Standing Firm

A young man I know well was elected to be the student body president at a large university.
The university sent him to a leadership seminar where student leaders from across the United States gathered in Chicago, Illinois, to be trained and educated.
They participated in an initial game outdoors on the college campus so that they could become acquainted with each other.
The students were presented with current issues facing today's youth and were asked to take a position.
In response to the issue presented, they were directed to run to several trees in the grassy area marked "strongly agree," "partially agree," "strongly disagree," or "mildly disagree."

Toward the end of this exercise, the leader asked, "Do you believe in premarital sex?"
Without hesitation this young man ran to the tree marked "strongly disagree."
To his amazement, he was the only one there!
All the other student leaders were laughing and pointing at him and saying, "Oh, Jess, you are so funny.
We all know you're not really serious."
At that moment Jess said he knew exactly what he must do and so he loudly declared, "I am not funny.
I'm serious!"
There was a stunned silence, and then the group dispersed, leaving Jess standing alone by the tree.
He felt out of place and, yes, weird.
But he wasn't weird.
He was right.
And he was not alone.
During the week, many of the student leaders came to him privately and said that they wished they had known years earlier what he knew.
Jess later said, "It was easy because I knew that I represented not only the university but my family, the Church, and the Savior."

-Elaine S. Dalton -At All Times, in All Things, and in All Places -April 2008 General Conference

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi