Jerusalem just before it fell. You can read about the fall of Jerusalem in the Bible.

Once things got too dangerous, God told Lehi to take his family and only the things they really needed and get out of Jerusalem forever. They weren’t even suppose to take their gold and silver or any fun possessions. Laman and Lemuel, the two bad brothers, were pretty mad at leaving their comfortable life and heading off on a permanent camping trip. Wealthy to homeless—on purpose. Nope, not their style.

Nephi and Sam, though, trusted their dad when he said this was what God wanted, and they went without complaint. That’s the first sign of a hero—doing the hard stuff without whining, and in the scriptures (and in modern life), a sign of a hero is doing what God wants you to do without whining. So far, Sam qualifies.

After they’d been traveling for a while, God told Lehi to send the boys back to Jerusalem alone. In those days only a few people had copies of the parts of the Bible that had been written so far. Lehi didn’t have one, but his wicked relative Laban did.  The boys were to convince Laban to give them his copy, which also included their family history.

How did each boy react to being sent on this long trip for a book?

Laman and Lemuel whined. It was too far, too hard, too scary. (Laban was really wicked.) No heroes here.

Nephi gave a rousing speech to his father, in which he said he’d go because he knew God would never give them a commandment unless He prepared a way for them to keep it. It’s a great, hero-worthy speech and there have been songs written about it.

Sam…just went. That’s all. He didn’t whine and he didn’t give a speech. He just packed his bags and headed off. Okay, that doesn’t sound too exciting and no one has ever written a song about Sam doing that. But here’s what I think—and this is my own interpretation of it. I think Sam was a teenager who was used to doing the right thing all the time, or at least most of the time. I think he’d worked hard to become obedient and now he didn’t need to think about it or give speeches about it. He was a little older than Nephi so he’d had more practice doing hard things quietly, whereas Nephi, being younger, was still pretty excited to realize he liked obeying God and his parents. Nephi was learning the kind of person he was and so he needed to talk about it. Sam already knew. He didn’t need to announce it to anyone. That’s the first thing that tells me Sam is a quiet hero.

As you can imagine, this trip doesn’t go too well. The brothers politely ask Laban for the records and he threatens to kill them. They even offer to buy them—all that gold and silver they abandoned is still hanging around. Laban takes the money and tries to have them killed without giving them the records. The two older brothers get mad and decide to take it out on Nephi and Sam, seeing as how they were younger and obedient. The beating gets so bad an angel has to show up to rescue them. The angel tells the older brothers to behave and warns them that someday, Nephi is going to be the head of the family, lead the church and rule over them.

Hey, wait a minute! Laman and Lemuel don’t like that one bit. In those days, the oldest son always became the leader when the father died. There is no way they want their baby brother taking over what they thought should be Laman’s job. (Can you imagine the church being led by Laman?)

I’m sure you can understand why God was going to skip over Laman and Lemuel. But he also skipped right over Sam, who was every bit as righteous as Nephi. Why did He do that? We don’t know and chances are, Sam didn’t know either. It would have been pretty understandable if he’d gotten as upset as his older brothers. In fact, he had more right to get upset, since he was worthy of the job. But you know what? He didn’t. Nephi wrote about the reactions Laman and Lemuel had to this, but he doesn’t say one word about Sam’s reaction, which means it was so quiet Nephi didn’t give it much thought. Later, when Nephi is the leader, he has to take his followers to live somewhere else because Laman and Lemuel want to kill him. Sam goes with Nephi.

Throughout the rest of the story, the few times Sam is mentioned he is always following the leader, either his father or Nephi. We don’t know if he went home and prayed to know why he wasn’t chosen. All we know is that however he might have felt inside at first—and it would be natural to be a little sad over it—he didn’t use it as an excuse to rebel. He just went about his life doing the right thing, just as he always had.

Sam was a quiet hero. Maybe you are too. Maybe no one will write books or songs about your life, but that doesn’t mean you don’t matter. Sam is in the story for a reason. God wanted him there to remind us that you don’t have to be the leader or the star to make a difference in the world. Nephi depended on Sam’s loving loyalty during the hard years ahead. God depended on it, too.

And God is depending on you too. Quiet heroes are as important as the stars of the show.

Read about Sam and his family in the Book of Mormon.

The story of Sam, to be read between the lines.

Make your standards clear so those who follow you don’t get lost.

In this month’s New Era magazine (a monthly magazine for Mormon teens and other teens who want inspiration) there are several stories about teens who had to have courage in an everyday sort of situation. A lot of times we think of courage as involving physical danger, such as running into a burning building to save someone. Most of the time, though, the courage we are asked to show comes from ordinary, everyday experiences.

Deborah Moore wrote about the experience of losing a best friend. When she was in eighth grade, her best friend decided to start getting drunk and doing other things Deborah knew were wrong. Deborah didn’t know what to do but she was worried for her friend’s safety so she finally got the courage to ask her friend not to drink. Her friend chose not to follow her advice or to continue the friendship.

That took a huge amount of courage for Deborah. She knew she might lose a friend by doing this, but she had to try to help her friend if it was at all possible, so she took the risk. A lot of times when we read stories like this one in religious settings, the story ends with the friend deciding to change her life, grateful someone cared about her. That didn’t happen this time, but it doesn’t change the importance of the story.

It’s really an act of love to try to save someone you know is doing something dangerous. You’d want to jump into a swimming pool to save a drowning friend and a friend who wants to start getting drunk often is in more danger than just physical death—she faces terrible danger to her spiritual life, which is more important in the eternal scheme of things.

Every person has agency—the God-given right to make choices—but they face the consequences of those choices. When we care about someone, we can offer them support for making a different kind of choice, which is what Deborah offered. Even though the friend didn’t appreciate the help or accept it, Deborah had done the right thing. She eventually made new friends who supported her wiser choices and helped her to live the way she knew she should live.

Read the original story about this Mormon Teen.

Another story had a happier ending. Shannon moved to her dad’s house part way through her junior year of high school. She was shy and had a hard time making friends. She was in choir and hoped she’d find friends there, but it was still pretty hard. However, one girl caught her attention, a girl who was outgoing and popular. This girl had one bad habit though—she took Jesus’ name in vain. That means she used his name as a swear word. This really bothered Shannon, but she was too shy to say anything.

One day, though, Shannon decided she was denying Jesus Christ every time she let the swearing go by without saying anything. She surprised herself by asking the girl not to say His name that way because He was her Savior. The class was startled and became silent but several students agreed with Shannon. The girl who had said the words apologized, admitting she hadn’t really thought about what she was saying and that Jesus was her Savior, too.

So sometimes having everyday courage works out the way you hope it will and sometimes it doesn’t. Having courage, though, means you don’t stop to wonder if you’ll come out ahead. It means doing the right thing for the right reason even if it’s possible the story might have some sad parts to it. In the eternal scheme of things, though, both girls had happy endings because they knew they were doing what Jesus wanted them to do, and that matters more than any temporary setbacks.

Read the original story in the New Era about this Mormon Teen.

What have you done to show everyday courage?