Not of the world

This past Sunday I taught my Damitas from Young Women about “Being in the world but not of the world”. My whole lesson was based on President Nelson’s message to the youth on this last devotional, July 3rd. I asked them what are some of the things we can do to stay away from the worthless of the world. After some great answers I suggested a few more things we can find on Pres. Nelson's message.

First, seek the influence of the Holy Ghost. About that President Nelson said: “I promise you that, wherever you are in the worls, wherever you are on the covenant path- even if, at this moment, you are not centered on the path- I promise you that if you will sincerely and persistently do the spiritual work needed to develop the crucial, spiritual skill of learning how to hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, you will have all the direction you will ever need in your life”.

Second, prayer and personal revelation. Sometimes we take for granted the great power of prayer and our ability to receive personal revelation. I know if we sincerely talk to our Heavenly Father, He will (always) gives us the light and knowledge needed to make the right decisions.

“(...) Now I plead with each of you to do as the teenaged Joseph did. Take your questions directly to your Heavenly Father in prayer. Ask Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to guide you. You can learn for yourself- right now at your age- how to receive personal revelation. And nothing will make a bigger difference in your life than that”.

Girl's camp when I was a Mia Maid

Third, stop comparing ourselves. The world will always say we are not good enough, not beautiful enough, smart enough, or even worth enough. There will always be someone better, more beautiful, smarter or more worthy to compare ourselves with. And that is when we forget who we truly are and all the potential we all have! 

Sister Nelson also shared some thoughts about that. She said: “Brothers and sisters , it’s time to stol comparing oirseleves with others. It’s time to put away those erroneous views of ourselves and others. The truth is that wr are not as hopelessly flawed as we may think, and others are not as perfect as they may appear- all except, os course, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The only thing that really matters is that you and I are doing exactly what we committed- even covenanted- premortally with our Heavenly Father we would do while we are on earth”.

That came down to another aspect very important which we discussed in class, and it is also mentioned on Pres. Nelson’s message: social media- where everybody is connected and constantly comparing themselves. 

We had a great class with lots of comments and feedback from the girls. They are good kids and I am proud of them! I ended class with these wonderful words from President Nelson:

"(...) Stand out; be different from the world. You and I know that you are to be a light to the world. Therefore, the Lord needs you to look like, sound like, act like, and dress like a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Yes, you are living in the world, but you have very different standards from the world to help you avoid the stain of the world.

With the Holy Ghost as your companion, you can see right through the celebrity culture that has smitten our society. You can be smarter than previous generations have ever been. And if you are sometimes called "weird", wear that distinction as a badge of honor and be happy that you light is shining brightly in this ever-darkening world!

Set a standard for the rest of the world! Embrace being different!"

Then I gave each one of them a chocolate chip cookie and encouraged them to be just like a chocolate chip, which doesn’t melt when exposed to heat, but instead it keeps its true form. Just like chocolate chips we should stay firm in a world of increasing “heat”. I got the idea HERE.

To read the full message of President Nelson go HERE.