I Believe in Being Honest...

In my religion, there are a series of scriptures called the Articles of Faith. With these thirteen articles, our tenets of faith are expressed, so that we can share with others what we believe. 

In the last Article of Faith, it says, 

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

This article is so important, because it's the standard of which I choose to live my life. It's also the standard of which I teach my daughters to live. 

For example, when we are homeschooling, and my children need to pick out a book to read, they will seek out virtuous and good books. They don't want material that reflects standards from the world. 

Likewise, when we seek out entertainment on television, the internet, or in music, we seek to find what is uplifting, lovely, chaste, benevolent, etc. We are what we watch, read, listen to or speak. 

Of course, there are more concepts being taught in this article that cover more than what types of media we consume. Yet, I have found that in my life, if I am seeking out all things that are honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, etc., then I find optimism and hope in my daily life. And I can endure bad days and hardships because I can see the good in life with clearer perspective. 

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