We Believe in Being True

The next portion of our in depth study of the 13th Article of Faith was "We believe in being true." Oftentimes folks think of being honest and being true as the same thing because honesty is telling the truth. But the word true is one with multiple uses. Honesty is a part of being true, but being true is much more than honesty. It is being faithful, and living the truth.

Here are some of the resources I used for these lessons. Discussions went with each, of course.

"I Believe in Being Honest and True" talk by Ann Dibb
"True to the Truth" talk by Joseph B. Worthlin
"Be True," chapter in Gordon B. Hinckley's Way to Be
"True to the Faith" talk by Thomas S. Monson
"Stand True and Faithful" talk to YW by Gordon B. Hinckley (adapted)
"Filling Our Homes with Light and Truth" talk by Cheryl A. Esplin


When we read Sister Esplin's talk, we actually did the soda can experiment.

Copywork

"Each of you has an eternal calling from which no Church officer has authority to release you. This is a calling given you by our Heavenly Father Himself. In this eternal calling, as with all other callings, you have a stewardship, and 'it is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity' (D&C 72:3). This most important stewardship is the glorious responsibility your Father in Heaven has given you to watch over and care for your own soul." -Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Be True. Be true to who you are. Be true to the parents who are rearing you and caring for you. Be true to the family whose name you bear. Be true to the land and country you call home. Be true to those in your circle of friendship. And most of all, be true to yourself." -Gordon B. Hinckley


Hymns
As Zion's Youth in Latter Days
Behold! A Royal Army
True to the Faith

Here is my absolute favorite part of the April 2015 LDS General Conference, which I shared again with my kids. There was something so stirring to me about this that invigorated me personally, but also gave me great hope in the future as I stared into the faces of these young adults and felt their testimonies of faithfulness in their voices. It takes a lot of extra time in practices to prepare for singing in a choir for conference; these people had to sacrifice their time and want to be there, which leads me to believe they want to be faithful.

We spent time talking about covenants and promises. Whenever I think of the word "promise," I immediately think of the character Samwise Gamgee in J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. He is my favorite character and a shining, solid, stalwart example of being faithful to the end. My children and I had a long and animated discussion of the characters of the Lord of the Rings and because of our love for this story and how intimate we are with it, it made for a strong common example to talk about. Sam taught us so much about what it means to be true.