Wanna know the best way to wake up on a Wednesday morning?

By realizing that in the middle of the night, your phone fell to the ground.  As you reach down to get it to shut the alarm off, you hit your head on the corner of your desk that you didn't realize was that close.

Ow.

My talk on Honesty.

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters.  My name is Symone Stout, for those of you that don’t know me.  Today I will be talking about something that most of us have been taught since we were little… the principle of honesty.

“Honesty is the best policy.”  We have all heard that saying, right?  But what exactly is honesty?  According to the dictionary, it is “the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness; truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness; freedom from deceit or fraud.”  President James E. Faust also added to this, saying, “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”  Honesty is an important aspect of life.  Not only do we have to be honest with those who we associate with, including family, friends, ward members, and anyone else you may come in contact with during your life, but we have to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord.  Every action, every choice made is known by yourself and the Lord.  Whether you are honest about what occurred or not, you will know exactly what happened.

In the society that we live in today, it is easier to lie, to deceive, and to justify various actions.  Elder Marcos A. AIDUKAITIS said, “Scriptural teachings on honesty are clear, but unfortunately the world seems to be much more flexible. The world even classifies people according to different levels of honesty. Sometimes we hear of people who are ‘very’ honest, ‘mostly’ honest, or even ‘a little’ honest.” (Honesty in the Small Things)

 When it comes to being dishonest, it is easier to lie about little things than the big things.  Kinda like when you were late to a meeting… or late to anything, for that matter.  Why you don’t have an assignment.  Why you don’t want to go on a date.  Why you don’t want to see a friend.  I know that I have been dishonest in one, if not most, of the things mentioned.

While you may not think that you have been dishonest, chances are that, at one point, you weren’t being completely honest with yourself or those around you.  President Brigham Young said, “If we accept salvation on the terms it is offered to us, we have got to be honest in every thought, in our reflections, in our meditations, in our private circles, in our deals, in our declarations, and in every act of our lives.”

If it is so easy to lie, cheat, deceive, or justify now-a-days, then why should we be honest?  What is so important about being honest? 

In True to the Faith it says, “When we are honest in every way, we are able to enjoy peace of mind and maintain self-respect. We build strength of character, which allows us to be of service to God and others. We are trustworthy in the eyes of God and those around us.  On the other hand, if we are dishonest in our words or actions, we hurt ourselves and often hurt others as well. If we lie, steal, cheat, or neglect to give the full amount of work for our pay, we lose our self-respect. We lose the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We may find that we have damaged relationships with family members and friends and that people no longer trust us.  Being honest often requires courage and sacrifice, especially when others try to persuade us to justify dishonest behavior. If we find ourselves in such a situation, we can remember that the lasting peace that comes from being honest is more valuable than the momentary relief of following the crowd.”  Howard W. Hunter, before he was President, stated, “We often speak of that scriptural reference, ‘Man is that he might have joy.’ There is a joy that comes to one from being honest. Let me tell you how. By this means you can have the companionship of the Master and you can have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. Violations of the code of honesty will deprive you of these two great blessings. Could you believe that one who would lie or cheat or violate the Word of Wisdom could have the companionship of the Master or have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost?”

That is why it is so important to be honest.  Being honest leads us to happiness, allows us to keep the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and have the Lord’s guidance with us at all times.  By being honest, we will be open to blessings and better willing to do the work of the Lord.  Being honest allows us and lets us feel good about ourselves and our life.  Being honest with those around us leads us to have better relationships.  The Lord wants us to be happy while going through this life. 

Doctrine and Covenants section 97 verse 8 says, “Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.”

Now, if I can be completely honest (given my topic), there have been times where I made mistakes.  And, instead of fixing them right away or telling the truth about it, I found a round-about way to deal with them.  I chose to not talk about them, or to not tell the whole truth when I needed to.  Instead of making things better, it actually ended up making things worse.  I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t fun, and I wasn’t willing to listen to others because I really felt like I knew what I was talking about.  When I chose to be honest, when I chose to tell the truth, everything included, I felt relieved.  I felt better.  I felt like I could be happy again, and that I could live a life full of happiness.  I just needed to be honest with myself, with the Lord, and with those around me.

Brother and sisters, I know that, in this world, it is easier to lie.  It is easier to be dishonest, especially when bad decisions and mistakes are made.  It is easier.  But, being honest in all your doings, and with all those around you will not only lead to happiness here on Earth, but eternal happiness in the next life.  I can testify to the truth of this.  The Lord wouldn’t ask us to be honest is all our doings if He didn’t provide a way and if it wasn’t important to Him.

Elder Richard J. Maynes said, “Remember, the Lord expects us as members of His Church not only to appear to be good but also to actually be good.”

Please start today to be more honest, if you feel like you aren’t.  Allow the Spirit to guide and direct you.  Heavenly Father won’t lead you astray.  He wants you to be happy, and wants you to feel like you can have good relationships.  All you need to do is start being honest.

I know that this Church is true, and that the Lord is watching over us.  I know that the scriptures are true, and that they hold guidance to help us get through our everyday life.  I know that the Spirit is there to help us and guide us.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, and that he is leading us in the way the Lord desires us to be led.  I know that we can be happy while on Earth and that we can do right, even when it seems easier to do wrong.  Of this I testify in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

My view on families.

Today was a pretty rough day.  I don't know why, but today I felt off.  I felt super lonely, and that I couldn't really talk to anyone, which sucked.

Over the last few days, I have been having some impressions and feelings come into my life that have made me gain a better understanding of where my life will be taking me.  I am really so excited to see the direction my life will be taking me, and to see the joy and happiness that will come from following these promptings.

While at Church on Sunday, and in my religion class here at school, I can't help but notice that we have been talking about families, and how Satan is working extra hard to break up families.

For most people on Earth, families are a source of happiness and love.  Family leads you, guides you, allows you to feel loved and appreciated, and helps you when times get tough.  Your family is the one group of people that will always be there for you, no matter what.  At least, that is the case for me.

I have been thinking a lot about my future family over the last few days.  Who will be a part of it, when I will be blessed to be a mom, how I will raise my children, etc.  No, I am NOT saying that I will be starting a family anytime soon, but it has been something that has been on my mind.  Since I have started thinking about it, I have realized that I am having roadblocks placed in my path that would, in my teenage years, prevent me from pushing forward.  These feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and failure; all of these would have made me not want to progress, not want to keep moving forward.

But, I am different now.  Yes, I do feel this way at times, but that isn't going to prevent me from pushing forward.  I have a greater knowledge, and that includes knowing that even when I am feeling alone, I am not really alone.  I have an earthly family and friends who love and support me.  But, above all, I have a Heavenly Father who is there for me, no matter what.  Even when I have made the worst mistakes, or not been the best I can be, He is always there to offer a hand and pick me back up.  He is there to show me the way back.  Because I know that He is there, I know that I don't need to worry.

My Heavenly Father has made promises to me, to us, His children.  As we stay valiant to His commandments, and do as He asks, He will give us those promised blessings.  While I see those roadblocks in my path, I can still know that, eventually, they will pass.  I will keep pushing forward, and I will not allow ANYTHING to take away my goal of a temple marriage and an eternal family.  Even during my "rebellious" teen years, a temple marriage was always my goal, and it is more so now.  I want an eternal family, and I will do anything to get it.

Satan is trying his hardest to tear me down, and not reach my goal.  I can feel it.  What he doesn't know is that my secret weapon will never falter.  What is my secret weapon, you ask?  It is my testimony on the family.  I know that having a family is part of God's plan for His children while living in this earthly state.  I know that families can be together forever, and that God has included families in His Plan of Happiness because He knows the joy that can come from having a family.  I have a wonderful family as it is, and I know that my future family will bring me continual joy.  I just need to keep my head held high, and remember that what God has promised will come as long as I stay positive and work towards following the commandments.

Sorry if this is a really random post, it is just something that has been on my mind for the last few days and I needed to get it out.