My niece, Kyla Bushman, recently shared some thoughts about daring to stand alone and standing up for what she believes. I’m so impressed by her determination to attend the temple every Friday morning with her dad and sister, Bailey. Kyla’s always been such a strong young lady, but her habit of attending the temple weekly has increased her strength and courage to trust in the Lord’s guidance for her life.
Kyla Bushman | Dare to Stand Alone
The definition of Dare is to have the courage to do something. I love this because if we dare to stand, that means we have the courage to stand up for what we believe in—either alone or with others.
In the October 2011 General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson spoke about daring to stand alone, and I feel like it is really pertinent to our time now. He said,
We live in a time when we are surrounded by much that is intended to entice us into paths which may lead to our destruction. To avoid such paths requires determination and courage….
As we go about living from day to day it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs even if by so doing we must stand alone? It is essential that we are able to face—with courage—whatever challenges come our way.
This is such a relatable statement. Even though he said it about 13 years ago, there is so much that relates to us now. There are so many challenges in our world today, in our everyday lives.
We are so pressured to be one way but to follow our hearts. What if they are different? What if what you know you should do and what you think you need to do are different?
My advice is to pray. Earnestly pray to your Father in Heaven and ask Him for His help and guidance. And then patiently listen and wait.
The answer may not come right away, and not in the way you are expecting. It might come through a feeling, or a prompting, or even a person or example, and in order to find it, you might need to be watching and be prepared to receive His help. But I believe your prayer will be answered.
In 2008, Elder W. Craig Zwick gave a talk about standing up for what you believe in. I think this quote of his applies to all of us.
Stand up for what you believe in. Sometimes it is not easy and you may be standing alone for a while. Look for friends with integrity and character, then go to them and express appreciation for their examples. You might even find someone who has been feeling as lonely as you. Pray for guidance and protection from the Lord. He will sustain you. He will become a trusted friend and you will discover that your example will attract many friends who will take courage from your strength of character.
This is such an amazing talk giving us hope and guidance for when we need it and need God. I know that Elder Zwick is right, and that by praying and becoming Christlike, we will become so close to God. And we can make amazing friendships with others around us.
Attending the Temple
When I turned 12, I was so excited to finally be able to go to the temple and do baptisms. My dad and I made a goal to go to the temple regularly, and we were pretty consistent with that. Then my grandparents started working at the temple baptistry on Fridays in the early morning. My dad and decided to try to go every month and go when my grandparents were working.
And then when I was in 9th grade, my dad, my sister, and I started to go every Friday or Thursday at 5 am, depending on when my early morning seminary was. Once school got out for the summer, we started just going every Friday morning.
Now it’s been just over two years of going to the temple every Friday morning, and it is one of the best things in my life. It is so rewarding and filling when you get out of the temple after being baptized for people who never got the chance to be baptized.
My aunt does a bunch of family work so she sends us family names all the time that we can take, and that is so cool! Being able to be baptized and confirmed for ancestors!
Because we have been so consistent, the temple workers all know us by name, and we know them as well! When there is no one else in the baptistry, we can sometimes do 10-15 names each! And that is such a unique experience. Being baptized for so many ancestors is such a blessing and a powerful experience.
Dare to Stand Alone
In life, the world will always challenge us. School, peer pressure, friends, and social media are just some of the ways we will be confronted. The world wants us to fail, to give in to temptations, and to doubt our faith, our God, and ourselves. But we can’t give Satan the satisfaction of seeing us give in.
We have to stand up and show him that we are children of God and proud to be so. That doesn’t mean we have to be preachy to every person we see or stand up for every little thing to show everyone we are willing to do anything for Him. Sometimes only God will see and know how we are standing up to temptations, by doing the small and simple things, going to the temple, reading the scriptures, praying—the primary answers—and standing up when confronted.
“We are as the armies of Helaman” They stood up for themselves and their God, showing that they had total trust in God, and that their lives were in His hands. And because of how righteous they were, they were so blessed.
I know that we can be just like them. By being righteous and Christlike we will be so blessed and have an amazing life.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In